At Gentherm, we say, "It's about the person." We're with you on a cold winter day when you turn on your heated seat and steering wheel or helping manage patient body temperature in the operating room, recovering room or intensive care units. We take a human approach with everything we do.
As the global market leader of innovative thermal management and pneumatic comfort technologies for the automotive industry we embrace the opportunity to create and deliver extraordinary solutions that make meaningful differences in everyday life. We do this by improving health, wellness, comfort and energy efficiency.
We embrace an entrepreneurial spirit and combine that with our global leadership to deliver results. Working at Gentherm provides you the opportunity to not only shape the future of the automotive and medical industries, but also influence your career throughout the company. You will be engaged, challenged and inspired by our team to deliver leading thermal technologies that positively impact lives around the world.
Category Lead Buyer
IMPACT and OPPORTUNITY
As a member of the Purchasing team you will beresponsible for acquiring, purchasing, and negotiating materials, components and services for strategic categories which contain heavy plastic, metal and electronic contents. You will obtain quotations, prepare quote analysis and evaluate potential suppliers to determine if they are compatible with company objectives. You will also monitor quality of goods by reviewing costs, schedules, timeliness of delivery and conformance to specifications. You will interface with suppliers on on-going basis to resolve concerns and minimize disruptions to production processes.You will have the opportunity to develop category strategies to meet business objectives for cost, quality fulfilment and innovation.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Develop and execute category strategies in partnership with the Global Category Director
Support contract developments to ensure consistent commercial terms and conditions
Approve ECR for new or changed materials
Conduct market screenings and benchmarking
Qualify new suppliers in collaboration with category strategy
Improve efficiency in terms of reliability of supply and price as well as risk management
Ensure early involvement of SQD in case of new suppliers and/or materials and on-time PPAP approval
Conduct purchasing of materials independently and select supplier and second sources for the components out of an approved supplier list
Ensure correct, complete, and timely maintenance of master data and workflows in all relevant systems
Order program related needs like samples and tooling
Support and execute cost reduction ideas
Confirm material availability and lead time for the components
Ensure supplier capacities to avoid supply bottlenecks
Support product change requests and "End of Life" ramp-down activities at the component level
QUALIFICATIONS
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Bachelor's Degree in Business with technical background and/or Engineering with economical background.
Minimum 2 years' experience as a strategic buyer, or commodity manager in Tier 1/Tier 2 suppliers in automotive industry.
A record of achieving purchasing cost saving through negotiation & VAVE
Familiar with single source situations with experience in such an environment.
Project management skills
Knowledge of automotive standards
Ability to manage difficult situations and customer complaints in a respectful way
Strong attention to detail
English (strong verbal and written)
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Preferred experience in complicated mechanical full assembly part sourcing and outsourcing
SAP, PCP, IBS APQP, customer requirements, job specific processes and reporting tools, lean training, MS Office
Strong negotiation, communication, and assertiveness skills
Project management experience
Ability to transfer technical matters into economic considerations
Strong team player and intercultural competence
Strong English language verbal and written skills
Strong problem solving and analytical skills
Cost calculation knowledge
Legal/contractual knowledge
Strong MS Office skills
NICE TO KNOW
TRAVEL:Up to 10%
COMPETENCIES
Deliver Results
Understand the mission and output of your team; set SMART objectives and deliver
Drive Change
Focus on agility and commitment to continuous improvement; Understand and act on internal and external drivers of change
Build Capability
Foster a culture of learning and development; Support individual growth through continuous feedback to achieve personal and professional goals
Cultivate Innovation
Openly embrace, create, implement and support new and innovative ideas, processes and technology that deliver business results
#LI-ML1
PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORK ENVIRONMENT
All positions in our office require interaction with people and technology while either standing or sitting. In order to best service our customers, internal and external, all associates must be able to communicate face-to-face and on the phone with or without reasonable accommodation. Gentherm is committed to compliance with its obligations under all applicable state and federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. In keeping with this commitment, it attempts to reasonably accommodate applicants and employees in accordance with the requirements of the disability discrimination laws. It also invites individuals with disabilities to participate in a good faith, interactive process to identify reasonable accommodations that can be made without imposing an undue hardship.
Gentherm is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.