Brake BU Category Buyer – Springs and Stampings

Industry:

Company: Hitachi, Ltd.

Location:
Findlay, Ohio, United States of America

Job ID:
R0054339

Date Posted:
2024-07-12

Company Name:
Hitachi Astemo Findlay, Inc.

Profession (Job Category):
Customer Service & Contact Center Operations

Job Schedule:
Full time

Remote:
No

Job Description:

Job Summary: Responsible for managing all purchasing activities related to Springs and Stampings within the Brake Business Unit, in alignment with the regional purchasing strategy. This role also supports Direct Purchasing activities at the Findlay site.

Job Responsibilities:

• Negotiate annually or on the spot with suppliers, covering prices, payment terms, tooling, commercial clauses, capacity issues, and End of Life (EOL) management.
• Negotiate and formalize supplier contracts.
• Lead sourcing decisions based on category strategy and Business Unit (BU) expectations and timing requirements.
• Prepare cost estimations during the acquisition phase, including requests for “should cost” analyses from the Cost Engineering team.
• Ensure the implementation of both regional and global category strategies.
• Support BU for Value Engineering (VEC) initiatives and corresponding negotiations with suppliers.
• Report Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) by part number and supplier.
• Collect and analyze regional and global category supplier-specific information.
• Propose strategic paths to the Global Category Manager based on gathered information.
• Propose ideas for cost reduction/avoidance and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Participate actively in annual budget preparation.
• Work with the Global Category Team to address and escalate issues related to cost, supply, and quality.
• Build and manage relationships with local suppliers.
• Drive supplier performance and compliance.

Other Duties:

• Support Findlay site Direct Purchasing activities as required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Automotive purchasing experience is strongly preferred.
• Ability to read drawings and technical specifications; knowledge of automotive quality requirements is a plus.
• Proven negotiation skills.
• Results-oriented with strong implementation skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to influence and persuade.
• Demonstrated collaboration, teamwork, relationship-building, and networking skills.
• Experience coordinating and facilitating multiple small projects or one major project.
• Ability to work independently with minimal direction.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Advanced proficiency in MS Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Fluent in English; proficiency in Japanese is helpful.

Education:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, or a related field.

Experience:

• Minimum of 3 years of experience in purchasing or a related field. Job level is determined by various factors such as organization size, responsibility, career stage, and capabilities.

Working Conditions:

• Physical Demands: Required to sit or stand for long periods. May occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Ability to work 40 – 60 hours per week.
• Travel: Travel to suppliers and/or Hitachi locations as required, including potential international travel.

Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE)-Females/Minorities/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

At Astemo, we’re challenging the status quo with the power of diversity, inclusion, and collaboration. Our goal is to build an inclusive work environment that celebrates the differences of our employees. We want to ensure that every employee feels valued, respected and empowered. We don’t just accept difference-we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our community. Astemo is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

If you need a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job at Astemo, please send the nature of the request and contact information to am-jobs@hitachiastemo.com when applying for the position.