Assistant Manager

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

• The team supports the HCV Dampers product segment, managing purchasing activities across component development and series readiness.
• We work closely with Engineering, Quality, Logistics, SCM, and suppliers throughout the product development lifecycle.
• The team manages a significant purchasing portfolio, including an annual spend of approximately €30 million.
• Our commodity portfolio includes stampings, rubber and rubber-to-metal parts, tubes, bright bars, plastics, and machined components.
• We focus on building a capable supplier base while ensuring cost competitiveness, quality, timely development, and supply readiness.

What You Can Look Forward to as a PP Buyer

• Drive purchasing activities for HCV Dampers, actively participating in feasibility studies and supplier selection during component development.
• Coordinate supplier development activities across Quality and Logistics, while tracking development milestones and ensuring timely escalation of risks.
• Manage planning and scheduling of components with suppliers until the parts are ready for handover to SCM.
• Contribute to purchase budget planning and monitoring, while actively driving cost-reduction and savings initiatives for the product segment.
• Develop and maintain commodity-wise supplier databases, commercial data, and Price Masters in Navision, while supporting purchasing activities through SAP.

Your Profile as a PP Buyer

• Experience in automotive purchasing or project procurement, preferably with exposure to the HCV or automotive component industry and responsibility for significant purchasing spend.
• Good technical understanding of stampings, rubber, rubber-to-metal components, tubes, bright bars, plastics, and machined parts.
• Working knowledge of component costing, cost calculations, supplier evaluation, and commercial recommendations.
• Strong project-management and supplier-management capability, with the ability to monitor development timelines, identify risks, and drive timely escalation.
• Hands-on experience with Navision and SAP, combined with strong analytical, coordination, negotiation, and cross-functional stakeholder-management skills.