Head of SAM Purchasing & SQM, Americas

Company Description

Since its spin-off in September 2025 AUMOVIO continues the business of the former Continental group sector Automotive as an independent company. The technology and electronics company offers a wide-ranging portfolio that makes mobility safe, exciting, connected, and autonomous. This includes sensor solutions, displays, braking and comfort systems as well as comprehensive expertise in software, architecture platforms, and assistance systems for software-defined vehicles. In the fiscal year 2024 the business areas, which now belong to AUMOVIO, generated sales of 19.6 billion Euro. The company is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany and has about 87.000 employees in more than 100 locations worldwide.

Job Description

As the Regional Lead for Procurement and Supplier Quality across the Americas, you will serve as a strategic member of the BA SAM Americas Leadership Team and play a pivotal role in driving operational performance, supplier excellence, localization initiatives, and organizational development. This senior leadership role is responsible for shaping regional procurement and supplier quality strategies, developing high‑performing teams, and ensuring the seamless execution of global directives within the Americas region.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & People Development

• Serve as a key member of the BA SAM Americas Leadership Team, contributing to regional strategy and cross‑functional alignment.
• Lead, mentor, and develop multi‑location teams in Procurement and Supplier Quality, ensuring strong succession pipelines and ongoing competence growth.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning, empowerment, and professional development, enabling teams to deliver consistent excellence.
• Ensure optimal resource allocation and drive the achievement of regional performance targets aligned with BA SAM’s global objectives.

Product Development Support

• Ensure regional teams achieve all supplier‑related milestones throughout the product development lifecycle to secure on‑time and high‑quality sourcing decisions.
• Contribute regional insights to component and technology roadmaps, ensuring alignment between Americas business needs and the global technology strategy.
• Support early supplier engagement to strengthen innovation, feasibility, and risk mitigation.

Supplier Localization & Strategic Supply Network Development

• Lead regional supplier localization initiatives, identifying, evaluating, and developing suppliers across the Americas to strengthen resilience, competitiveness, and regional supply chain autonomy.
• Partner with Category Management and SQM to build robust local supply bases for strategic components and technologies.
• Drive long‑term supply network strategies that balance cost, quality, innovation, and sustainability.

Quality & Escalation Management

• Advance Supplier Quality Management processes across the region, ensuring consistent adherence to global standards.
• Champion supplier quality development programs, enhancing supplier capabilities and long‑term performance.
• Drive continuous improvement actions with suppliers to reduce defects, improve maturity, and enhance process robustness.
• Lead and coordinate escalation procedures related to supplier incidents, ensuring rapid resolution and structural corrective actions.

Procurement Excellence & Cost Management

• Enable and institutionalize procurement excellence practices, including process optimization, standardized methodologies, and best‑in‑class tools.
• Collaborate with Category Management and SQM to achieve regional targets for cost competitiveness, productivity, and operational efficiency.
• Support strategic sourcing, negotiations, and supplier performance monitoring to ensure sustainable value creation.

Strategic Execution

• Ensure global BA SAM procurement and supplier quality strategies are translated into actionable and measurable regional strategies.
• Drive the execution of regional category initiatives and project portfolios in alignment with global roadmaps.
• Act as a critical interface between global leadership and regional implementation teams, ensuring alignment, transparency, and effective governance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Supply Chain, or related field; Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of relevant experience 
• Minimum 2 years of cross functional experience
• Minimum 3 years leading people or projects
• Purchasing and Supplier Chain for supplier quality
• Extensive experience in procurement, suppli