Supply Project Manager / Program Buyer (Chattanooga, TN)

Job Title: Supply Project Manager / Program Buyer
Department: Purchasing
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Industry: Automotive Manufacturing
Status of Hire: full-time, direct hire
Compensation: salaried $85-105k depending on experience

Responsible for:
• All purchasing activities related to the program (excluding CAPEX)
• All sourcing activity along with the Lead Buyer
• Purchasing budget (hours & money) allocated for the project.
• Managing closed purchase orders for project and to follow payment schedule
• Non-event launch related to supplier
• Gap to target, PPAP on time, tier2 readiness, project hours management (status & forecast), contribution to cash in/cash out, work packages

In charge of the following activities:
• Sourcing process:
o Establishing the supplier short list for the project with the lead buyers.
o Gathering all key information for complex RFQs and identifying the market constraints, the targets, the time schedule for each activity
o Negotiating according to the quality, cost and deadline project’s targets
o Proposing and comparing alternative solutions

• Ordering and payment :
o Managing purchase request and purchase order related to project
o Following payment schedule to suppliers

• Coordination & tracking:
o Identifying the project’s risks and opportunities, to plan each activity, to coordinate them internally & externally and to track them up to final realization

• Supplier quality & non event launch:
o Participating in project plan definition and follow-up (lead by the Supplier Quality team)
o Attending launch readiness meetings and tracking purchasing deep red points
o Organizing project transfer to the commodity buyer / country buyer

• Project Management :
o Defining project perimeter, development budget (hours, hourly rate, travel cost), and split of activity between SPM and extended team
o Leading functionally the extended team activity for his /her project
o Preparing project status documentation for managers who attend milestones reviews
o Updating the project database

Technical Experience and Education Requirements:
• Bachelor of Engineering or Science or Business School with purchasing specialty
• Minimum of 5 years in purchasing and knowledge of project management in automotive or plastics business
• Must be proficient in purchasing knowledge, technical negotiations , project management, finance & cash management, logistics, and crisis management
• Must be a strong communicator with good leadership skills who can also be a team player
• Must be customer oriented, result oriented

**Must be authorized to work in the US for any employer; client is unable provide authorization or sponsorship at this time
**Must be able to pass a pre-employment drug test and background check to be eligible for hire