Description

United Taconite, located in Forbes, MN, is currently looking for an experienced buyer to join our Supply Chain Department.

Summary of Principal Functions:

The position will have an operational focus with emphasis on customer service and day-to-day procure to pay processes. The Buyer will manage transactional activities related to the purchase and delivery of a wide array of assigned commodities. The Buyer is responsible for developing and issuing RF(x) documents, performing bid analysis, purchase award and placement, and follow-up expediting. Additional responsibilities will include the identification of new suppliers, managing supplier relationships and creating purchasing documents as required.

Specific Responsibilities:

Procurement Responsibilities

• Manage procurement of assigned commodities in agreement with district and corporate policies and objectives
• Manage transactional activities related to the purchase and delivery of assigned commodities at their lowest total cost and required delivery
• Ensure customer service by proactively identifying customer needs and improvement opportunities
• Continually work to improve data accuracy and systems integrity
• Automate the Purchase-to-Pay process (P2P) through Ellipse functionality
• Review requisitions to ensure accuracy and completeness

Supplier Management

• Track and analyze performance metrics for suppliers within assigned commodity groups to develop and implement improvement plans
• Actively pursue supply-base rationalization for economic and administrative benefits
• Monitor and interpret changes in the supplier market to influence program effectiveness
• Evaluate supplier capabilities and establish sources for new technologies and in new markets as business requirements dictate

Commodity Knowledge

• Act as a subject matter expert for respective commodity groups
• Construct, present, and promote long-range commodity procurement plans and strategies
• Pursue product standardization and optimization initiatives
• Regularly collect and analyze commodity data to develop commodity profiles

Program Sponsorship

• Organize and lead programs; present progress reports and improvement plans
• Promote the commodity-based procurement philosophy to educate stakeholders and drive business improvements
• Ensure organizational financial goals are met, including budget, service levels, and savings
• Interface with stakeholder functional groups to ensure needs are assessed, understood, and incorporated into the program’s direction
• Build a network of information and trust throughout the organization
• Pursue continuous improvement/TCO projects both internally and externally together with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering and Suppliers

Sourcing Activities

• Develop innovative sourcing alternatives to inject competition and mitigate risk in commodity groups
• Utilize Cliffs’seven-step sourcing process, including team development,communications planning, strategy deployment, negotiations, award, and implementation
• Present initiative summaries to site personnel and corporate management

Education Needed:

• Bachelors degree (RQ)
• CPM (PF), CPSM (PF)

Experience Needed:

• 1 to 2 years professional experience in Procurement or related field
• Operational/Industry/Supplier knowledge

Competencies Required:

• Financial Analysis - Understanding financial concepts (e.g., time value of money), cost structures / models, and determining financial impact of decisions.
• Project Management -Organizing and managing projects taking into account priorities, resources, budgets, issues and constraints to achieve desired results; defining clear project scope and objectives; utilizing software and tools (e.g., MS Project, MS Excel, Gantt charts) to plan, track & report status.
• Strategic Orientation and Thinking -Creating and executing strategic direction in area of responsibility anticipating and visualizing both short and long-term impacts, consistent with the enterprise's strategy.
• Negotiation and Influence -Conferring, influencing and settling situations with a customer / colleague in a professional and positive manner.
• Communication Skills – Listening actively to colleagues, internal customers and suppliers to identify key points, and clearly and concisely communicating to others by tailoring to specific situations.
• Resourcefulness and Flexibility - Challenging the status quo, identifying and pursuing new ideas and opportunities to add value and/or solve problems, and modifying approach and behaviors as necessary to get the desired results.Can adapt workplan to adjust to unforeseen issues or changes in timing, scope, etc.
• Teamwork - Working effectively with others in a team environment, including assuming and executing "fair share" of workload; is flexible and willing to compromise.
• Change Management -Aligning one’s own work efforts and subordinate’s work efforts quickly to adjust for a business change. Maintaining an understanding of the dynamics of change and performs and directs a variety of change-related roles.
• Conflict Management -Managing and effectively resolving the difference in needs, objectives and values for internal customers and colleagues.
• Risk Management - Analyzing the relative costs, benefits, risks and opportunities associated with various alternatives in order to determine their feasibility, the effect on budget and schedule, and the effect on the quality of products and services.
• Problem Analysis and Decision Making - Analyzing problems, considering and profiling alternatives, and making timely and balanced recommendations and business decisions.
• Technical Skills – Highly skilled in the MS Office suite (Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Word), experience with business systems and data structure, sequel, database queries, data access, and data warehousing.
• Business Performance Measurement (KPIs) -Accessing, calculating, and understanding key Supply Chain performance indicators in order to determine business performance trends on a timely basis.
• Safety -Embraces and understands the criticality of safety.
• Governance/Policies and Procedures - Understanding and applying governance structure, policies and procedures relevant to job, including levels of authority, integrity and ethical behaviors. (e.g. understanding and applying knowledge of company’s goals and strategies, policies and procedures, organizational structures and alliances).
• Spend and Demand Analysis - Analyzes spend and requirements patterns to identify areas of potential leverage.
• Industry & Market Analysis - Analyzes the structure and dynamics of industry and specific markets to identify potential suppliers, cost drivers, constraints, strategic levers, etc.
• Sourcing Strategy Development & Implementation -Blends industry / competitive analysis, business knowledge and procurement expertise to develop sourcing strategies, executes the strategy, measures results, and renews the strategy as market conditions evolve.
• Total Cost of Ownership -Understands key business drivers beyond price (e.g., quality) that determine the total cost of ownership (TCO) of goods / services.
• Supplier Analysis, Screening and Selection - Collects and analyzes quantitative and qualitative information to assess, screen and select suppliers.
• RF(x) Development and Execution - Understands when to use an RFP (price and non-price factors) and RFQ (price only), and how to develop, execute and analyze the results.
• Supplier Negotiation -Prepares, coordinates and conducts negotiations with suppliers. Negotiates agreements to achieve results that support sourcing strategies and business objectives.
• Contract Planning and Execution - Understands what type of contracts to use, understands boilerplates, can draft contracts, knows how to work with Legal, tracks execution, and initiates sourcing prior to expiration dates.
• Supplier Relationship Management -Manages supplier relationships by utilising supplier management programs and identifying continuous improvement initiatives. Tracks supplier performance and provides feedback. Looks for opportunities to build mutually beneficial business relationships by matching external supplier capabilities with strategic business imperatives.
• Customer Relationship Management - Identifying and managing key internal customer relationships, understanding their needs and expectations, and delivering high service.
• Supply Chain Management Foundation -Understanding SCM concepts and cross-functional relationships, including procurement, forecasting, inventory, materials management, warehousing, transportation and payment.
• Product / Service / Commodity Knowledge - Develops knowledge of all products and services to support operations and Supply Chain customers. Develops product / category expertise regarding (a group of) categories that supports the credibility of the sourcing function among internal customers and suppliers.
• Procurement Applications -Utilizes applications / systems to plan and execute Procure-to-Pay processes, including compliance tracking and reporting.
• Procure-to-Pay Process - Understands and applies Procure-to-Pay processes to including requisitioning, PO processing and financing activities.
• Materials & Inventory Planning -Executing the functionality needed to plan the purchase of raw materials and MRO items, collaborate with internal customers and develop inventory targets for stocked items.
• Returns Management – Perform activities involved in identifying material and/or items that are candidates for return, repair/maintenance, scrap, and obsolescence.