Senior Buyer — Metal & Raw Material

ABOUT SLATE

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 Senior Buyer — Metal & Raw Material 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 impact to…