Commodity Buyer

General Information

Job title: Commodity Buyer

Overall job purpose:

• Execute strategic, tactical and operational purchasing activities for direct and indirect material at the Opelika plant.

• Manage supplier scouting, RFQs, bid comparisons, negotiations, price maintenance and contract preparation for assigned scope.

• Drive localization, cost-reduction and supply-stability initiatives in close coordination with cross-functional stakeholders.

• Take ownership of defined sourcing packages and contribute to procurement strategy implementation under the direction of the responsible lead or manager.

Organization: Opelika Plant (Miele Manufacturing Inc.), BU Cooking

Organizational unit: Procurement / Supply Chain Management

Organisational Factors

Reporting to: Director Operations

Direct Reports: none

Organizational relations:

Locally:

• Operations / Production / SCM

• Quality Management, R&D, Maintenance and Logistics

• Finance / Controlling, Human Resources and internal requesters

• Suppliers and external service providers

Internationally:

• BU Cooking procurement functions and commodity/category managers

• Relevant stakeholders from R&D, Quality, Finance and Operations in Germany and other locations

• Other internal interfaces as required

Required Skills (for hiring)

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Supply Chain, Engineering or a comparable field preferred.

• 3-5 years of experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, supply chain or a manufacturing environment.

• Proven experience in RFQ processes, bid evaluation, supplier negotiations and contract administration.

• Strong analytical and numerical skills with the ability to evaluate cost structures, business cases and savings opportunities.

• Good communication, negotiation and stakeholder-management skills in cross-functional teams.

• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office, especially Excel; ERP/SAP experience preferred.

• Solid understanding of quotations, contracts, supplier data maintenance and sourcing processes.

• Ability to manage defined sourcing packages independently and prioritize multiple activities.

• Occasional travel as required (approximately 10-20%).

Main Responsibilities

Responsibilities:

• Independently manage sourcing activities and supplier relationships within assigned categories or commodities.

• Lead RFQs / RFPs, supplier requests, bid comparisons and commercial recommendations.

• Maintain price records, supplier master data, contracts and purchasing information in SAP / ERP and related tools.

• Conduct supplier negotiations on pricing, commercial terms, delivery conditions and service levels within delegated authority.

• Drive localization, dual-sourcing, cost-reduction and supply-stability initiatives for Opelika.

• Analyze quotations, spend data, cost breakdowns and market input to identify savings and risk-mitigation opportunities.

• Coordinate with Operations, SCM, Quality, R&D and Finance to align specifications, timelines and commercial requirements.

• Monitor supplier performance indicators and follow up on delivery, capacity, quality, cost or price topics.

• Support supplier scouting, onboarding, evaluations, risk checks, performance reviews and continuous improvement activities.

• Prepare and administer framework agreements and procurement documentation in line with signature regulations.

• Lead supplier meetings, plant visits and cross-functional workshops for assigned topics as required.

• Track project status, savings measures and implementation milestones and report progress transparently.

• Contribute to procurement strategy development for the assigned area and support junior colleagues on procurement topics when required.