Indirect Category Buyer

About Us

As a family-owned company, it’s the people who continue to make STIHL a successful, world-class brand.  Since revolutionizing the forestry industry in Germany with the first electric chainsaw in 1926, the STIHL name has remained synonymous with outstanding innovations, high-quality products and comprehensive service.

With competitive compensation, excellent benefits and exciting growth potential, it is a great time to join the STIHL team!

Why You’ll Love Working at STIHL:

• Excellent health benefits including Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance
• Onsite Health & Wellness Center for employees and eligible family members
• Company-paid Life Insurance and Short & Long-Term Disability
• Robust retirement offerings including:
  • A fully vested Pension Plan after 5 years
  • A 401(k) with generous employer match
• Paid time off in addition to 11 Paid Holidays
• A strong culture of stability, community, and innovation
• Compensation: $86,000-$111,000 per year with multiple payment opportunities and potential for annual merit increases. Actual compensation will depend on experience, qualifications, and internal equity

About You

You are a procurement professional with experience leading sourcing strategies, supplier negotiations, and cost-saving initiatives. Skilled at building strong partnerships, improving processes, and delivering value across cross-functional and global teams.

Purpose

Leads the procurement of complex indirect products and services supporting internal stakeholders and company operations across North America. Develops and executes sourcing strategies that balance total cost of ownership, quality, service, delivery, compliance, risk, and business continuity. Builds effective stakeholder and supplier relationships, negotiates commercial agreements, drives measurable value and process improvement, and provides guidance to junior Purchasing personnel in accordance with corporate policies and procurement best practices. Collaborates across the STIHL global Purchasing network.

Job Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead complex, cross-functional sourcing projects from requirements and supplier identification through evaluation, negotiation, contracting, implementation, and transition.
• Partner with stakeholders to define scopes, specifications, service levels, evaluation criteria, budgets, schedules, and commercial requirements.
• Research markets, qualify suppliers, and manage RFIs, RFPs, RFQs, bids, proposals, and related sourcing events.
• Analyze spend, proposals, market data, and total cost of ownership to develop sourcing strategies, business cases, and recommendations.
• Negotiate pricing, contracts, scope, service levels, schedules, payment terms, and other conditions to deliver savings, cost avoidance, risk reduction, and business value.
• Coordinate agreement review with Legal and stakeholders; manage renewals, amendments, expirations, obligations, and records.
• Serve as the primary commercial contact for stakeholders and suppliers across the sourcing and supplier-management lifecycle.
• Monitor supplier performance, financial stability, capacity, compliance, and risk; lead reviews, corrective actions, continuity plans, and improvement.
• Resolve service, delivery, quality, purchase order, receipt, invoice, and payment issues with suppliers and internal partners; approve invoices when required.
• Maintain sourcing, contract, supplier, performance, purchase order, and savings records; prepare analyses, updates, and recommendations.
• Track category trends, benchmarks, risks, and opportunities; share intelligence and strategies with the global STIHL Purchasing organization.
• Champion Purchasing policies, systems, ethics, and Procure-to-Pay processes; improve workflows and guide junior buyers.
• Visit suppliers and maintain professional knowledge through training and industry events as needed. Perform other duties as assigned.

Specifications

• Bachelor's degree in Procurement, Supply Management, Business, Finance, Accounting, or a related field preferred.
• 7+ years of purchasing, strategic sourcing, category management, or contract negotiation experience.
• Experience with SAP ERP, SAP Ariba, or comparable procurement systems preferred; proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Knowledge of commercial terms, statements of work, service levels, and product and service contracts.
• Success negotiating complex agreements and delivering savings, cost avoidance, risk reduction, and business value.
• Ability to analyze spend, markets, proposals, and total cost of ownership and develop sourcing recommendations.
• Strong communication, negotiation, relationship, leadership, teamwork, analytical, planning, and decision-making skills.