Strategic Procurement Specialist

Koenig & Bauer US•DFW Airport, TX

9d•Onsite

About The Position

The Strategic Procurement Specialist establishes, develops, and manages a globally competitive supplier network across the United States. The role connects regional market execution with global procurement strategy, first building a resilient domestic supply base (“Local-for-Local”) and then qualifying regional suppliers for integration into the global manufacturing network (“Local-for-Global”). The position is based at Koenig & Bauer’s Dallas, Texas office, reports to the Chief Operating Officer, and has no direct reports. The standard schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT. Regional and international travel is typically up to 15–25%. The role is exempt/salaried. The specialist conducts procurement market research, develops sourcing strategies, leads tenders and negotiations, evaluates and develops suppliers, and manages supplier relationships, risks, contracts, and cost-reduction programs. The position works across regional plants, Engineering/R&D, Quality, Manufacturing Operations, and Global Procurement, while coordinating corporate strategy with local execution. Performance is measured through procurement savings, localization, global supplier integration, delivery, quality, and risk-mitigation outcomes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration, Economics, or a related technical discipline.
At least 3 years of progressive strategic sourcing, category management, or advanced procurement experience in industrial manufacturing, engineering, or an international machinery environment.
Proven track record in supplier localization, international sourcing strategies, and supplier development programs.
Proficiency with Google Suites, enterprise ERP systems, and digital procurement tools such as e-sourcing suites and spend analytics.
Deep expertise in cost breakdown analysis, should-cost modeling, and competitive bidding processes.
Working knowledge of supplier audit procedures, quality management systems such as ISO 9001 or IATF 16949, and continuous-improvement methodologies such as Six Sigma and Lean.
Foundational knowledge of commercial contract law, indemnification structures, and risk-allocation clauses.
Demonstrated management, strategic leadership, and personnel-development skills.
Experience driving operational changes across supply chain, labor, and customer service.
Strong strategic planning skills and ability to build operational roadmaps beyond day-to-day fulfillment.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
Analytical and structured thinking, including ability to interpret market trends, model pricing scenarios, and prepare data-backed sourcing proposals.
Assertive and diplomatic commercial negotiation capability for multi-million-dollar framework agreements.
Ability to navigate US industrial business culture and manage matrixed reporting structures across international headquarters.
Entrepreneurial mindset and initiative to work independently in greenfield or transformation environments.
Willingness to travel regionally across the US and internationally, typically up to 15–25%.
Ability to sit for prolonged periods and work on a computer or telephone, up to 5.5 or more hours per day.
Frequent face-to-face, video, and email interaction with international teams and North American clients.

Nice To Haves

SAP MM/S4HANA experience is preferred.

Responsibilities

Research the US procurement market, including cost drivers, material availability, capacity constraints, and competitive benchmarks.
Identify material groups and commodity categories suitable for domestic localization and global export.
Develop and implement regional purchasing strategies aligned with local operating requirements and corporate procurement guidelines.
Lead total cost of ownership and make-or-buy analyses to support capital allocation and sourcing decisions.
Build, qualify, and scale a domestic supplier base to serve US operations.
Structure and execute competitive tenders, RFPs/RFQs, and commercial negotiations.
Partner with domestic manufacturing sites, plant logistics, and quality assurance teams to support on-time delivery, cost targets, and quality standards.
Develop long-term supplier partnerships to reduce domestic operational disruptions.
Assess domestic suppliers for potential to meet international delivery standards.
Lead supplier audits, technical evaluations, capacity assessments, and quality compliance reviews.
Onboard and integrate selected US suppliers into global value chains in collaboration with Global Category Managers.
Drive supplier operational-excellence initiatives to meet international quality, packaging, and logistics requirements.
Establish supplier relationship-management frameworks and conduct performance reviews using business reviews, scorecards, and corrective-action tracking.
Assess multi-tier supply-chain risks, geo-economic vulnerabilities, and single-source bottlenecks, and implement business-continuity countermeasures.
Draft, negotiate, and execute framework agreements, master service agreements, and service level agreements in compliance with applicable legal standards.
Deliver cost-reduction programs using should-cost models, linear price-performance curves, and value-engineering inputs.
Monitor commodity indices, currency trends, and market pricing to identify cost-reduction opportunities.
Act as the strategic sourcing interface between regional plants and Engineering/R&D, Quality, Manufacturing Operations, and Global Procurement.
Coordinate corporate headquarters directives with local plant execution, ensuring technical specifications and lead-time requirements are met.
Track outcomes including savings, localization, supplier integration, on-time delivery, quality, and risk mitigation.