Head of Purchasing Americas

Swisslog Americas is seeking a Head of Purchasing to manage and steer all direct material spend within the Americas region. This Director level position will lead a team of Project Purchasers and Operative Purchasers.

Responsibilities

Direct Materials Spend Management - Project purchasing

Manage & steer all direct material spend (third party) used in projects for the whole Americas regionManage the Source-to-Purchase process for the region Americas from Strategic sourcing to orderingEnable a proven project calculation for third party materials in projects in order to ensure the project margin and requested EBIT contributionContribute to profitable projects with optimized price / performance ratio by selecting competitive suppliers in combination with benchmarking and hard negotiation principlesRealize savings on the budget volume for New Business projects (in 2024: 4%)Active role to manage project supply (RFQs, offer comparisons, supplier negotitions, contracting) at all sitesAssure the governance for key materials (Rack, AGV, Monorail, Robots): benchmarking of suppliers, price/ performance rating of offers, having minimal two competitive quotes prior signing of purchase orderDuring Sales phase (early involvement): to align with the Sales project manager which materials have to be sourced from 3rd partySupply base: to define the suppliers to be requested together with peers as a) Global Purchasing reg. supplier & category strategy; b) Local Project Team; c) Product Center if applicable (e.g. for CycloneCarrier Racking and PowerStore Racking)Harmonization of the processes within the region by following global standardsException: internal supply from our Product Centers does not have to be benchmarked and negotiated reg. pricing and terms & conditionsIt is intended to build-up a regional category mgmt. for the main material groups, such as Autostore and Installers. Target of category mgmt.: strategic supplier relationship mgmt., ensure competitive pricing and benchmarking, support project purchasing throughout all phases in provision of pricing and resilient supplier portfolio.

Supplier Management

Ensure and develop the supply base for Americas in close collaboration with the Division and global PurchasingRealize best price / performance ratio: to achieve competitive pricing in combination with low risk (reducing the risks for non-supply resp. financial losses; reducing currency risks; reducing the risks for nonperformance)In the lead of supplier negotiation and contracting and to act as purchasing key contact of the regionManage the comprehensive supplier evaluation and approval processTo ensure supplier compliance with legal obligations and regulations (e.g. Sustainability)Perform supplier performance rating according defined processTo share the ratings with the supplier and organize a review; to manage the corrective actions together with peers (e.g. Quality mgmt. team)To support the supplier audits, define and follow-up corrective actions with the supplier

Collaboration with Global Purchasing

Regional execution of the respective category strategyCompliance to processes & tools and guidancespro-actively contribute to continuously improve processes & tools

Collaboration and communication

Close collaboration with the Americas Management team and key persons at all sites in Sales, Realization and Customer ServiceLead the Americas purchasing teamManage the organizational readiness to fulfill the required purchasing service levels for direct and indirects materials management

Application Requirements

Essential

Engineering degree or commercial degree with good technical knowledgeMinimal ten years experience in operative and strategic purchasingSupply Chain Management experience in comparable industries and project oriented solutions: discrete manufacturing industries; not in process industries (chemical, pharma, nutrition); not in pure service companies (as e.g. banking, insurance)Good knowledge of contract regulationsGood negotiation skillsFluent communication in English (ideally mother language); in written and spokenGood and proven knowledge of MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)SAP R3 MM (Material Management) with focus on purchasing transactions

Desirable

Diploma in Purchasing (e.g. CIPS certificate)MBA; ideally in Supply Chain ManagementEvery other language besides English & German is beneficialWorking experience in an international company with multiple sitesWork experience in project business comparable to intralogistics projects (size of projects; technology in HW, SW and automation)Experience as Project Manager to manage trans-regional projects with multiple sites

About Swisslog

Swisslog is shaping the #future of #intralogistics. As part of the KUKA Group, we are at the forefront of technology that is changing the world. Serving some of the biggest and most exciting brands across the globe, we're a team of 2,000 professionals and 50 nationalities, working together to transform intralogistics with smart minds and fresh perspectives. With our flexible, #robotic and #data-driven automated solutions, we are powering the supply chain and taking the industry forward. #JoinOurTeam and bring ideas to life!