Senior Buyer

Coopers Group AG seeks a Senior Buyer for a temporary, on-site role in Basel to cover long-term sick leave, focusing on strategic sourcing, negotiation, and supplier management.

This temporary position is designed to provide specialized purchasing expertise during a long-term absence. The successful candidate will support category managers and site teams in developing and executing sourcing strategies, managing supplier relationships, and optimizing procurement processes across assigned locations.

Responsibilities

• Assist category managers in creating and refining sourcing strategies.
• Help implement category strategies at the site level.
• Execute sourcing initiatives for delegated spend areas.
• Provide expert guidance on tendering, negotiation tactics, planning, and contracting.
• Contribute to global and regional sourcing projects.
• Facilitate the adoption of new procurement policies, procedures, and tools.
• Work to reduce transactional costs and improve procurement efficiency.
• Standardize product specifications across different sites and regions.
• Monitor country-level savings performance and identify risks or opportunities.
• Promote the use of online catalogues, e-auctions, and advanced sourcing tools.
• Collaborate with site stakeholders to understand and meet business needs.
• Ensure business continuity and the availability of necessary materials.
• Partner with site controllers to forecast spend and savings.
• Handle supplier transitions and changes.
• Build and maintain strong professional relationships with suppliers.
• Manage the supplier portfolio to leverage capabilities, ensure continuity, reduce total cost of ownership, and ensure compliance.
• Conduct comprehensive supply risk assessments for existing suppliers.
• Develop mitigation strategies for identified business risks.
• Review supplier performance regularly and support improvement efforts.
• Stay informed about supply market dynamics to mitigate risks and maintain competitiveness.
• Ensure compliance with company standards and regulatory requirements.
• Support the rollout of company procedures, policies, and guidelines.
• Maintain the documentation database for Risk Managers.
• Ensure the ERP system is properly maintained.
• Define personal development goals and complete mandatory training programs.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Economics, Engineering, Procurement, Supply Chain, or a related field.
• Business fluency in English.
• 5-10 years of experience in strategic procurement.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Customer service mindset with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to build and maintain global relationships internally and externally.
• Expertise in purchasing, including tendering, negotiation, planning, and contracting.
• Positive attitude and willingness to learn new skills.
• Good understanding of general business practices.
• Proficiency in category management, supplier management, negotiations, contract management, and e-procurement systems.
• Experience in third-party spend management.
• Ability to persuade and influence suppliers for optimal outcomes.
• Hands-on experience with SAP, Ariba, and Microsoft Office applications.

Nice to have

• Einkaufsfachfrau / Einkaufsfachmann or CIPS certification is considered an advantage.