Senior Buyer | Automotive Manufacturing Hybrid | Pontiac & Caro, MI | Direct Materials Purchasing Ready to take on a Senior Buyer role where you can influence purchasing decisions, support critical automotive programs, and work across both plant operations and corporate procurement? Our client, a growing global automotive manufacturing organization, is seeking an experienced Senior Buyer to manage direct material purchasing, coordinate supplier activities, and support strategic sourcing initiatives. This position offers a combination of hands-on purchasing, cross-functional collaboration, and program-level responsibility.

Location & Schedule:

Hybrid position supporting facilities in Pontiac and Caro, MI. Monday through

Thursday:

Onsite, splitting time between both locations.

Friday:

Remote. Candidates located between Pontiac and Caro, including the Lapeer area, are encouraged to apply. Key Focus As the Senior Buyer, you'll bridge the gap between plant-level purchasing and corporate sourcing strategy. You'll support specialty and low-volume automotive programs, manage supplier relationships, and keep purchasing activities moving as engineering requirements and production needs evolve. What You'll Do Manage direct material purchasing for automotive manufacturing operations. Issue and maintain blanket purchase orders in alignment with corporate sourcing strategies. Partner with commodity managers to execute purchasing decisions and support procurement objectives. Coordinate engineering change notices (ECNs), supplier transitions, and purchasing changes. Serve as a key purchasing contact for manufacturing, engineering, finance, and program management. Verify supplier invoices, maintain accurate ERP pricing, and ensure purchasing data integrity. Track program milestones, supplier commitments, and purchasing deliverables. Identify supply risks, resolve purchasing issues, and uncover cost-saving opportunities. Support program launches, extensions, cancellations, and plant shutdown activities. Manage multiple purchasing priorities while maintaining strong supplier communication.

What We're Looking For Required Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Purchasing, or a related field. 5+ years of progressive direct material purchasing experience in the automotive industry. Strong supplier negotiation skills and the ability to influence purchasing outcomes. Ability to manage multiple priorities and collaborate across manufacturing and corporate teams.

Preferred Experience:

Purchasing experience within a Tier 1 or Tier 2 automotive supplier. Global supplier management or cross-regional sourcing. Engineering change management and supplier transitions. Why This Opportunity?

Broader purchasing exposure:

Work across both plant operations and corporate procurement.

Program involvement:

Support specialty automotive programs and evolving manufacturing requirements.

Cross-functional visibility:

Collaborate directly with engineering, operations, finance, and supply chain leadership.

Hybrid flexibility:

Enjoy a remote Friday while maintaining hands-on involvement at both facilities.

Growth potential:

Join a global organization with opportunities for continued professional development. Ready for your next move in automotive purchasing? If you're an experienced Senior Buyer who enjoys balancing strategic sourcing with hands-on plant purchasing, we'd like to hear from you

Pay:

$90,000.00 - $115,000.00 per year Application Question(s): Do you have 5 years of progressive experience purchasing direct materials within the automotive industry? 2+yrs of automotive manufacturing experience in a purchasing role?

Education:

Bachelor's (Required) Ability to

Commute:

Lapeer, MI 48446 (Required)

Work Location:

In person