OEM and Installation Buyer

Krones Inc

21h

About The Position

Krones designs, develops, manufactures, and installs both machines and complete packaging lines. We have become one of the leading system suppliers for breweries and beverage producers as well as for the food, chemical and cosmetics industries. Our 20,000 employees worldwide strive for innovation and detail and ensure that each customer receives the best quality in product and service. We are currently looking for candidates who want to make a difference and who wish to be part of our dynamic organization in the US. Krones Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. JOB PURPOSE or JOB SUMMARY: Commodity Management (OEM Machinery & Installation Services) The Buyer is responsible for executing corporate commodity strategies, including OEM machinery purchasing as well as installation, commissioning, and related services contractor sourcing. This role actively participates in and leads commodity strategy development and implementation initiatives. In addition, the Buyer is responsible for identifying, qualifying, implementing, rating, and auditing new and existing Suppliers, including OEMs and mechanical service/installation contractors. The Buyer plays a key role in negotiating commercial contracts with Suppliers, including pricing, terms and conditions, supply agreements, and confidentiality or non‑disclosure agreements (NDAs). This position manages all parts, equipment, and services within the assigned commodity scope, including capital equipment, aftermarket parts, and service contracts related to machinery installation and execution. The Buyer is responsible for sourcing, negotiating, implementing, and administrating contractual terms and supply agreements for the assigned commodity. Key responsibilities include active participation in cross‑functional teams (Engineering, Project Management, Manufacturing, Quality, Finance), researching best‑in‑class commodity and market practices, driving cost reduction initiatives, ensuring competitive sourcing, and maintaining a high level of internal customer satisfaction while supporting operational and project execution needs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or high school diploma with at least 5 years of related business experience.
Knowledge of SAP Applications, Power BI & MS Office Suite.
Knowledge of business administration and knowledge of policies, directives, guidelines, and standards.
General social skills, capacity for teamwork, customer orientation, learning aptitude, problem-solving competence, general project management, time- and self-management, coordination and organizational skills, communication skills, and negotiation skills.

Nice To Haves

A minimum of 2 years in a purchasing environment with commodity responsibility.

Responsibilities

Early Supplier Development within Procurement Projects (internal Development Projects (PIP), Sales Phase Customer Projects, Investment Projects).
Continuous improvement of purchasing processes and tools.
Negotiation of prices in cooperation with buyers of each business unit.
Negotiation of terms and conditions.
Supplier agreements and contracts.
Implementation of purchasing tools/processes.
Continuous supplier development according to targets of Lead Buyer/Commodity Manager and supplier quality assurance.
Performance of continuous market analysis.
Proposing a commodity strategy on a plant level in alignment with the Department Manager Purchasing.
Supporting the development of a corporate commodity strategy in the commodity team (consolidation of plant strategies).
Deriving the plant strategy in alignment with the corporate commodity strategy along with participation with the business unit buyer.
Communication of the plant corporate commodity strategy to the (plant) purchasing team.
Realization of the plant corporate commodity strategy.
Continuous development of the supply base.
Monitoring of Supplier Performance.
Securing of delivery dates for plant demands in case of escalations.
Handling claims and invoice deviations in case of escalations.
Planning, execution and follow-up of supplier meetings or negotiations.
Ability to back fill buyers of business units as needed.
Creation of local spend analysis per commodity and supplier within affiliate / Subsidiaries.
Consolidation and mapping of the spend analysis into the group reporting.
Holding kick-off meeting for implementation of corporate commodity management.
Define benchmarking.
Benchmarking with global supply base and creating TCO Benchmark within SRM.
Reconsidering commodity strategy.
Preparing negotiations and contract management in alignment with Buyer of Business Unit (templates, check lists and time schedule).