Buyer

Buyer

Job Summary: Talent Software Services is in search of a Buyer for a contract position in Detroit, MI. The opportunity will be seven months with a strong chance for a long-term extension.

Position Summary: Provide core procurement management for Services-based spend to achieve budget objectives, supplier diversity goals, and on‐time service delivery. This role partners closely with business units to manage service contracts, Statements of Work (SOWs), and service providers, with a focus on total cost of ownership, performance outcomes, and risk management. This role is service‐oriented and not focused on commodities or materials procurement. Candidates must have demonstrated experience procuring and managing services rather than physical goods.

Primary Responsibilities/Accountabilities:

• Lead company procurement processes for service-based engagements, ensuring quality, cost effectiveness, compliance, and on-time delivery from service providers.
• Represent the company in service supplier relationships, including negotiations of SOWs, master service agreements (MSAs), commercial terms, and ongoing contract administration.
• Manage total cost of ownership for services, including labor models, performance metrics, service outcomes, and risk—not just acquisition cost.
• Support Supply Chain leaders, Strategic Category Managers, and business unit partners in developing and executing services procurement strategies.
• Provide mentoring and direction to procurement staff related to services sourcing, service contracts, and service governance.
• Provide day-to-day procurement operations for service engagements, including preparing recommendations, securing approvals, managing contract changes, and issuing service-related change orders.
• Support contract strategies established by Strategic Category Managers and cross-functional teams, with a primary focus on services categories.
• Write, review, and negotiate service agreements, including SOWs, SLAs, amendments, and renewals.
• Interface with Contract Administration, Legal, and Risk Management to ensure service contracts comply with applicable terms, conditions, and risk requirements.
• Evaluate supplier/service provider performance and support continuous improvement initiatives.
• Respond to urgent or critical service needs and perform expediting functions, as required.
• Work with Business Units, Suppliers, and Accounts Payable to facilitate invoice resolution and service-related dispute resolution.
• Support Supply Chain Management goals, metrics, policies, and procedures.
• Understands and supports SPM processes and objectives.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in supply chain or procurement, with demonstrated focus on Services procurement.

Preferred:

• Degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, or Economics.
• Prior procurement experience supporting service-intensive environments, such as:
  • Professional services.
  • EPC or contractor services.
  • Engineering, construction, or maintenance services.
  • Managed or labor-based service contracts.
• Experience supporting Solar or Renewable Energy services (e.g., EPCs, construction services, O&M services).
• Yellow / Green / Black Belt certification.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills.
• Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multi‐million‐dollar service contracts, meet deadlines, prioritize work independently, and consistently deliver positive business unit feedback.
• Strong negotiation and contract-writing skills, including:
  • Independently negotiating service agreements and SOWs.
  • Drafting and reviewing service terms and conditions.
  • Building collaborative relationships with business unit partners and service providers.
  • Reviewing peers’ service contracts for compliance with company requirements.
• Demonstrated understanding of risk management in services procurement, including liability, performance risk, and contractual tradeoffs.
• Ability to analyze value beyond price, including capacity, scalability, service quality, and performance outcomes.
• Demonstrated understanding of business needs and enterprise impact through participation in business unit meetings and service planning discussions.
• Proven application of continuous improvement tools, systems, and processes.
• Experience working directly with EPC contractors and service providers, particularly in solar or renewable services environments.
• Experience limited primarily to commodities, materials, catalog buying, or transactional purchasing is not sufficient for this role.

If this job is a match for your background, we would be honoured to receive your application!

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