Senior Direct Materials Buyer

CSP – Direct Material Buyer / Senior Buyer (Corporate Office – Auburn Hills, Michigan)

CSP is the industry leader in the formulation and molding of lightweight, advanced composite components for the transportation industries. As an innovative, full-service Tier One supplier, we offer an entrepreneurial environment where you’re only limited by your own imagination. In addition to our team-focused environment, we provide industry-leading benefits, called BENEfits4U. Our comprehensive offering includes: affordable medical, dental, and vision care;

flexible spending accounts; life insurance; 401k with company match and much, much more.

Responsible for the strategic sourcing, purchasing, and negotiation of direct production materials (e.g., resins, metals, chemicals, or other raw/component inputs) in support of CSP's automotive manufacturing operations. This role requires strong technical commodity knowledge — understanding of material specifications, market drivers, supply base capabilities, and cost structures — combined with analytical rigor to evaluate supplier quotes, model total cost of ownership, and identify risk across the supply base.

The ideal candidate blends purchasing experience with data-driven decision-making to determine the most desirable suppliers and drive measurable cost and supply chain performance improvements. Reports to Director of Purchasing.

• Sourcing & Supplier Management Evaluate and select sources for production components/materials based on technical fit, capacity, quality, and total cost Develop and maintain deep knowledge of assigned commodity markets (e.g., resin/SMC, metals, chemicals) including pricing drivers, index tracking (e.g., PPI, resin indices), and supply/demand trends Develop Long Term Agreements (LTAs) with suppliers as appropriate Manage pricing at a corporate level across CSP plants, including inflation/deflation tracking and index-based pricing mechanisms Support CSP facilities in resolution of supplier issues;
  
  lead negotiations as necessary Build and maintain strong working relationships with suppliers supporting CSP plants May participate in Supplier Quality audits and financial health assessments of critical suppliers
• Analytical & Cost Management Identify and execute cost savings opportunities using data analysis (e.g., spend analytics, should-cost modeling, PPV and BIP tracking) Analyze supplier quotes and proposals using structured cost breakdowns to determine most competitive and lowest-risk suppliers Build and maintain reporting/dashboards (e.g., Power BI, Excel) to track commodity pricing trends, savings pipelines, and supplier performance Monitor and forecast commodity price exposure;
  
  support rolling forecast reconciliation (e.g., 6+6, 3+9) across programs
• Program & Systems Execution Place purchase orders (via QAD EE) with suppliers Work closely with Engineering to understand program requirements and coordinate Engineering Changes Participate in program kickoff meetings; work with Sales, Engineering, CSP plant personnel, and suppliers to ensure duties and timelines are met; expedite as necessary Participate in development of new or enhanced Purchasing policies and procedures Ensure customer requirements are met throughout the sourcing and program lifecycle Perform a variety of complex tasks with a wide degree of independence and decision-making latitude Adhere to all CSP company policies, guidelines, and procedures

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• 5+ years of direct material purchasing experience in an automotive or manufacturing environment
• Working knowledge of assigned commodity category(ies) — material properties, cost drivers, and supplier landscape
• Strong analytical skills, including proficiency in Excel (pivot tables, modeling) and familiarity with BI tools (Power BI preferred)
• Experience with ERP/procurement systems (QAD, Coupa, or similar)
• Strong negotiation, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills
• Travel:
  Up to 15% domestic and 5% international

If you enjoy innovation, and an opportunity to learn and contribute to a growing organization, CSP is the place for you! Being a CSP employee means having the opportunity to see your impact every day. Our work experience is the combination of everything that’s unique about our culture, our core values, our commitment to your success, and most importantly, our people.

We are a team of self-disciplined, hardworking, curious, trustworthy and humble people who make choices according to what is best for the team. We live to collaborate and make a difference.