Job Title: Purchasing Specialist
This is a 12-Month Fixed Term Contract)
Global Procurement delivers world-class procurement capabilities to our company, partnering with internal customers to ensure they receive maximum value for every dollar spent with company suppliers. We accomplish this by executing effective strategic processes, including category management, supplier management and sourcing projects, all supported by efficient procure to pay processes. We add value by aligning the company with the best suppliers, promoting continuous improvement in supplier performance, and driving compliance with the company’s intellectual property and privacy requirements. We strive to obtain the right price for the right product or service.
This role is responsible for delivering value, including year on year cost savings, within the indirect supplies and services spend categories at Ireland manufacturing sites. The procurement specialist role provides operational support to the procurement team, including data analysis and reporting, market intelligence gathering, project management, and the support of complex local souring initiatives. This role also acts as a liaison with Category Strategy Managers (CSM) to contribute to the development and implementation of Market/Site sourcing strategies, and where agreed, Regional category strategies through participation on or leading of cross-functional teams.
The Purchasing Specialist develops and enhances Procurement’s relationship with internal customers to proactively identify opportunities and drive continuous improvement in the areas of cost and service. The Purchasing Specialist is also responsible for developing and enhancing Procurement’s relationship with external suppliers to aid improvement in the areas of cost and service. The Purchasing Specialist works to build deep expertise within their categories of ownership to support the development of robust strategies and provides non-category specific development to support the goals of the department and function.
Key Responsibilities:
I – Sourcing Activity and Contract Negotiation
- Support complex local souring initiatives, including spot buying as required.
- Lead and manage contract negotiations ensuring value is realized through achieving the necessary quality, service at the most competitive cost in the Market.
- Seek and exploit leverage opportunities across the GP network of commodities.
- Manage the approval of contracts and ensure compliance with legislation and the company’s policies and procedures in collaboration with the company’s Legal Department
- Ensure savings and added value are tracked and reported into Ariba Sourcing database in a timely fashion to present the most current view of delivery.
II - Supplier Relationship Management:
- Manage and develop supplier relationships across assigned categories and ensure appropriate risk management is undertaken
- Develop and implement plans for evaluating and measuring supplier performance of strategic suppliers through the GP Supplier Relationship Management process.
- Act as relationship manager for assigned key Market/Site category suppliers and key globally designated suppliers (normally Suppliers where there is no natural Internal Business Client Lead to perform this role).
- Participate on Global and Regional teams that evaluate supplier performance in assigned categories.
- Identify and achieve ongoing cost savings opportunities within supplier contracts and operational processes.
- Mediate to resolve service-related issues with internal and external stakeholders.
III – Client Engagement and Customer Relationship Management:
- Establish a clear stakeholder strategy and communication plan to focus engagement at a strategic and operational level.
- Take a lead role in Local and Regional client relationship management with senior stakeholders.
- Proactively engage with key customers; initiating meetings to partner in identifying opportunities to build & implement improved supply solutions and best practices.
- Meet with Finance representatives regularly to understand actual, forecast and planned expenditure to assess opportunities and impact to assigned categories.
- Embed Procurement as part of the business planning cycle to ensure proactive contribution to the business is agreed for the subsequent period.
IV - Category strategy collaboration and operational implementation
- Support CSMs in the development and management of the category plans for assigned categories. In particular, provide data analysis and Market specific knowledge to aid CSM in category strategy development.
- As required, provide sourcing support for Purchase Requisitions which are not addressed through pre-existing category strategies.
- Deliver Market/Site category management, including the development of specific strategies for assigned categories, including the leadership and management of cross-functional teams.
- Develop and maintain local supplier and market intelligence to support the development of Market strategies and contribute to Global and Regional Category Strategies.
- Apply appropriate strategic sourcing elements and associated tools for all projects and educated cross-functional teams in best practice.
- Deliver the operational requirements related to assigned categories to ensure the business needs are satisfied.
- Identify ways of improving the Procurement processes, tools, policies, and procedures, to drive efficiency and proactive engagement in opportunities.
Education/Experience:
- Diploma/Degree in business, science, or equivalent with IIPMM or APICS preferred.
- Strong analytical, problem solving and communication skills.
- Strong Spreadsheet Development Capability and Experience.
- Ability to work to tight deadlines across organizational boundaries.
- Minimum 5 years’ experience working in in high volume, complex, regulated manufacturing site
- Functional and technical knowledge of SAP or other ERP systems, B2B modules.
- Have good communication and numerical skills.
- Strong business systems knowledge and experience working with cross functional teams e.g. BT, Finance and Manufacturing.
- Demonstrated ability to identify and implement improvement opportunities using structured project management techniques.