Procurement Specialist at Solar Turbines Inc in San Diego, California

Job Description:

Career Area:Manufacturing & Supply Chain

Job Description:
Position Objective

(Position close date June 2nd) This position is responsible for day-to-day and strategic supplier management including, but not limited to: purchase order placement, follow-up, issue resolution; communication of demand and forecasts; preparing contracts ; acting as the lead negotiator providing solutions to a wide range of issues; developing commercial strategies for product and/or service contracts; managing supplier relationships and performance metrics; communicating and mitigating risk that could impact Solar's ability to meet the business plan.

Nature and Scope

This position acts with a sense of urgency and is diligent in providing timely support to internal clients and external customers. This individual operates in compliance with corporate and Supply Chain policies and procedures, continuously practices and demonstrates Safety, and acts in adherence to Our Values in Action. A Procurement Specialist may manage relationships of some non-strategic suppliers but will predominately oversee strategic or complex suppliers. This individual has no direct reports but works within a team structure typically including a Sourcing Specialist, Supply Chain Coordinator/Planner, Supplier Technical Engineer, Supplier Development Engineer, and reports directly to a Site Sourcing Manager or Supply Chain Manager. There is an expectation to not only participate on but lead projects from conception to maturity that directly support organizational objectives. The work environment is mostly office based; however, this position may visit internal production areas as well as external supplier sites, which may involve domestic and/or international travel. The decisions that are made by the Procurement Specialist will be based on: Supply Chain Management, Site Sourcing Manager and/or Sourcing Specialist direction, Our Values in Action, Worldwide Procedures, Solar Policies, Quality Management System, other process documentation, Import/Export compliance guidelines as well as adherence to State, Federal, and international regulations. Failure to achieve results or making erroneous decisions or recommendations, could result in legal issues, production delays, impact to supplier relationships and/or the allocation of additional resources.

The primary functions of the job include but are not limited to:

Supply Chain Management -

• Applies advanced Supply Chain knowledge to manage processes, establish policies, and develop value-adding strategies.


• Develops and maintains relationships with internal clients and lower-level supplier executives functioning as the Supply Chain and Solar ambassador.


• Monitors and manages ownership of risk from financial, business continuation, and compliance perspectives. Ensures procurement processes meets audit, regulatory, and legal standards.


• Has the ability to lead a team, provides direction, and coaches less experienced staff members.

• Leads agreements on complex, high value contracts, and resolves issues. Develops and implements solutions to improve contract compliance. Proactively identifies issues during and after contract completion and manages resolution.


• Develops standard written agreements for development requirements.


• Works closely with users defining supplier performance measurements and reporting frameworks.


• Manages the transition process when changing contracted suppliers.


• Leads commercial negotiations and is accountable for contract execution and maintenance (NDA's, GP's, PSAs, JDAs, etc.).

• Creates negotiation strategies based on thorough knowledge of business requirements.


• Communicates negotiation strategies and parameters to negotiating team and defines roles.


• Able to ethically execute negotiation strategy for moderate criticality/complexity items displaying varied negotiation techniques to achieve best results.


• Identifies and resolves areas of risk.

• Manages relationship of moderate to high complex suppliers.


• Drives cost management through identifying and implementing opportunities for cost reduction, utilizes cost modeling techniques, and analyzing TCO to ensure the best overall value to Solar.


• Manages and maintains the Supplier relationship at a day-to-day and strategic level. Day-to-day activities include purchase order issuance and maintenance, grief resolution, and business review meetings. Strategic activities include working with the Supply Chain Leadership and/or Sourcing Specialist to define the buyer-supplier relationship that determines as well as executes the strategic direction (Hold, Grow, Consolidate, Exit).


• Supports NPI, global strategic sourcing, and Supplier selection to ensure flexible capacity and consistent supply from qualified suppliers to support business objectives.


• Provides mentorship in establishing continuous improvement plans to achieve mutual benefits.

• Applies business strategies to daily activities, contributes to make-buy decisions, identifies market opportunities, gaps, and trends.


• Understands, applies, and coaches others in building and analyzing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) models.

• Resolves high complexity purchasing related grief issues with minimal assistance.


• Develops, recommends, and provides training & mentorship around purchasing processes, process changes and tools.


• Develops a network that allows the Procurement Specialist to leverage internal and external relationships to continuously improve responsiveness & service levels.


• Initiates and promotes cross functional teaming in Supplier development, problem resolution, and continuous improvement efforts.


• Executes risk mitigation strategies to avoid Supply Chain disruption.


• Validates data integrity, identifies data gaps, and updates & corrects system data.


• Effectively evaluates, improves, and sustains supplier performance, including but not limited to: Quality, Cost, Delivery, Lead-time, Bid & Proposal Turn-times, Project & Field Support, etc.

Interpersonal and Analytical Skills

• Well-developed interpersonal skills are required in dealing with sensitive issues and reaching consensus on specific actions.


• Capability to influence and persuade Suppliers and internal clients to effective solutions.


• Ability to collaborate to build constructive and inclusive business relationships.


• Demonstrates responsiveness and acts with a sense of urgency.


• Ability to lead teams, coach, mentor, as well as provide and accept constructive criticism.


• Effective communicator in written and oral form.


• Dedicated to meeting and exceeding the expectations of external customers and internal clients.


• Ability to cope with change effectively and adjust to accommodate the unknown or unproven.


• Capable of setting priorities to support business requirements; can sense what will help or hinder achieving a goal, eliminates roadblocks, and creates focus.


• Holds self and others accountable to commitments in support of business objectives.


• Uses rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult problems.


• Can unearth root cause to assess risk to the business and develop business continuation plans.

Required Qualifications

• The position requires a Master's degree with 2-3 years of experience, or a Bachelor's degree with 3-5 years of experience


• Commercial experience, supplier management and contract negotiation


• Experience with ERP software and proficient with MS Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Visio)


• Fluent in Business English in written and oral form

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Business, Engineering, Supply Chain or other related field.


• Supply Chain Certification from a professional institution (APICS, IIPMR, ISCEA, ISM, etc.)


• Understanding and demonstration of 6-Sigma and Lean Manufacturing principles.


• 6-Sigma Blackbelt Certification

This employer is not currently hiring foreign national applicants that require or will require sponsorship tied to a specific employer, such as H, L, TN, F, J, E, O.

EEO/AA Employer. All qualified individuals - Including minorities, females, veterans and individuals with disabilities - are encouraged to apply.

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