Manager - Commodity Buyer (Iron casting)

Job Description

This Job Role is part of the Job Family "Purchasing & Supplier Development" / Sub Job Family "PS Purchasing" and includes jobs focused on planning, processing, and managing all purchasing activities to ensure the Key Business organization receives the necessary materials, parts, semi-products, and services.

The main tasks of the Job Role "Buyer" are sourcing, negotiating, and procuring materials and services to ensure cost efficiency. This role follows procurement strategies, optimizes processes and supports business goals.

About the Team

• We are part of the Purchasing & Commodity Management team, responsible for strategic sourcing of iron castings for passenger car applications.
• The team manages the end-to-end supplier landscape, from supplier identification and sourcing to long-term supplier development.
• We work closely with Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Logistics, and Project teams to support new and existing products.
• Our focus is on building a competitive, localized, resilient, and high-performing supply base.
  The team drives sustainable business value through cost optimization, supplier capability development, risk management, and continuous improvement.

What You Can Look Forward to as a Commodity Buyer

• Develop and execute commodity sourcing strategies for iron castings, including supplier selection, localization, and dual sourcing.
• Lead commercial negotiations covering pricing, tooling, logistics costs, productivity improvements, and long-term agreements.
• Drive annual cost-reduction and VA/VE initiatives using cost breakdowns, should-cost analysis, and total cost of ownership.
• Manage supplier relationships, including supplier capability, capacity, financial health, business continuity, and contingency sourcing.
• Partner with Engineering and cross-functional teams on new product development, sourcing decisions, engineering changes, and supplier performance improvements.

Your Profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Production Engineering, Metallurgy, or a related discipline; an MBA in Supply Chain Management or Operations is preferred.
• 10–12 years of automotive purchasing or strategic sourcing experience, preferably sourcing iron castings for passenger car applications.
• Strong understanding of iron casting and machining processes, including cost breakdown, should-cost analysis, VA/VE, and total cost of ownership.
• Good knowledge of APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, control plans, casting defects, metallurgy, and IATF 16949 requirements.
• Strong negotiation, analytical, commercial, leadership, problem-solving, and stakeholder-management skills, with working knowledge of SAP/Navision, Excel, and PowerPoint.