Hybrid Senior Buyer – Program Manager III

at Daimler Truck North America

• Job title: Senior Buyer – Program Manager III
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Senior
• Salary: $95,000 - $121,000 per year
• Degree requirement: Bachelor's Degree
• Location requirements: Hybrid, Detroit, United States

About the role

• Strategic Sourcing Analyst sourcing high-quality parts and services for Daimler Truck. Collaborating with cross-functional teams to optimize costs and user experience in the commercial vehicle industry.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with engineering in early product development stages to understand technical requirements
• Identify excellent suppliers capable of meeting design, manufacturing, and material specifications
• Work together with Engineering to develop and validate strong, capable, and innovative supplier partners
• Analyze and apply appropriate tools, i.e. cost models, benchmarking, competitive global sourcing, value chain analysis, supplier negotiations, engineering change cost containment, technical cost reduction, etc.
• Develop business cases and sourcing recommendations considering multi-dimensional and complex tradeoffs such as optimization of total cost of ownership; local regulatory requirements vs. global platform synergies; best sourcing country vs. local-for-local production scenarios; multi-source vs. single source supplier strategies; in-house vs. external supplier supplied components
• Create contractual framework and implement contracts with supplier partners and derive contract language with oversight and support from internal legal counsel
• Negotiate contracts including pricing, pricing adjustments, Terms and Conditions, Long Term Agreement, Supplier Quality Agreement, Warranty Agreement, and Aftermarket Agreement with supplier partners
• Lead cost optimization initiatives including, but not limited to, VAVE, de-contenting, and alternative materials
• Collaborate with cross-functional business partners on a broad range of supplier related topics such as: project deliverables, capacity planning, manufacturing efficiencies, cash flow optimization, import customs and duties compliance, logistic route optimization, and warehousing
• Drive data transparency to support fact-based negotiations to deliver cost target risk assessment and mitigation activities
• Perform bottom-up planning for commodity and supplier-related material costs including, raw material, foreign exchange rate, and other costs such as energy and labor
• Derive, negotiate, and implement risk mitigation initiatives with supplier partners

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics, Engineering, Supply Chain Management, or other relevant field with at least 5 years of relevant experience
• Demonstrate strong verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to utilize analytical tools for supplier evaluation and selection
• Strategic orientation, willingness to learn, adapt & be agile, comfort in challenging norms, dealing with ambiguity
• Problem solver with a solution-focused mindset
• Experience in analyzing economic and market issues that affect material costs
• General technical understanding of powertrain technologies and relevant component features, materials, production processes, and cost structures
• Ability to travel domestically & internationally; 10-20% travel should be expected
• Exceptional Candidates Might Have
• Master’s degree in Business, Economics, Engineering, Supply Chain Management
• Familiarity with Engine or Axle components
• Experience working with global suppliers and managing a supply base across different regions and cultures
• Experience creating and negotiating contractual framework and supporting legal case preparation and argumentation
• Prior Purchasing, Cost Engineering, or Finance experience
• Business level proficiency with a foreign language- specifically German or Spanish

Benefits

• annual bonus program
• 401k company contribution with company match up to 6% as well as non-elective company contribution of 3 - 7% depending on age
• starting at 4 weeks paid vacation
• 13+ calendar holidays
• 8 weeks paid parental leave
• employee assistance program
• comprehensive healthcare plans and wellness programs
• onsite fitness (at some locations)
• tuition assistance and volunteer paid time off
• short-term and long-term disability plans