Job Senior Buyer/ Sourcing Specialist

Senior Buyer/Sourcing Specialist

Location: Waterbury, CT, US, 06705 Business Unit: Haydon Kerk Pittman

Responsible for leading strategic sourcing and purchasing activities to support manufacturing operations and business objectives. This role focuses on identifying, developing, qualifying, and managing suppliers while driving continuous improvement initiatives related to cost reduction, quality improvement, delivery performance, and supply risk mitigation. The Senior Buyer/Sourcing Specialist acts as the technical and commercial interface between suppliers and internal stakeholders, including Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain. The role is expected to proactively identify alternate sourcing opportunities, negotiate commercial terms, implement supplier and component changes, and support new product introduction and lifecycle management activities to reduce cost, improve quality, and avoid supply disruptions.

Participate in the development and execution of the overall Strategic Sourcing Strategy aimed at supply risk mitigation, cost optimization, quality improvement, and supplier resiliency. Support continuous involvement in and improvement of Supplier Selection and Qualification Processes to develop and maintain a supply base that provides a competitive advantage in quality, value, cost, delivery, and technology. Review and analyze supplier manufacturing, quality, and business processes to identify improvement opportunities. Collaborate closely with Engineering to ensure technical drawings, specifications, and documentation meet requirements and all expectations are clearly communicated and understood by suppliers. Use structured sourcing, cost analysis, and project management tools to investigate alternate component materials and manufacturing technologies for reduced cost or improved quality and reliability, and implement approved changes in collaboration with cross-functional teams. Conduct supplier audits and assessments in compliance with ISO 9001 standards and business objectives. Work with relevant internal stakeholders on materials quotation analysis for new and existing components. Requote and renegotiate pricing to capitalize on cost reduction opportunities based on market conditions, volume changes, or design updates. Continuously reduce material costs by minimizing unfavorable Purchase Price Variance (PPV/MPV). Review supplier capacity planning and demand alignment and develop action plans to ensure business requirements are met. Build and maintain strong, professional relationships with suppliers to support long-term partnerships and continuous improvement. Measure and monitor supplier performance metrics and support corrective action activities when required. Coordinate effectively with Finance, Operations, Quality, and Engineering teams to support sourcing and purchasing objectives. Support ERP- and MRP-driven purchasing and planning activities as applicable. Demonstrated ability and willingness to use AI tools to improve productivity, decision-making, work quality, and to reduce costs. The successful candidate must be able to identify appropriate AI use cases and critically evaluate AI-generated outputs.

We are looking for: Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Supply Chain Management, Operations, or a related field. 57 years of experience in strategic sourcing, purchasing, or supplier management within a manufacturing environment, or equivalent combination of education and experience. Strong analytical, negotiation, and problem-solving skills. Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Finance, and Supply Chain teams. Strong written, verbal, and presentation communication skills. Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and ERP systems. Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously with minimal supervision Demonstrated ability and willingness to use AI tools to improve productivity, decision-making, work quality, and to reduce costs. The successful candidate must be able to identify appropriate AI use cases and critically evaluate AI-generated outputs.

Additional Characteristics: This position functions as both an individual contributor and a team member. This position may require standing and/or sitting for extended periods, up to 8 hours per day. Travel is expected to be less than 10%, depending on business needs