Strategic Buyer

ZEISS Group•Dublin, CA

6d•$77,000 - $96,000•Onsite

About The Position

Working within the Hiring Manager’s team, we are looking for a Strategic Buyer / Category Manager to take responsibility for the strategic management of a dedicated category, such as Electronics, Mechanics, IT Software & Hardware, Third-Party Products, Emitters, or Detectors.

Requirements

At least three years of relevant purchasing experience in one or more technical categories, such as formed or extruded metals, plastics, machined parts, mechanical components, or electrical components.
Strong technical understanding of the assigned category, high-technology systems, and complex parts.
Analytical and financial capability to assess suppliers against quality, cost, reliability, innovation, capability, and financial-stability criteria and to evaluate total cost of ownership.
Strong negotiation skills and sound knowledge of commercial law, contracts, and agency principles.
Proven project-management capability and solid command of strategic procurement methods and continuous-improvement practices.
At least one year of SAP experience, preferably in Materials Management, and proficient use of Microsoft Office.
A structured, data-driven approach, with the ability to manage large data sets and synthesize and present decision-relevant information.
Excellent interpersonal, collaboration, and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to build effective supplier relationships and work across technical, sales, manufacturing, management, and business-process teams.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, a customer-focused mindset, and the confidence to engage effectively across all leadership levels.
Initiative, creativity, and persistence in developing and implementing new ideas and solutions.
Willingness to travel domestically and internationally.
Fluency in English; additional languages, such as German, Chinese or Hindi are an advantage.

Nice To Haves

Occasional travel to our headquarters in southern Germany or to suppliers internationally will be necessary—up to 20%.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement cross-site category strategies across the USA, Germany, UK, Italy, China, and India.
Conduct global market analyses and manage supplier selection, qualification, and performance to meet requirements for quality, service, delivery, cost, risk, innovation, and capability.
Ensure supply continuity by monitoring industry trends, assessing supplier and market risks, and initiating mitigation measures that strengthen supply-chain resilience.
Identify and develop new suppliers and propose alternative materials, technologies, or manufacturing processes to support series production and NPI projects.
Lead national and international commercial and contractual negotiations, and resolve supplier discrepancies relating to quality, delivery, price, or service.
Develop and apply product cost-driver and total-cost models to benchmark, evaluate, and negotiate prices and deliver agreed savings targets.
Ensure purchased-product costs, source data, and outline agreements are accurately established and maintained in SAP.
Lead continuous-improvement initiatives and contribute to standardized procurement policies, procedures, KPIs, materials-management systems, and digital tools.
Collaborate closely with operational procurement, NPI project buying, manufacturing, quality, project management, and other business partners to implement category strategies and supporting programs.
Build strong supplier and internal stakeholder relationships and communicate effectively with ZEISS leaders at all organizational levels.