Strategic Buyer

POSITION SUMMARY The Strategic Buyer is responsible for sourcing, purchasing, and managing production materials, components, goods, and services that support BAUER's manufacturing and business operations. The role manages assigned direct material and indirect spend categories, which may include raw materials, fabricated and purchased components, facilities, maintenance, utilities, information technology, professional services, office operations, safety, logistics support, and capital projects. Working closely with Supply Chain, Planning, Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and department leaders across the organization, the Strategic Buyer develops sourcing strategies, negotiates supplier agreements, manages supplier relationships, and identifies opportunities to improve cost, quality, delivery, service, and operational efficiency. This position plays an important role in ensuring continuity of supply and availability of the materials and resources needed to support production and business operations while advancing the company's financial and operational objectives. JOB FUNCTIONS Include the following, but other duties may be assigned. Strategic Sourcing Develop sourcing strategies for assigned direct material and indirect spend categories. Research and evaluate potential suppliers. Prepare and manage requests for quotations (RFQs), proposals (RFPs), and competitive bids. Negotiate pricing, terms, service levels, and commercial agreements. Identify opportunities to reduce costs while maintaining quality and service. Monitor market conditions and recommend alternative sourcing strategies when appropriate. Develop and execute sourcing strategies for production materials and components, including new product requirements, supplier transitions, and alternate sources of supply. Partner with Engineering, Quality, Planning, and Manufacturing to evaluate supplier capabilities, technical requirements, quality expectations, lead times, and total cost. Identify and mitigate supply risks, including long lead times, capacity constraints, single-source dependencies, tariffs, and other market or geopolitical factors. Purchasing & Supplier Management Purchase assigned production materials, components, indirect goods, and services required to support manufacturing and business operations. Build and maintain productive relationships with suppliers and service providers. Evaluate supplier performance and work with vendors to resolve quality, delivery, or service issues. Support supplier onboarding and ongoing performance reviews. Maintain preferred supplier relationships where appropriate. Monitor supplier delivery, quality, lead time, capacity, and commercial performance for assigned materials and categories. Coordinate with Planning and Operations to address shortages, past-due materials, supplier constraints, and other issues that may affect production continuity. Support supplier qualification, development, corrective actions, and source changes in partnership with Quality and Engineering. Contract & Spend Management Coordinate service agreements and contract renewals. Maintain purchasing records, supplier documentation, and contract files. Review purchasing activity for compliance with company policies and approved spending limits. Assist departments in planning recurring service and purchasing needs. Analyze spending trends and identify opportunities for consolidation or standardization. Analyze material spend, price variances, supplier concentration, and total cost to identify sourcing and cost-reduction opportunities. Cross-Functional Partnership Partner with Supply Chain, Planning, Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Facilities, Operations, Finance, HR, IT, Safety, and other departments to understand material and purchasing needs. Recommend sourcing solutions that balance cost, quality, lead time, and business risk. Support capital equipment purchases and facility improvement projects as assigned. Participate in cross-functional cont…

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