Senior Category Buyer
Caterpillar
- Chillicothe, IL Decatur, IL
- Permanent
- Full-time
- Developing, managing and executing the Steel Casting category strategy in North America, component procurement agreements, sourcing matrix, and special procurement programs.
- Recognizing the potential for cost decreases, inventory reductions and quality improvement, as well as responsibility for soundness of business proposals and risk assessment.
- Acting as the liaison between the organization and the supplier to communicate information explicitly, while considering production demands and suppliers' conditions.
- Documenting the suppliers' performance on time sensitiveness and production; maintains a strong relationship with suppliers
- Collaborating with Global team members.
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Procurement, Operations, Engineering, or equivalent experience.
Level Extensive Experience:
- Strong skills in Excel, can manage and manipulate data from multiple sources.
- Can interpret data for decision and communicate findings to multiple stakeholders.
- Interprets potential risks, threats, and opportunities involved with predictive modeling.
Level Extensive Experience:
- Strong skills in PowerPoint.
- Adapts documents and presentations for the intended audience.
- Demonstrates both empathy and assertiveness when communicating a need or defending a position.
- Communicates well downward, upward, and outward.
Level Extensive Experience:
- Establishes and maintains credibility with clients and teammates.
- Influences key individuals inside and outside own group and earns their respect.
- Resolves potentially harmful differences between individuals and groups of people.
Level Extensive Experience:
- Has experience with negotiation tactics and anticipates business needs to achieve a win-win.
- Successfully completes significant negotiations, both internal and external.
Level Extensive Experience:
- Supervises management and administration for a wide variety of contracts.
- Has experience/understanding of commercial law and the risks/rewards of entering a contract.
- Anticipates contract issues and manages risk regarding legal issues.
Level Extensive Experience:
- Strong knowledge of purchasing systems (ERP, SAP, MRP, etc…)
- Improves procurement processes to maximize products or services efficiency and effectiveness.
- Teaches others how to use advanced technologies and tools for purchasing activities.
Level Extensive Experience:
- Advises key stakeholders on the organization's supplier relationship management practices.
- Builds consensus, resolves conflicts, and applies techniques to achieve influence and impact results with different suppliers in the organization's supplier network.
- Conducts periodic reviews of work effort, progress, issues, and successes in supplier relationship establishment and management.
Level Extensive Experience:
- Designs and develops standard supplier agreements and procurement policies with standardized terms and conditions.
- Works with complex strategic sourcing components including but not limited to negotiations, contracting, and continuous process improvement and implementation.
- Consults on strategic sourcing methods in relation to business relationships, inter-dependencies and integration.
- Develops and explains strategic sourcing best practices and rationale for the organization and industry.
- Competitive Base Salary
- Annual incentive bonus plan*
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Paid time off plan (Vacation, Holiday, Volunteer, Etc.)
- 401k savings plan
- Health savings account (HSA)
- Flexible spending accounts (FSAs)
- Short and long-term disability coverage
- Life Insurance
- Paid parental leave
- Healthy Lifestyle Programs
- Employee Assistance Programs
- Voluntary Benefits (Ex. Accident, Identity Theft Protection)