Category Buyer in Gerneral Procurement

Category Buyer

Within the framework of the consolidated North America General Procurement (GP) organization, the Category Buyer is accountable for Indirect Procurement activities at Airbus Americas, focusing on the structuring and deployment of the Local Operation commodity. The Category Buyer drives the operational compliance to the General Procurement Process supporting the alignment between divisions/entities. The Category Buyer is also accountable for cross-functional project management including stakeholder communication related to business-critical general procurement processes and the systems that support them.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Strategic Category Management & Market Intelligence (35%)
• Develop and execute robust regional market strategies aligned with global company objectives, focusing on cost-efficiency, quality excellence, and long-term supply chain partnerships.
• Conduct comprehensive market research and supplier mapping to identify emerging partners and evaluate the risk/operational performance of the existing supply base.
• Support Internal Customer (IC) organizations (or teams) in creating and formulating the sourcing strategy by providing data about local suppliers.
• Establish and ensure regular two-way communication with key functional and local customers; manage the integration with assigned General Procurement commodities in North America and worldwide.
• Supplier Relationship Management
  - Responsible for building relations with suppliers of assigned commodities, and identifying new vendors.
• End-to-End Sourcing & Contract Management (35%)
• Lead the full procurement lifecycle, defining sourcing strategies, including tendering, complex negotiations, and contract implementation.
• Manage supplier performance through KPI tracking and drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance value delivery.
• Ensure all procurement activities adhere to internal policies, legal requirements, and the highest ethical standards.
• Responsible for safeguarding Airbus' interests by ensuring all sourcing activities strictly follow General Procurement (GP) processes, legal requirements, and ethical guidelines.
• Develop procurement plans and identify opportunities within assigned commodities which support savings program targets at Airbus Americas. Escalate blockages to Regional Director, as needed.
• Team Leadership (10%)
• Provide leadership and coaching to less experienced team members
• Procurement & Process Tools Expert (10%)
• Drive compliance to Airbus General Procurement and related processes through robust communication with internal customers.
• Resolve general procurement process blockages and recommend solutions to operational and contractual problems.
• Report savings to the Shared Services organization in a timely way through the standard mechanisms.
• Proficiency in procurement ERP/software (e.g., COUPA, SAP Ariba, Oracle) and the Google suite
• Additional Responsibilities (10%):
• Drive indirect procurement contributions to projects affecting assigned teams / organizations / commodities.

Qualified Experience / Skills / Training:

Education & Experience:

• A Bachelors' Degree in Business Administration, Law, Engineering or a related field is required. Equivalent combination of education and experience can be substituted in lieu of a degree.
• Fluency in written and verbal English. Fluency in French, German and/or Spanish is highly desirable.
• A minimum of seven (7) years in Procurement or related functions. Preferred experience with an increasingly higher level of authority and accountability.

Licensure/

Certifications:

• Certifications in project management & purchasing are preferred (i.e. PMP, CPP)

Knowledge, Skills, Demonstrated Capabilities:

• Knowledge of Business Case Analysis & Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Approach.
• Procurement process and advanced negotiation skill.
• Project Management – Excellent skills to motivate multi-functional teams in situations of often conflicting objectives (Internal Customer, Supplier, Budget) to perform in-country calls for tender and procurement projects.
• Proven leadership capabilities and team working skills that can be applied in a complex matrix organization
• Analytical capacities to synthesize large…