What are the responsibilities and job description for the Strategic Buyer position at BITZER US?
Description
Job Description
Summary (Position Description): The Strategic Buyer is responsible for transitioning global sourcing to qualified domestic suppliers to reduce freight costs, mitigate tariff exposure, and improve working capital through shorter lead times and lower inventory levels. This role drives sourcing strategy and supplier development in close partnership with Engineering, Purchasing, and Operations, while aligning with BITZER Headquarters in Germany on global supplier impacts.
The position is intentionally structured outside of day-to-day purchasing activities to maintain focus on strategic initiatives and does not own purchase order execution or expediting responsibilities. It reports directly to the Director of Supply Chain and serves as a cross-functional leader for sourcing strategy.
Reports To: Director of Supply Chain
Duties & Tasks
Job Description
Summary (Position Description): The Strategic Buyer is responsible for transitioning global sourcing to qualified domestic suppliers to reduce freight costs, mitigate tariff exposure, and improve working capital through shorter lead times and lower inventory levels. This role drives sourcing strategy and supplier development in close partnership with Engineering, Purchasing, and Operations, while aligning with BITZER Headquarters in Germany on global supplier impacts.
The position is intentionally structured outside of day-to-day purchasing activities to maintain focus on strategic initiatives and does not own purchase order execution or expediting responsibilities. It reports directly to the Director of Supply Chain and serves as a cross-functional leader for sourcing strategy.
Reports To: Director of Supply Chain
Duties & Tasks
- Identify, evaluate, and qualify new domestic suppliers to support resourcing initiatives and reduce reliance on global suppliers.
- Develop and maintain strategic supplier partnerships, including supplier performance monitoring, scorecards, and regular business reviews in collaboration with Quality.
- Drive cost reduction initiatives, including benchmarking, volume pricing, and total cost of ownership analysis.
- Lead contract negotiations, including pricing, terms, and long-term agreements, while ensuring compliance with BITZER quality and legal standards.
- Partner with Engineering to implement Value Analysis/Value Engineering (VA/VE) and design-to-cost initiatives as appropriate.
- Analyze global vs. domestic sourcing strategies, including tariffs, logistics, and risk factors.
- Identify and mitigate supply chain risks, including single-source dependencies and supply disruptions.
- Develop and maintain a resourcing roadmap aligned with business priorities and manufacturing needs.
- Collaborate with Purchasing to align sourcing strategy with supplier execution and support supplier escalation and performance recovery.
- Work directly with cross-functional teams and global BITZER stakeholders, including Corporate Purchasing in Germany, to ensure alignment on supplier strategy, protect global volume leverage, and manage pricing impacts.
- Drive measurable improvements in freight cost reduction, working capital, and total landed cost through successful sourcing initiatives.
- Additional duties as assigned by management.
- Strong knowledge of manufacturing processes (machining, castings, assemblies, etc.)
- Experience in supplier sourcing, evaluation, and development
- Strong negotiation and contract management skills
- Ability to drive cost reduction initiatives and total cost analysis
- Experience working cross-functionally with Engineering and Operations
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills across multiple cultures
- Ability to influence without direct authority
- Understanding of global supply chain dynamics, including tariffs and logistics
- Ability to interpret complex engineering drawings and GD&T symbols to ensure accurate quoting and sourcing
- Experience using Cpk/Cp indices to assess supplier capability and predict quality risks
- Experience navigating the ECN process, including negotiating commercial impacts and managing supplier transitions
- Reduction in air freight spend
- Reduction in inventory / working capital
- Successful resourcing of global suppliers to domestic sources
- Cost savings and total cost improvements
- Lead time reduction and supply chain risk mitigation
- This job is performed in a manufacturing Assembly and Machining environment. Communication is constant with Assembly and Machining, Inventory Management, Quality, Purchasing, and Engineering groups. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, and fax machines.
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. The employee is frequently required to stand and walk.
- Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, or a related field
- Minimum of 5–10 years of progressive experience in sourcing, procurement, or supply chain within a manufacturing environment
- Experience working with global suppliers and domestic supplier development
- Strong working knowledge of MRP/ERP systems; SAP experience preferred
- Experience supporting or leading cost reduction and sourcing initiatives
- Approximately 10–15% domestic and international travel required