
Senior Strategic Sourcing Buyer
GKN Aerospace
full-time
Posted on:
Location Type: Office
Location: Garden Grove • California • United States
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Salary
💰 $99,738 - $149,606 per year
Job Level
Tech Stack
About the role
- Develop, execute sourcing strategies and negotiate multiyear long-term agreements for raw materials, indirect materials, services, tooling, and capital equipment.
- Analyze market trends, lead negotiations, supplier agreements and SOWs, focusing on cost, quality, delivery, favorable terms and robust service levels.
- Evaluate supply‑base capabilities, capacity risks, and cost‑reduction opportunities to guide long‑term decisions.
- Collaborate with engineering, operations, quality, and program management teams to define clear, complete Statements of Work aligned with technical, quality, and delivery requirements.
- Manage contract lifecycles, renewals, and performance against key commercial and operational metrics.
- Select qualified suppliers, conduct supplier evaluations, manage supplier performance, build and maintain supplier relationships.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for strategic suppliers, facilitating performance reviews, recovery plans, and capability improvements.
- Drive supplier accountability in cost, quality, delivery, and risk mitigation.
- Ability to apply Lean principles (like value stream mapping, 5S, A3, Kaizen, PDCA, root cause analysis) to eliminate waste and make subcontracting processes efficient.
- Utilize data driven tools to analyze procurement value streams and implement improvements that enhance workflow, reduce rework and improve supplier performance.
- Ensure adherence to government regulations (FAR/DFARS/ITAR) and AS9100, and defense contracting requirements.
- Monitor supply‑chain disruptions and geopolitical factors affecting category performance.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, Business, Engineering, or a related field.
- 7+ years of strategic sourcing, procurement or commodity management experience within aerospace, defense, or other highly regulated manufacturing environments.
- Expertise in supplier negotiations, cost‑modeling, SOW creation, and contract management.
- Strong analytical skills, ability to solve complex problems, and capability to work in a collaborative environment.
- In-depth understanding of indirect procurement categories and capital equipment sourcing.
- Proficiency in ERP/MRP systems, MS Office (especially Excel) fluency in data‑driven decision‑making skills.
- Working knowledge of ITAR, AS9100, and defense‑industry procurement practices.
- Prior experience within GKN or similar aerospace manufacturing environments (preferred).
- APICS, CPSM/CPM, or similar supply chain certification (preferred).
- LEAN, Six Sigma, or continuous‑improvement background (preferred).
- Experience leading cross‑functional sourcing efforts or acting as a category lead (preferred).
- Exceptional presentation and stakeholder engagement skills (preferred).
Applicant Tracking System Keywords
Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.
Hard Skills & Tools
strategic sourcingprocurementcommodity managementsupplier negotiationscost-modelingSOW creationcontract managementLean principlesdata-driven decision-makingsupply chain analysis
Soft Skills
analytical skillsproblem-solvingcollaborationpresentation skillsstakeholder engagement
Certifications
Bachelor's degreeAPICSCPSMCPMLEAN certificationSix Sigma certification