Lieu : Herstal, Belgium

Mission :

As Category Buyer, you will report to the Head of Procurement. Your goal is to inspire and empower the whole community to collaborate with both internal and external stakeholders, building competitive advantages. You will participate to the category strategy and will ensure its local implementation. You will select and use the best supplier in terms of quality, leadtimes and cost. You will be part of an international procurement community and will work closely with your pears based abroad.

Main tasks and responsibilities :

Ensure the implementation of the group category strategy in Thales Belgium.Participate to the products definition and cost reduction projects to optimize the TCO.Collaborate with internal stakeholders (quality, engineering, SPM, PPM, requesters, logistic and finance).Maintain and Develop a market knowledge. Prospect and monitor the supplier base involved in mechanical components and sub assemblySource new suppliers to support the segment strategy and offset requirements, mainly considering international market.Maximize the needs to improve the negotiation levers and optimize the savings.Manage the contract negotiation (dedicated or frame agreement)Cut order for codified and non-codified itemsManage the supplier base for the mechanical category and rationalize the supplier panel.Be accountable for supplier’s relationship to ensure on time delivery, best cost and quality.Challenge the needs.Follow up of contract execution up to final payment

Profile :

Bachelor in Purchasing and Procurement (or  similar) or Master degree , with a minimum of 5 to 10 years’ experienceBackground or very good technical knowledge in mechanics (machining, sheet metal, forging, casting, …)Analytic approach and result orientedAble to demonstrate strong communication skills & ability to develop relationship with stakeholders and suppliers.Customer oriented and negotiation skills to optimize the Company competitiveness.Rigorous & organized, pragmatic; able to work in autonomy and take decisionPerfect understanding of Procurement / Purchasing processesFluent level in English and French (oral and written)Experienced in ERP system (Oracle will be considered as an advantage)Good knowledge of legal topics used in contractual negotiations.Ethical behaviour and compliant with law and regulationsContinuous improvement oriented, flexibility and a good ability to work under pressure.Eager to Travel to other Thales Belgium facilities and to visit suppliers (international : India, Europe, US, …)