Global Buyer / Senior Global Buyer – Chassis & Powertrain

Global Buyer / Senior Global Buyer – Chassis & Powertrain

Tasks

Job Description : Global Procurement – Chassis & Powertrain Components Position Title : Global Buyer / Senior Global Buyer – Chassis & Powertrain Function : Global Procurement / International Purchasing Work Location : Bangalore, India Reports To: Team Lead / Manager – Global Procurement

Role Purpose

The Global Buyer will manage strategic sourcing and supplier activities for assigned Chassis and Powertrain commodities across global vehicle programs. The role is responsible for delivering competitive cost, supplier readiness, quality, innovation, localization, sustainability, and supply security. The position requires close collaboration with global procurement teams, engineering, quality, logistics, finance, cost engineering, and manufacturing locations. A key focus will be to identify and develop competitive Indian suppliers for participation in global sourcing activities and export programs.

Commodity Scope

The role may cover one or more of the following commodities:

Chassis Components

• Wheels and tyres
• Complete wheel assemblies
• Braking systems and components
• Brake boosters and pedal assemblies
• Suspension components
• Steering systems and components
• Axles and subframes
• Control arms and knuckles
• Springs, dampers, and stabilizer bars
• Chassis sensors and mechatronic components
• Castings, forgings, stampings, and machined parts

Powertrain Components

• Engine and transmission components
• Electric drive units and components
• Gear sets, shafts, housings, and bearings
• Thermal-management components
• Pumps, valves, and actuators
• Exhaust and emission-control components
• Battery housings and structural components
• Power electronics and electromechanical assemblies
• Precision castings, forgings, and machined components

Key Responsibilities

• 1. Global Strategic Sourcing

• Lead global sourcing activities for assigned Chassis and Powertrain commodities.

• Develop and implement commodity strategies aligned with global business objectives.

• Prepare and manage RFIs, RFQs, supplier evaluations, bid comparisons, and sourcing recommendations.

• Conduct commercial negotiations covering price, tooling, development cost, capacity, logistics, warranties, and contractual conditions.

• Present sourcing recommendations to the relevant procurement and management committees.

• Ensure sourcing decisions consider total cost, technical capability, quality performance, capacity, sustainability, and supply-chain risk.

• 2. Supplier Scouting and Development

• Identify capable Indian and international suppliers for global procurement requirements.

• Assess suppliers against technical capability, financial stability, quality maturity, manufacturing capacity, export readiness, and sustainability requirements.

• Support supplier audits, technical assessments, and production-readiness reviews in collaboration with engineering and supplier-quality teams.

• Develop supplier improvement roadmaps and monitor closure of identified gaps.

• Build a competitive supplier pipeline for future vehicle programs and global RFQs.

• Promote qualified Indian suppliers for global sourcing and export opportunities.

• 3. Commercial Management and Cost Optimization

• Establish cost transparency through should-cost analysis, cost breakdowns, benchmarking, and value-chain analysis.

• Evaluate major cost drivers such as raw materials, conversion cost, tooling, logistics, energy, labour, overheads, and supplier margins.

• Drive annual cost-reduction and productivity initiatives.

• Identify opportunities through localization, design-to-cost, value engineering, volume bundling, process optimization, and commercial renegotiation.

• Monitor commodity price movements and establish suitable price-adjustment mechanisms.

• Manage business cases and document negotiated savings according to company governance requirements.

• 4. Supplier Performance and Risk Management

• Monitor supplier performance in cost, quality, delivery, capacity, innovation, and sustainability.

• Identify risks related to capacity, financial health, raw-material dependency, geopolitical exposure, logistics, and single-source situations.

• Develop risk-mitigation and supply-continuity plans with cross-functional stakeholders.

• Support escalation and recovery activities for critical supplier issues.

• Maintain alternative-source and localization strategies for high-risk components.

• Conduct regular supplier performance reviews and executive-level discussions.

• 5. New Product and Project Procurement

• Represent procurement in new product development and global vehicle programs.

• Ensure early supplier involvement during concept and development phases.

• Coordinate sourcing milestones with engineering, quality, project management, logistics, and manufacturing.

• Monitor tooling, samples, validation, industrialization, and production-readiness status.

• Support timely achievement of prototype, pilot-build, and start-of-production milestones.

• Ensure commercial and contractual readiness before supplier nomination and series production.

• 6. Contract and Governance Management

• Negotiate and finalize commercial agreements, nomination documents, confidentiality agreements, development contracts, tooling agreements, and long-term supply arrangements.

• Ensure compliance with internal procurement policies, approval processes, and delegation-of-authority requirements.

• Maintain accurate sourcing documentation, contractual records, cost data, and supplier information.

• Support contract-claim management and resolution of commercial disputes.

• Ensure suppliers comply with applicable quality, regulatory, environmental, ethical, and sustainability requirements.

• 7. Global and Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with global buyers, engineering teams, supplier quality, logistics, cost engineering, finance, legal, compliance, and manufacturing plants.

• Coordinate procurement activities across different regions and time zones.

• Act as the interface between Indian suppliers and global procurement or development teams.

• Prepare concise management updates on sourcing status, supplier risks, cost performance, and project milestones.

• Promote knowledge sharing, standardized procurement processes, and global best practices.

Qualifications

• Educational Qualification

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automobile Engineering, Production Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline.

• MBA or postgraduate qualification in Supply Chain Management, Operations, Finance, or International Business is preferred.

• Professional certifications such as CIPS, CPSM, APICS CSCP, or ISM would be an advantage.

• Professional Experience

• 6 to 10 years of experience in automotive procurement, strategic sourcing, supplier development, cost engineering, or supply-chain management.

• Experience with an automotive OEM or multinational procurement center is preferred.

• Required Technical and Commercial Knowledge

• Understanding of Chassis and/or Powertrain systems and manufacturing processes.

• Knowledge of casting, forging, machining, stamping, welding, heat treatment, coating, assembly, and testing processes.

• Experience in automotive RFQ, sourcing, nomination, development, industrialization, and series-production processes.

• Strong commercial negotiation and contract-management capability.

• Understanding of cost-breakdown analysis and should-cost methodology.

• Familiarity with automotive quality systems and standards, including:

• ◦ IATF 16949

• ◦ APQP

• ◦ PPAP

• ◦ FMEA

• ◦ MSA

• ◦ SPC

• ◦ 8D problem-solving

• Understanding of sustainability, responsible sourcing, carbon reduction, and supply-chain due-diligence expectations.

• Working knowledge of ERP, e-sourcing, spend-analysis, and procurement reporting tools.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Power BI; experience with SAP or equivalent ERP systems is desirable.

• Key Competencies

• Strategic and analytical thinking

• Commercial negotiation

• Cost and value-chain understanding

• Supplier relationship management

• Global stakeholder management

• Cross-functional collaboration

• Project and milestone management

• Risk identification and mitigation

• Decision-making and ownership

• Effective communication and presentation

• Ability to work in a multicultural and matrix organization

• High level of integrity, transparency, and compliance orientation

• Key Performance Indicators The role will be measured against:

• Cost savings and cost avoidance

• Achievement of sourcing milestones

• Supplier nomination and industrial