Indirect Purchasing Buyer

Position Summary

The MRO Indirect Purchasing Buyer is responsible for supporting enterprise-wide MRO purchasing strategy by developing and managing a standardized catalog used across all manufacturing plants. This role partners closely with site buyers, plant stakeholders, suppliers, and corporate supply chain leadership to consolidate existing catalogs, standardize part numbers, commonize like items, and drive cost reduction initiatives.

The Buyer reports functionally to the Corporate Purchasing Manager and has a dotted-line, day-to-day reporting relationship to the site Maintenance or Engineering Manager. The role operates in a highly collaborative, multicultural environment and supports corporate purchasing agendas while ensuring optimal cost, quality, and delivery for MRO materials.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with site buyers and plant stakeholders to develop, maintain, and optimize a centralized MRO catalog for enterprise use.
• Consolidate pre-existing plant catalogs into a single, standardized catalog structure.
• Ensure one unique company part number per item and eliminate duplicate or redundant SKUs.
• Commonize similar or equivalent MRO items across plants to reduce complexity and total cost.
• Benchmark MRO items across suppliers to ensure best overall value in terms of cost, quality, and delivery performance.
• Lead and support MRO cost reduction initiatives in collaboration with plant teams and suppliers.
• Support sourcing strategies, supplier rationalization, and contract compliance for indirect materials.
• Drive and support corporate purchasing initiatives and standardization agendas.
• Track, analyze, and report key purchasing KPIs (e.g., cost savings, catalog compliance, supplier performance).
• Ensure data accuracy and governance within purchasing systems (ERP, e-catalogs, pricing files).
• Act as a change agent to promote adoption of standardized MRO practices across all plants.

Reporting Structure

• Functional Reporting: Corporate Purchasing Manager
• Day-to-Day / Site Reporting: Site Maintenance Manager or Engineering Manager

Work Environment & Collaboration

• This position works in a diverse, multicultural environment, collaborating regularly with coworkers and stakeholders across multiple sites and regions.
• Frequent interaction with English-, Spanish-, and Japanese-speaking colleagues is expected.
• English is the corporate business language; bilingual or multilingual capability is beneficial but not required for this role.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 3–5 years of experience in indirect purchasing, MRO procurement, or supply chain roles.
• Strong understanding of MRO materials, catalog management, and indirect procurement processes.
• Experience working cross-functionally with multiple sites or plants.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to benchmark, compare, and standardize items.
• Proven ability to drive cost savings and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Proficiency with ERP systems, e-procurement tools, and Microsoft Excel.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a multi-plant manufacturing environment.
• Knowledge of supplier negotiations and contract management.
• Experience supporting corporate or enterprise-level purchasing strategies.
• Familiarity with KPI development and performance reporting.

Key Competencies

• Strategic thinking and standardization mindset
• Ability to work effectively in a matrixed organization
• Attention to detail and data accuracy
• Collaboration and influence without direct authority
• Continuous improvement and cost focus
• Strong organizational and project management skills

This job description should not be construed to imply that these requirements are exclusive standards of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instruction, and perform any other related duties, as may be required by their supervisor.