Now hiring! Global Category Buyer for Contract Manufacturing, Merchandise Goods and Tinplate Packaging

Southfield, Michigan

We are looking for a Global Category Buyer to join our team.

New finish, Proven expertise. Bolder ambition.

If you're someone who inspires others, owns their impact, and wants to elevate what they do, you'll fit right in.

Until July 1, our business was part of BASF. As part of the current transition, all job listings and the application process are still hosted on the BASF platform and therefore fully presented in BASF branding. Please do not be confused by this: All roles are positions at Surventis, and your application will be submitted to us.

At Surventis, we go beyond the surface - in everything we do. We put customers at the center, think one step ahead, and develop solutions that create real value and lasting partnerships.  We inspire each other to think further, take ownership of our work, and constantly push to elevate what's possible. If you bring your full self, challenge the obvious answer, and want to grow with a team that means it - this is your place.

The role:

The Global Category Buyer for Contract Manufacturing, Merchandise Goods and Tinplate Packaging - North America executes approved category strategies across North America and serves as the primary commercial interface between category leadership, suppliers, contract manufacturers, business stakeholders, and manufacturing sites.

The role delivers value creation, manages assigned supplier and contract-manufacturer relationships, leads negotiations, mitigates supply risks, and implements sourcing initiatives across the region. It translates global category direction into regional execution while providing North American market, demand, capacity, cost, and supplier insights to category leadership.

As a Global Category Buyer, you will be responsible for...

• Negotiation and Contract Management
  • Design and lead negotiation strategies across the three assigned categories using robust fact bases, cost models, targets, stakeholder alignment, and commercial tactics.
  • Negotiate pricing, tolling or service fees, index and formula mechanisms, rebates, service levels, lead times, warranties, capacity commitments, allocation, payment terms, liability, and contractual protections within delegated authority.
  • Apply Negotiation Board governance and established procurement methods to material or complex negotiations.
  • Ensure required confidentiality, contract-manufacturing, quality, specification, and other relevant agreements are negotiated, approved, stored, and monitored.
  • Track awards, contractual obligations, supplier actions, and implementation milestones.
• Category Strategy Execution
  • Execute approved category strategies throughout North America and translate global priorities into regional sourcing roadmaps, targets, and implementation plans.
  • Provide North American supplier, manufacturing-capability, capacity, cost, demand, specification, and stakeholder input to the relevant GCM.
  • Identify regional opportunities for demand bundling, supplier consolidation, best-cost sourcing, portfolio optimization, and total-cost improvement.
  • Coordinate execution across countries, plants, and businesses with clear ownership, milestones, risks, benefits, and escalation paths.
• Contract Manufacturing Management
  • Lead the commercial management of assigned North American contract manufacturers and tollers.
  • Coordinate sourcing for new contract-manufacturing projects, including market engagement, RFx, supplier evaluation, negotiation, contracting, and implementation readiness.
  • Support make-or-buy, footprint, capacity, and contingency evaluations with supplier-market, commercial, risk, and total-cost input.
  • Manage recurring price reviews, project negotiations, claims, contract renewals, validity, capacity commitments, and commercial compliance.
  • Coordinate implementation and transition activities with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Technology, Quality, EHS, Product Stewardship, Legal, Finance, and business stakeholders.
• Merchandise Portfolio Management
  • Manage the North American merchandise supplier portfolio and improve transparency across supplier, product, business, and country spend.
  • Develop alternative-sourcing, best-cost-country, white-label, private-label, supplier-consolidation, and assortment-optimization initiatives.
  • Support centralized catalogs, approved supplier and product lists, product registers, and disciplined product-creation governance.
  • Challenge delegated or unmanaged spend while preserving justified customer and business requirements.
• Tinplate Packaging Management
  • Lead North American tinplate sourcing activities and manage assigned packaging suppliers and converters.
  • Coordinate regional tenders, bid evaluation, negotiations, contract implementation, alternative sourcing, and continuity planning.
  • Support specification harmonization across North American manufacturing locations, subject to validated product, safety, transportation, equipment, customer, and regulatory requirements.
  • Monitor steel and tinplate market developments, supplier capacity, lead times, and key cost drivers.
  • Coordinate technical qualification of alternatives covering dimensions, lids, closures, linings, printing, pallet patterns, slip sheets, filling-line compatibility, handling, transport, and storage.
• Supplier Relationship and Performance Management
  • Manage assigned supplier and contract-manufacturer relationships across cost, quality, service, innovation, sustainability, compliance, capacity, and continuity.
  • Conduct supplier business reviews and performance assessments and drive corrective actions and continuous improvement.
  • Support supplier development and diversification and mitigate single-source dependencies.
  • Monitor financial stability, market position, capacity, quality, and service risks and escalate material issues to category leadership.
• Supply Risk, Compliance, and Sustainability
  • Identify supplier, manufacturing, capacity, logistics, trade, tariff, quality, and geopolitical risks and implement mitigation plans.
  • Maintain contingency strategies for critical contract-manufacturing operations, merchandise products, and tinplate formats, including qualified backup options where feasible.
  • Ensure sourcing and contracting activities follow procurement policies, approvals, applicable contract-manufacturing procedures, technical specifications, legal and trade obligations, sustainability expectations, and safety requirements.
  • Support packaging optimization, recycled content, lower-emission materials, reusable transport systems, waste reduction, and responsible sourcing, subject to technical and commercial validation.
• Value Creation and Performance Delivery
  • Deliver validated savings, cash, working-capital, margin, risk-reduction, and process-efficiency contributions in line with approved targets.
  • Use risk-adjusted total cost of ownership, balancing commercial cost with capacity security, compliance, stability, quality, and continuity.
  • Maintain a documented initiative pipeline, validate benefits with Finance or Controlling, and report progress, risks, implementation status, and corrective actions.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Act as the North American commercial coordinator between category leadership, regional stakeholders, suppliers, and contract manufacturers.
  • Collaborate with General Buyers on local and site-specific spend, technical experts on qualification and specifications, and Procurement Operations on compliant procure-to-pay execution.
  • Maintain business continuity during transfers and confirm ownership, documentation, approvals, and operational readiness before supply or responsibilities transition.

If you have...

• Bachelor degree or equivalent qualification in Procurement, Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Chemistry, Materials, Packaging, Manufacturing, or a related field.
• Relevant experience in procurement, category management, strategic sourcing, supplier management, contract manufacturing, or commercial negotiations.
• Experience with tolling, subcontracting, chemical manufacturing, merchandise goods, industrial packaging, tinplate, steel markets, or private-label products is advantageous.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze spend, market, capacity, margin, specification, and total-cost data and convert findings into implemented results.
• Working knowledge of contracting, procurement governance, supplier risk, manufacturing transfers, packaging specifications, qualification processes, and cross-functional decision-making.
• Proficiency in SAP procurement processes, Excel, PowerPoint, and relevant sourcing, analytics, contract, or reporting tools.
• Strong written and spoken English; additional regional languages are an advantage.

Privacy statement

Surventis takes security & data privacy very seriously. We will never request financial information of any kind via email, private text message or direct message on any social medial platform or job board. Furthermore, we will never send a candidate a check for equipment or request any type of payment during the job application process.

Equal employment opportunities

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, age, citizenship, color, religion, sex, marital status, national origin, disability status, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.