Senior Indirect Buyer, Plant - Seneca, SC

Leveraging its deep expertise as the global leader in catalysis and precious metals, BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions (ECMS) serves customers in many industries including automotive, aerospace, indoor air quality, semiconductors and hydrogen economy, and provides full loop services with its precious metals trading and recycling offering. With a focus on circular solutions and sustainability, ECMS is committed to helping our customers create a cleaner, more sustainable world.  Protecting our elements of life is our purpose and this inspires us to ever-new solutions. 

ECMS operates globally in 15 countries with approximately 20 production sites and over 4,000 employees. 

As Senior Indirect Buyer, Plant, you will LEAD by……….

The Senior Indirect Buyer leads end-to-end procurement for assigned indirect categories, from stakeholder requirements and supplier selection through requests for proposal, negotiation, contracting and purchase-to-pay execution. 

The Senior indirect buyer is a trusted procurement adviser and the primary point of contact for site leaders, escalations, audits and capital projects, grey areas not captured within a specific category,   ensuring procurement activity is compliant, commercially sound and directed to the appropriate buyer.

Through market intelligence, supplier management, process improvement and cross-functional collaboration, the Senior Buyer protects business continuity, mitigates risk, improves procurement performance and delivers sustainable long-term value. 

The role provides guidance, coordination, coaching and administrative support to site-based Indirect Buyers while each buyer remains accountable for their assigned categories, commercial outcomes, operational excellence and stakeholder satisfaction.

Principal Responsibilities  

• Lead end-to-end sourcing for assigned location, including stakeholder alignment, requests for proposal, cost analysis, negotiation, supplier selection and award, contracting, risk management and sustained delivery of cost and business value.

• Execute competitive sourcing and buying activity in line with defined category strategies, company policies, ethical standards and relevant regulations.

• Manage supplier selection, onboarding, relationships, performance, quality, compliance and risk, including regular business reviews and timely resolution of supply, delivery and service issues.

• Ensure contracts use approved legal language and appropriate commercial terms, and support negotiation cycles by collaborating with Legal and business stakeholders to finalise agreements.

• Use SAP S/4HANA and other systems effectively to manage orders, resolve issues and support purchase-to-pay execution.

• Ensure procurement activity is compliant, auditable and aligned with internal procurement rules.

• Clarify internal customer needs and translate requirements, timelines and constraints into supplier-ready requests, working across functions including Operations, Quality, Finance, HR, Logistics, IT, Legal, EHS, RD&A, Projects, Maintenance, Laboratory and Distribution.
• Coordinate demand, strategy execution, framework agreement use and preferred supplier adoption across the site, while providing responsive procurement support for site needs.
• The key contact for senior leadership across remit to represent Procurement in audits, escalations, organisational forums and cross-functional governance meetings.
• Provide daily coaching, problem‑solving support, and guidance to the local indirect procurement team on purchasing activities   

Your elements for success……

• Minimum bachelor’s degree, preferably in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business or a related field. 
• 7+ years of work experience
• At least 3 years of administrative leadership or team coordination experience.

• Experience in procurement negotiations, requests for proposal, strategy implementation, contract management and supplier management, including work with senior stakeholders, executive management and board members.

• Strong analytical, financial modelling, market research, business acumen, workload management, prioritisation and problem-solving skills.

• Fluent English; German language skills are an advantage. Proficient in Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and experienced with ERP systems, including SAP.

You @ BASF ECMS

At BASF ECMS you get more than just compensation, Medical & Dental. Our total offer includes a wide range of elements you need to be your best in every stage of your life.

• Flexible Work Arrangements whenever possible
• Retirement Benefits with company contributions
• Competitive Medical and Dental Plan Options
• Disability and Life Insurance Programs
• Wellness Programs
• Maternity/Paternity Leave, Infertility & Adoption reimbursement
• Mentoring & Development Programs
• Employee Discounts
• Pet insurance

What are you waiting for? Click Apply now to BELONG@BASF!!

BASF takes security & data privacy very seriously. We will never request financial information of any kind via email, private text message or direct message on any social medial platform or job board. Furthermore, we will never send a candidate a check for equipment or request any type of payment during the job application process. If you have experienced any of the above, please contact HR4U.US@basf-catalystsmetals.com to report fraud. BASF is committed to pay transparency practices. The competitive Pay Range for this role is $115k-$145k annually. Actual pay will be determine based on education, certifications, experience, and other job-related factor permitted by law.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status.