Senior Buyer

Company / Location Information

A.O. Smith is a global leader applying innovative technologies and energy-efficient solutions to products manufactured and marketed worldwide. The company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of residential and commercial water heating equipment and boilers, as well as a manufacturer of water treatment products for residential and light commercial applications. A. O. Smith is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with approximately 12,000 employees at operations in the United States, Canada, China, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

Primary Function

Responsible for strategic purchasing projects through the development and maintenance of strategic supplier relationships utilizing advance procurement techniques and systems to maximize annual cost savings and efficiency.

Responsibilities

• Develop long term supplier agreements with strategic suppliers.
• Ability to purchase a full range of commodities and drive annual cost savings for responsible commodities.
• Mentor/train/supervise less experienced employees.
• Fully understand commodity fundamentals and drivers of cost.
• Measure supplier performance in delivery and quality.
• Complete requests for quote and cost analysis for supplier selection.
• Improve inventory turns and reducing inventory through better planning and consignment processes.
• Work with Engineering on project redesigns and new releases to complete supplier selection.
• Negotiate pricing, terms and long term supply agreements including high dollar contracts.
• Plan, coordinate and communicate blanket/purchase order releases to support production requirements.
• Establish EDI and other electronic techniques for ordering and invoice payment.
• Maintain inventory levels to meet inventory turns goals.
• Measure and monitor supplier performance in areas of on time delivery, cost of poor quality, and purchase price variance.
• Drive root cause and corrective action when supplier are non-compliant in any area.
• Conduct legal and ethical business relationships with suppliers.
• Benchmark leading supply chain practitioners and develop world class practices.
• Build alliances across departments.
• Continue to develop and/or improve skills vital for business growth.
• Engage in breakthrough thinking to solve issues and plan for future business growth.
• Anticipate and adapt to change.
• Ensure internal and external customer satisfaction.
• Perform other responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Minimum of 5 years of Purchasing/Planning experience which includes 4 years experience in a Manufacturing environment or 3 years of International Sourcing experience

Additional Qualifications:

• Proven record of cost reduction results
• Ability to communicate effectively
• High level of skill with the Microsoft Office programs, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access
• CPM/CPIM certification or JDE experience a plus but not required
• Strong, self-directed, and results oriented

Education

We Offer

Competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits plans which include medical and dental insurance, company-sponsored life insurance, retirement security savings plan, short- and long-term disability programs and tuition assistance.

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ADA Statement & EEO Statement

In developing this job description care was taken to include all competencies needed to successfully perform in this position. However, for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) purposes, the essential functions of the job may or may not have been described for purposes of ADA reasonable accommodation. All reasonable accommodation requests will be reviewed and evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

We consider all applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, gender identity and expression, marital or military status. We also provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable state and local law.