Senior Buyer

Overview

The Senior Buyer, Indirect Materials & Services is responsible for the strategic and operational procurement of indirect materials and services supporting operations, engineering, marketing, sales, and corporate functions. This role manages complex and business-critical categories, negotiates and administers commercial agreements, develops suppliers, drives cost reduction and standardization, and supports procurement compliance and supply continuity.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute sourcing and category-management strategies for indirect materials and services aligned with organizational, operational, financial, and risk-management objectives.
• Lead RFIs, RFQs, RFPs, competitive bidding events, supplier negotiations, benchmarking, and total-cost-of-ownership analyses for assigned categories and projects.
• Negotiate and administer supplier contracts, service agreements, statements of work, confidentiality agreements, pricing schedules, and commercial terms within established approval limits, partnering with Legal, Finance, and other functions as required.
• Deliver sustainable cost reductions and value improvements across indirect materials and services through competitive sourcing, specification optimization, demand management, supplier consolidation, process improvement, and commercial negotiations.
• Identify and drive product and service standardization opportunities across sites and functions to reduce complexity, improve leverage, support compliance, and lower total cost.
• Identify, evaluate, qualify, onboard, develop, and rationalize suppliers based on capability, competitiveness, quality, service, compliance, financial stability, and supply-continuity requirements.
• Manage supplier performance against agreed cost, quality, delivery, service-level, responsiveness, and contractual requirements; lead corrective actions and continuous-improvement plans when needed.
• Identify and mitigate supplier, contractual, operational, financial, compliance, and supply-continuity risks, including supplier transitions, critical-service interruptions, and dependency on single or limited sources.
• Build fact-based sourcing recommendations and business cases, clearly documenting scope, assumptions, savings methodology, risks, implementation requirements, and stakeholder impact.
• Maintain accurate supplier, pricing, contract, and procurement records in the ERP and related systems; support audits, spend analysis, procurement reporting, invoice discrepancy resolution, and contract-renewal planning.
• Manage multiple categories, sourcing projects, suppliers, priorities, and cross-functional stakeholders simultaneously, communicating status, decisions required, risks, and recommendations to management.
• Ensure compliance with procurement policies, approval requirements, competitive bidding procedures, supplier qualification requirements, ethical sourcing standards, and applicable contractual obligations.
• Primarily an office/plant-based role. Occasional domestic and/or international travel may be required for supplier visits, negotiations, and audits.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of progressive experience in strategic sourcing and purchasing, preferably involving indirect materials and services in an industrial or manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated strength in commercial negotiations, contract administration, supplier management, and delivery of measurable cost or value improvements.
• Strong analytical, project-management, and organizational skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities and develop fact-based recommendations.
• Demonstrated leadership, sound judgment, and ability to work independently, influence stakeholders, and manage escalations effectively.
• Excellent communication skills and proficiency with Microsoft Office, ERP, and procurement systems.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• MBA or advanced degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Finance, or a related field.
• Professional certification such as CPSM, CSCP, CPIM, or equivalent.
• Experience sourcing MRO, consumables, PPE and safety products, equipment, tooling, facilities services, maintenance services, professional services, information technology, or other indirect categories.
• Experience with international sourcing, cross-border supplier management, supplier development, and multi-site standardization initiatives.
• Experience with Oracle Cloud, Oracle Fusion, PeopleSoft, or comparable ERP and procurement platforms.
• Experience partnering with Legal and Finance on contract terms, supplier risk, compliance, and commercial governance.

Rain Bird is an Equal Opportunity Employer