Lead Buyer - Steam Turbine Blades

Job Summary

As a Lead Buyer within the Steam Blade Centre of Excellence (CoE), you are responsible for end-to-end procurement activities for steam blade components from internal and external suppliers. Your role involves driving supplier performance, supporting sourcing strategies, and ensuring quality, cost, and delivery objectives are met to support global business needs. You act as a primary interface between suppliers and key internal stakeholders, lead issue resolution, and contribute to cost-out and continuous improvement initiatives.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Own and manage the project schedule process for steam blade components with internal and external suppliers, ensuring accurate, timely execution in line with demand and inventory plans.
• Support and, where appropriate, lead activities related to supplier qualification, onboarding, and transitions (e.g., dual sourcing, resourcing), working with Quality and Engineering.
• Lead day-to-day relationships with key internal stakeholders, serving as the primary contact for PO execution, issue resolution, and performance discussions.
• Proactively identify and resolve supply issues, schedule changes, and exceptions, coordinating with Supply, Sourcing, Operations, and Planning to mitigate risk and ensure continuity of supply.
• Own and manage visual management and reporting of projects in scope, including recovery actions pacing.
• Ensure full compliance with sourcing policies, quality standards, and contractual requirements across all procurement activities.
• Collaborate closely with Supply, Sourcing, Demand, Operations, Engineering, and Quality to align procurement activities with demand, capacity, and technical requirements.
• Monitor supplier performance metrics (e.g., on-time delivery, quality, responsiveness, cost) and drive corrective actions and improvement plans; actively participate in supplier performance reviews, business reviews, and internal governance meetings, presenting data, insights, and action plans.
• Lead or significantly contribute to process improvement efforts (including Lean and digitization) to improve overall supply chain performance.
• Support the development and standardization of best practices and work instructions for buying processes within the Steam Blade CoE and provide guidance to less experienced team members.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college (preferred: Supply Chain, Engineering, Business).
• Significant experience in procurement, sourcing, or supply chain planning.
• Significant experience in Project Management, including direct experience managing internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, create meaningful reports, and drive decisions based on facts.
• Strong organizational and time‑management skills, with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Proven problem‑solving and decision‑making abilities, including handling complex supply issues and escalations.
• Fluent in English.

Desired Characteristics

• Fluent in Polish.
• Demonstrated experience with SAP or similar ERP systems in a procurement environment.
• Experience working with Lean, continuous improvement, or similar methodologies, with demonstrated contributions to process optimization.
• Effective oral and written communication skills, including the ability to influence and collaborate across functions and levels in a matrixed environment.
• Ability to work independently with limited supervision, take ownership of results, and provide guidance to less experienced team members.

Benefits

• Robust benefits package that supports employee health, retirement, and other programs.
• Support for a healthy, balanced lifestyle and work‑life balance.
• Opportunities for continued on‑the‑job learning and career development.
• Relocation assistance: No.