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.