Strategic Global Buyer

Job description

Solvay is a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life. With more than 24,100 employees in 64 countries, Solvay bonds people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress. The Group seeks to create sustainable shared value for all, notably through its Solvay One Planet plan crafted around three pillars: protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering better life. The Group’s innovative solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices, health care applications, water and air purification systems. Founded in 1863, Solvay today ranks among the world’s top three companies for the vast majority of its activities and delivered net sales of €10.2 billion in 2019. Solvay is listed on Euronext Brussels (SOLB) and Paris and in the United States, where its shares (SOLVY) are traded through a Level I ADR program. Composite Materials is a top-tier supplier to the aerospace engineered materials market known for its expertise in design materials and process engineering. We deliver optimal material solutions to address our customer’s most challenging demand for new high-performance materials that reduce weight, improve aerodynamics, and ultimately lower the total part costs for customers. The business supplies composites technologies to civil and military aircraft manufacturers which comprises the majority of sales, with the balance of sales into various industrial markets.

Job Overview and Responsibilities:

The Role: Strategic Global Buyer 

The Global Business Unit Composite Materials is actively looking for a Strategic Global Buyer accountable for a strategic spend portfolio around 100M€

Overview
High profile position in Solvay Composites materials with very important impact on the business.  The incumbent will work closely with the various Product Managers within the GBU as well as with other pertinent functions like Planning, Quality, Legal, Industrial, R&D  and the related suppliers to optimize the value creation related to managing the spend within the stated perimeter.  This position develops & executes the appropriate category strategies and negotiates strategic contracts to properly manage this spend and to maximize the GBU value.  This will be done by collaborating with the various internal stakeholders to ensure the GBU needs are fully considered and a TCO approach is deployed around the following tenets: Quality, Security of Supply, Competitiveness and Innovation. 

This role performance is evaluated along the candidate performance in:

·  Safety
·  Value Creation
·  Supplier Management
·  Establishing Strategies, Contracts and term sheets 
·  Performs Key Supplier reviews
·  Interfacing with Product managers, Planning, Legal, Quality, R&D and Industrial
·  Ability to use Solvay Digital tools
·  Driving a People and Performance Culture

Education and Experience:

·  Degree in Chemistry, Economics, Business, Supply Chain or related field; MBA is a plus   
·  Minimum 10 years of relevant purchasing experience
·  Experience in the specialty chemical industry
·  International experience and ability to work in a multi-cultural environment

Skills:

·  Aligns on Solvay values/behaviors
·  Business partnering orientation 
·  Interaction & influence at all levels internally and with suppliers
·  Works autonomously; project management
·  Good understanding of chemistry and analytical skills to perform feedstock cost and/or other analysis
·  Sets and achieves stretch goals; proactive in identifying & resolving challenges
·  An accomplished negotiator with demonstrated ability to win value in situations where suppliers may possess greater leverage
·  Adept at using numerical and business analysis to influence organizational and business decisions
·  Ability to communicate and present ideas concisely in a multicultural environment
·  Expertise in supply contract design and experience in achieving best in class language for commercial standard terms (e.g. competitive price provisions, force majeure, KPIs, etc.).
·  Ability to assess economic trends and conditions as they may impact the supply markets.