Sr. Specialist - Strategic Planning & Buying

General Overview

Functional Area:    Supply Chain Management (SCM)        
Career Stream:    Purchasing (SCM_PUR)       
Role:    Advisory               
Job Title:    Buying/Planning Advisor        
Job Code:    ADV-SCM-BUYP        
Band:    Level 09                
Direct/Indirect Indicator:    Indirect

Summary

The Sr. Specialist - Strategic Planning Buying (internally designated as the Buying and Planning Advisor) represents a full level of specialization within the Supply Chain Planning framework. This pivotal role steps beyond transactional routines to directly design, control, and advance the unified buying and planning architecture. Balancing high-impact operational visibility with system modernization, the Advisor evaluates business dynamics at their fundamental root cause, utilizing advanced SAP workflows to optimize long-term material assets and tier-to-tier supplier ecosystems.

Core Allocation of Time & Responsibilities

65% Core Operations & Root Cause Analysis

35% Strategic Initiatives & SAP Projects

Long-Term Supplier Communications SAP Process Improvement Projects
● Develop medium- to long-range collaborative material and capacity forecasts.
● Build and embed enterprise Sales, Inventory, and Operations Planning (SIOP) workflows.
● Partner with Commodity Management to align localized purchasing with global corporate contracts.
● Formulate multi-layered risk mitigation plans to secure supply network continuity.

SAP & Process Improvement Projects

● Act as the key pipeline interface between Supply Chain Planning and the IT department for system enhancements.
● Develop, map, and document refined technical workflows between functional groups.
● Eradicate manual processing steps to unlock systemic SAP usage adoption, automation, and scale.
● Perform methodical data root cause analysis to resolve operational bottlenecks

Detailed Description

● Planning Metrics & Analytics: Establish, evaluate, and monitor critical planning data thresholds including Purchase Requisition (PR) Accuracy Rates, First-Time Match Rates, and Requisition Cancellation Rates to ensure exceptional upstream data hygiene.
● Supplier Performance Management: Identify and manage supplier compliance criteria according to contracted splits and lead-time performance criteria. Collaborate directly with supplier operations teams to sustainably compress lead times and eliminate system costs.
● SAP Master Data Architecture: Audit and maintain core SAP planning parameters systematically, taking ownership of Vendor Lead Times, Purchasing Info Records (PIR), and Celestica Supplier Portal (CSC).
● Multi-Tier Visibility: Ensure strategic capacity alignment and transparent forecast communications with Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers. Meticulously track variations in baseline forecast data and update data matrices to safeguard lines against shortages.
● Engineering Change Integration: Partner with local site engineering and operations teams to develop and track cut-over parameters to new part revisions, actively minimizing obsolete and excess inventory exposure.
● Production Readiness Validation: Validate Clear-to-Build (CTB) data accuracy, identifying repeating material gating items and formulating permanent structural resolutions.
● Executive Performance Reviews: Conduct formal bi-annual business reviews with critical strategic suppliers utilizing balanced performance scorecards to optimize logistics, financials, and efficiency metrics.

Knowledge/Skills/Competencies

● Domain Expertise: Broad knowledge of advanced electronic manufacturing environments, electronics components, operational materials, and build flows.
● Strategic Agility: Fast learner possessing sharp knowledge of global supply chain models, including macro-level corporate strategies and fulfillment objectives.
● SAP and Rapid Response Expertise: Strong knowledge of IT concepts, complex systems infrastructure, and advanced SAP planning modules, configurations, and MRP techniques.
● Professional Capabilities: Excellent analytical capabilities, professional negotiation acumen, and structured problem resolution skills.
● Leadership & Communication: Strong communication, presentation, interpersonal, and leadership skills; ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with a wide variety of internal partners and external vendors.

Physical Demands