Contracts & Indirect Materials Buyer

Job Summary: Contracts & Indirect Materials Buyer

Responsible for acquiring goods and services that do not form part of the portfolio product but are vital to the daily operations of the company and projects. Its objective is to optimize costs, ensure quality, and mitigate legal risks through strategic contract management.

In this role, your responsibilities will be:

• Supplier Management and Market Intelligence: Search and Evaluation: Identify, qualify, and select suppliers of services and indirect goods. Relationship Management: Build long-term alliances with key suppliers and ensure compliance with established Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Supplier Catalog: Centralize purchasing to avoid duplication and leverage volume discounts.

• Negotiation and Contract Management: Tenders and Agreements: Design and lead tender processes, negotiating prices, discounts, and payment terms. Contract Administration: Draft, review, renew, or terminate legal agreements in conjunction with the Legal Department. Risk Mitigation: Ensure that contracts comply with current legislation and protect the company's operational and financial interests.

• Efficiency and Expense Control: Budget Optimization: Implement cost-reduction initiatives and seek tangible and intangible savings within the "spend tail" (fragmented spending). Needs Analysis: Coordinate with various internal departments (Marketing, Human Resources, IT) to understand their operational requirements. Policy Compliance: Prevent off-contract purchases ("rogue spending") and ensure that procurement activities adhere to established internal processes.

• Operational Monitoring: End-to-End Process: Manage the purchasing cycle from order issuance through to the verification of proper service receipt and invoicing. Issue Resolution: Address delays, billing errors, or quality issues involving contracted suppliers.

• Category Management: Procurement of support services, spare parts, marketing, office supplies, and professional services.

• Negotiation and Contracts: Drafting, reviewing, and renewing commercial terms, Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and payment terms.

• Cost Analysis: Optimizing expenditure and evaluating Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for recurring purchases or specific projects.

• Risk Mitigation: Ensuring supplier compliance—legally, financially, and regulatorily—with internal standards.

For this role, you will need:

Qualifications and Experience

• English: Intermediate level.
• Legal Knowledge: Intermediate level, with the ability to understand and manage contractual and compliance-related requirements.

• Supplier Relationship Management: Advanced level.

Professional Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in purchasing and procurement within a high-mix manufacturing environment.
• Minimum of 2 years of people leadership experience, including team management, development, and performance oversight.
• Proven experience leading end-to-end negotiation and contracting processes, including supplier sourcing, request for quotation (RFQ), commercial negotiations, contract drafting, review, and execution of legal agreements such as Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs).
• Experience partnering with internal stakeholders, including department directors, plant managers, legal, and finance teams, to understand business requirements and ensure compliance with procurement policies and procedures.

• Demonstrated experience in supplier development, including the identification, sourcing, evaluation, qualification, and ongoing management of service providers.

Key Competencies

• Strategic sourcing and supplier management.
• Contract negotiation and administration.
• Stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration.
• Procurement policy compliance.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong communication and leadership abilities.