Senior Buyer — Metal & Raw Material

Sr. Buyer, Body-in-White (BIW) & Raw Materials

At Slate, we're building safe, reliable vehicles that people can afford, personalize and love—and doing it here in the USA as part of our commitment to reindustrialization. The spirit of DIY and customization runs throughout every element of a Slate, because people should have control over how their trucks look, feel, and represent them.

Slate is looking for an energetic, organized, experienced Sr. Buyer, Body-in-White (BIW) & Raw Materials to join our growing team that brings a "roll up the sleeves" approach to getting things done, as responsibilities will be wide ranging. We have embraced a startup company mindset of being fast, frugal, scrappy, and fun. Important skills include accountability, strategic thinking, relationship building, business case analysis, and negotiation.

Develop a strategic supply base, lead supplier negotiations, and manage RFIs, RFQs, and commercial agreements to meet cost targets, deliverables, and Job 1 timing. Source and purchase production parts, service parts, tooling, and services while resolving cost, quality, and delivery issues.

Take ownership of Automotive BIW sourcing ensuring precision fit, supplier readiness, risk mitigation, and launch timing. Collaborate cross-functionally to implement cost reductions, drive supplier quality, and ensure adherence to Slate Global Terms and Conditions.

• Support change management tracking during design phases, coordinating PO updates and revisions as engineering changes occur
• Manage pricing updates for raw material adjustments per contracts with suppliers
• Negotiate and administer long-term supply agreements, blanket orders, and consignment programs aligned with demand planning
• Administer NDA processes and manage General Terms & Conditions (GTCs), Purchased Part Agreements (PPAs), and other supplier contracts throughout their lifecycle

• Monitor domestic and global metal commodity markets (LME, COMEX, CRU, AMM) and communicate potential factors driving changes to those markets
• Analyze commodity price trends, indices (HRC, CRC, aluminum premiums, copper COMEX), and forecasts to inform purchasing strategies and budget planning
• Monitor raw material cost impacts to piece price and compare with current market trends, escalating significant variances to leadership
• Develop and implement price risk mitigation strategies including forward contracting, index-linked pricing, and strategic safety stock management
• Track tariffs, trade policy changes, import/export regulations, and geopolitical events that impact raw material availability and cost

• Develop and maintain Tier-n supplier maps to provide visibility into the full depth of the supply chain for critical raw materials and components
• Identify and document sub-tier suppliers for critical raw materials, components, and single-source dependencies
• Support supply chain risk assessments by maintaining up-to-date mapping data and identifying concentration or disruption risks
• Coordinate with suppliers and internal teams to proactively address material availability issues before they impact production
• Build and maintain a diversified global supplier base, continuously evaluating new sources to reduce single-source dependency

• Establish and manage a formalized raw material buy program, defining procurement timing, volume commitments, and pricing strategies aligned with market conditions and production demand
• Develop program governance including buy triggers, approval thresholds, inventory targets, and performance metrics to measure program effectiveness
• Coordinate scrap pooling activities across internal facilities and supplier partners, consolidating scrap streams to maximize recovery value and reduce net raw material costs
• Negotiate scrap resale agreements and manage relationships with scrap dealers and processors to ensure competitive returns on metal scrap recovery
• Track scrap generation rates, grades, and recovery credits by material type and facility; report on scrap revenue and its offset…