Category Buyer - Cowl Systems

Are you ready for what’s next?  

Come explore opportunities within Brunswick, a global marine leader committed to challenging conventions and innovating next-generation technologies that transform experiences on the water and beyond.  Brunswick believes “Next Never Rests™,” and we offer a variety of exciting careers and growth opportunities within united teams defining the future of marine recreation. 

Innovation is the heart of Brunswick.  See how your contributions will help transform vision into reality:

Position Overview: 

The Category Buyer is a key individual contributor in Mercury’s global direct material procurement organization, focused on highly engineered and complex cowl systems.  Reporting to the Category Manager, the Category Buyer helps develop and execute sourcing and supplier management strategies to continuously improve cost competitiveness, quality, delivery, and innovation to support Mercury’s global manufacturing operations and product development efforts.

At Brunswick, we have passion for our work and a distinct ability to deliver. 

Key Responsibilities:

Supplier Management

Proactively build and maintain constructive business relationships with suppliers and internal customers to understand needs and facilitate collaboration across all stakeholders to deliver expected results.  Demonstrated behaviors should include the ability to effectively:

• Proactively support the Category Team in strategy development, execution, and communication
• Visit current and potential suppliers to audit capabilities, build personal category expertise, and stay closely connected to state of their business, operations, industries, and markets
• Conduct in-person business reviews with suppliers to drive engagement and execution of continuous improvement activities
• Facilitate Requests for Quote, analyze quotations, and build supplier selection recommendations inclusive of total landed costs, supplier capabilities, and category strategies
• For new or changing component designs, obtain supplier quotations and robust component feasibility input to ensure that costs are fully understood and manufacturability fully addressed prior to award or kickoff
• Execute purchase orders, requisitions, and appropriation requests for the purchasing of tooling, components, and services as required
• Drive continuous improvement in supplier performance for quality, delivery and cost, leveraging Mercury’s Supplier Progress Review system

Project Management

Manage projects in a collaborative, thorough, and detail-oriented manner to ensure that quality, cost, and timing deliverables are met or exceeded.  Demonstrated behaviors should include the ability to effectively:

• Utilize effective project management tools to ensure timely delivery of responsibilities
• Manage changes as required, Mercury or supplier driven, with effective communication and execution via Mercury’s change management processes
• Develop, align, monitor, and communicate project schedules with suppliers and internal stakeholders to manage risk and ensure on-time execution

Cost Management

Drive cost optimization for Mercury in all sourcing and supplier management activities.  Demonstrated behaviors should include the ability to effectively:

• Conduct in-depth analysis of supplier proposals to ensure alignment with contractual terms and conditions and reasonableness based on industry benchmark tools and/or Should Cost models
• Manage tooling lifecycle and costs with assigned suppliers, supported by detailed plans for tool life expectancy, condition monitoring, and plans for timely repair, refurbishment, or replacement that ensures continuity of quality supply
• Support processes to quantify and recover excess costs resulting from supplier performance issues
• Negotiate to obtain the best possible commercial outcome for Mercury in all endeavors
• Support accurate reporting of financials with timely and accurate forecasting of potential future cost changes and diligent use of Mercury’s processes for managing orders and changes

Collaboration

Proactively engage all internal and external stakeholders with a positive attitude, effective communication, and a drive that builds mutually