Senior Buyer

Senior Buyer

The Senior Buyer manages and executes strategic sourcing and procurement activities in support of assigned indirect spend categories and business stakeholders. Working closely with Category Managers and internal customers, this role leads supplier sourcing events, competitive bidding processes, contract negotiations, and supplier performance activities to deliver value, and support business objectives.

The Senior Buyer collaborates with stakeholders to understand business requirements, evaluate supplier capabilities, negotiate commercial agreements, and drive efficient procurement outcomes. This role applies market knowledge, analytical skills, and procurement best practices to support category strategies, optimize supplier performance, mitigate risk, and identify opportunities for cost savings and process improvements.

Success in this role requires strong negotiation skills, business acumen, supplier relationship management capabilities, and the ability to manage multiple sourcing initiatives in a dynamic environment. The ideal candidate is a strong collaborator who can effectively partner with stakeholders and subject matter experts, navigate ambiguity, and deliver results with limited or evolving information.

Description of Major Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develop category expertise through market analysis and collaboration with internal subject matter experts.
• Conduct market research to identify and evaluate potential suppliers.
• Design, manage, and control competitive bid processes, including RFIs, RFQs, RFPs, and Reverse Auctions (RFx events), and lead client teams through sourcing and selection.
• Review and conduct Supplier Performance Management as requested by the business.
• Collaborate with stakeholders and subject matter experts to develop scopes of work and business requirements.
• Provide first-level contract review for consistency with scope, RFP documentation, pricing agreements, and corporate/regulatory standards.
• Negotiate and execute agreements, including pricing and terms and conditions.
• Maintain and grow supplier relationships to support and expand the procurement pipeline.
• Serve as liaison between Legal, Corporate Insurance Services, and various business units.
• Drive compliance with Procurement policies, procedures, strategies, and guidelines.

Experience and Certifications Required

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, or related field.
• 5–7 years of progressive sourcing and procurement experience supporting indirect spend categories, preferably in facilities, MRO, operations, corporate services, or similar non-IT categories.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and adapt effectively to changing business needs and stakeholder requirements.
• Strong knowledge of the purchase order process.
• Strong understanding of contract compliance and the proper application of contractual terms to purchasing activities.
• Self-starter with the ability to work independently.
• Proven negotiation skills and strong understanding of price/cost analysis.
• Demonstrated experience developing, negotiating, and managing Master Services Agreements (MSAs), Statements of Work (SOWs), and other commercial contracts.
• Highly collaborative, team-oriented individual with a proven ability to build trust-based relationships with internal customers and suppliers.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret data, analyze cost drivers, market trends, and supplier performance, and leverage insights to support business decisions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to create and deliver effective presentations to all organizational levels.
• Exceptional organizational, time management, and planning skills.
• Ability to identify supply risks early, develop contingency plans, and support cost-saving and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Hands-on experience with formal procurement systems, including SAP Ariba, Coupa, or similar source-to-pay platforms, with the ability to quickly adopt new technologies.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft 365 applications, particularly Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• CPM/CPSM certification preferred.
• Experience leveraging AI tools to support scope development, sourcing, and procurement activities.