Senior Buyer-Direct Materials

CSP generates annual revenues exceeding USD 1.1 billion and is IATF 16949 certified, operating under OEM customer-specific requirements and APQP/PPAP disciplines across its full production network. The Direct Materials portfolio spans SMC & DLFT raw materials, production parts (stampings, castings, extrusions, fasteners, seals/gaskets, latches/hinges), and paint & external paint — representing a combined spend of ~$465M+ and a critical driver of cost competitiveness and program quality.

CROSS-FUNCTIONAL INTERFACES

Director of Direct Materials: strategic direction, category alignment, and savings pipeline governance.

Engineering & Program Management: engineering change management, drawing/specification review, APQP participation, and sourcing alignment to program milestones.

Operations & Plant Teams: supplier issue resolution, supply continuity, and delivery performance management across 14 CSP facilities.

Supplier Quality & Development (SQD): PPAP coordination, supplier audits, corrective action tracking, and new supplier qualification.

Finance: should-cost validation, PPV/BIP tracking, rolling forecast reconciliation (6+6, 3+9), and savings reporting.

Sales: customer requirement flow-down, program pricing alignment, and customer change management support.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

A.  Sourcing and Supplier Management

Own end-to-end sourcing for assigned production parts categories: evaluate and select suppliers based on technical fit, manufacturing capability, capacity, quality, and total cost of ownership.

Develop and maintain Long-Term Agreements (LTAs) and pricing frameworks; manage index-based pricing mechanisms (e.g., steel PPI, non-ferrous indices) and inflation/deflation tracking at corporate level across all CSP plants.

Build and maintain deep commodity market knowledge: material properties, manufacturing processes, cost drivers, supplier landscapes, and supply/demand dynamics for metallic and engineered components.

Build and maintain strong working relationships with suppliers supporting CSP plants; support Supplier Quality audits and financial health assessments of critical suppliers as required.

B.  Cost Engineering and Analytics

Identify and execute cost savings opportunities via spend analytics, should-cost modeling, competitive tendering (RFQ/RFP), and value engineering (VAVE) in close collaboration with Engineering.

Analyze supplier quotes using structured cost breakdowns (material, labor, overhead, tooling, logistics); build and maintain reporting/dashboards (Power BI, Excel) to track commodity pricing trends, PPV/BIP, savings pipelines, and supplier performance.

Monitor and forecast commodity price exposure across the assigned portfolio; support rolling forecast reconciliation and program cost reviews with Finance.

C.  Program and Systems Execution

Participate in APQP program kickoffs; coordinate sourcing timelines with Engineering, Program Management, Sales, and plant teams; expedite as necessary to ensure supply continuity and on-time program launches.

Place and manage purchase orders via QAD EE; manage engineering changes (ECs), supplier transitions, and customer-directed sourcing requirements throughout the full program lifecycle.

Ensure compliance with CSP procurement policies, IATF 16949 requirements, and OEM customer-specific sourcing and quality standards; adhere to all CSP company policies, guidelines, and procedures.

D.  Supplier Performance and Risk Management

Manage day-to-day supplier performance for assigned categories: monitor OTIF, quality PPM, and corrective action closure; escalate and resolve supply disruptions in coordination with plant teams and SQD.

Maintain a supplier risk register for assigned categories; participate in supplier financial health assessments and quality audits for critical production part suppliers.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering (Mechanical, Industrial, or Materials), Business, or related field — or equivalent professional experience.

• A technical engineering background is strongly preferred given the production parts focus of this role.

Experience

• 5+ years of direct material purchasing experience in an automotive Tier-1 or manufacturing environment, with a clear focus on production parts (stampings, castings, extrusions, fasteners, seals, or equivalent metallic/engineered categories).

• Demonstrated track record of delivering cost savings through structured sourcing, RFQ execution, and supplier negotiations; experience with index-linked pricing and commodity market management.

• Proven APQP/PPAP experience: participation in program launches, engineering change management, and cross-functional sourcing coordination in an automotive environment.

• Note: SMC composites or resin commodity experience is not required for this role.

Required Skills

• Technical commodity knowledge: solid understanding of metallic and engineered component manufacturing processes — Material properties, tooling economics, cost drivers, and supplier capabilities.

• Strong analytical skills: proficiency in Excel (pivot tables, cost modeling, PPV/BIP tracking) and familiarity with BI tools (Power BI preferred).

• Experience with ERP/procurement systems — QAD EE preferred; Coupa or similar eProcurement platforms advantageous.

• Strong negotiation, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills in a matrixed automotive environment.

• Ability to manage a variety of complex tasks with a wide degree of independence and sound decision-making latitude.