Senior Strategic Sourcing Buyer

Role Overview

• Develop, execute sourcing strategies and negotiate multiyear long-term agreements for raw materials, indirect materials, services, tooling, and capital equipment.
• Analyze market trends, lead negotiations, supplier agreements and SOWs, focusing on cost, quality, delivery, favorable terms and robust service levels.
• Evaluate supply‑base capabilities, capacity risks, and cost‑reduction opportunities to guide long‑term decisions.
• Collaborate with engineering, operations, quality, and program management teams to define clear, complete Statements of Work aligned with technical, quality, and delivery requirements.
• Manage contract lifecycles, renewals, and performance against key commercial and operational metrics.
• Select qualified suppliers, conduct supplier evaluations, manage supplier performance, build and maintain supplier relationships.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for strategic suppliers, facilitating performance reviews, recovery plans, and capability improvements.
• Drive supplier accountability in cost, quality, delivery, and risk mitigation.
• Ability to apply Lean principles (like value stream mapping, 5S, A3, Kaizen, PDCA, root cause analysis) to eliminate waste and make subcontracting processes efficient.
• Utilize data driven tools to analyze procurement value streams and implement improvements that enhance workflow, reduce rework and improve supplier performance.
• Ensure adherence to government regulations (FAR/DFARS/ITAR) and AS9100, and defense contracting requirements.
• Monitor supply‑chain disruptions and geopolitical factors affecting category performance.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, Business, Engineering, or a related field.
• 7+ years of strategic sourcing, procurement or commodity management experience within aerospace, defense, or other highly regulated manufacturing environments.
• Expertise in supplier negotiations, cost‑modeling, SOW creation, and contract management.
• Strong analytical skills, ability to solve complex problems, and capability to work in a collaborative environment.
• In-depth understanding of indirect procurement categories and capital equipment sourcing.
• Proficiency in ERP/MRP systems, MS Office (especially Excel) fluency in data‑driven decision‑making skills.
• Working knowledge of ITAR, AS9100, and defense‑industry procurement practices.
• Prior experience within GKN or similar aerospace manufacturing environments (preferred).
• APICS, CPSM/CPM, or similar supply chain certification (preferred).
• LEAN, Six Sigma, or continuous‑improvement background (preferred).
• Experience leading cross‑functional sourcing efforts or acting as a category lead (preferred).
• Exceptional presentation and stakeholder engagement skills (preferred).

Tech Stack

• ERP