Buyer / Small Business Liaison Officer

Job Title: Buyer / Small Business Liaison Officer

Location: Cadillac, MI

Business Unit: Avon Protection

Purpose of Position:

Responsible to manage Sourcing requirements for assigned material commodities and/or suppliers in line with sourcing strategy targets that comply to policies and procedures. Responsible for establishing strategic sources that meet objectives that may include NPI, solicitations/quotations, negotiations, long-term agreements, supplier development, problem resolution, risk mitigation and continuous improvement infinitives that may be related to supplier cost downs and systemic process improvement opportunities or set objectives. Influence and execute business Sourcing strategy requirements for area of responsibility. Government material purchases and associated documentation shall be executed in compliance to FAR/DFAR regulations. Support procurement team members to ensure on-time delivery, change in schedule priorities, or alternative planning needs. Ensure acceptable level of supplier quality performance based on established requirements, action plans, and supplier evaluations with key sources. Lead responsibility to manage government Small Business compliance, ISR/SSR reporting, FFATA, outreach program, SB training, audit acceptance, and SB solicitation proposals as required. May be requested to provide support and assistance in other commodities and/or Avon sites not part of direct responsibility.

Essential Duties and/or Functions:

Purchasing Processes/Contract Terms & Law/Bid Strategy-

• Responsible for and adherence to procurement department operating procedures including compliance to government regulations (FAR/DFARS). Support Sourcing audit requirements as needed. Lead all aspects of Small Business and compliance responsibility.

• Focus on strategic planning by supporting commodity spend and lead sourcing RFQ's, market benchmarking exercises, competitive initiatives, negotiations with subcontractors, create and execute purchase order agreements and supporting documentation. Support and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, achieve cost reduction requirements, strive to improve raw material inventory turns and lead-times to support operational goals, along with supplier development needs. Ability to navigate through unforeseen supply challenges and change in demands as needed.

Focal Point/Propulsion/Benchmarking-

• Semiannual and annual reporting to government (ISR and SSR reports). Preparing sub-contract plans when required during the RFP process.

• Maintaining small business program and compliance with all government requirements. Market research, promote awareness and growth opportunities of small businesses in all categories. Develop and execute SB outreach plans. Maintain records of all outreach and training efforts. Collaborating with each value stream in Cadillac to streamline best practices and improvement initiatives.

Supplier Management-

• Manage and lead supplier risk management system with each site location. Manage accurate global spend reporting and metric outputs.

• Other Sourcing duties as required.

Required Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum college degree (Associates)

• Minimum 3 years professional experience in Sourcing or Procurement

• High level of capability to work independently

• Highly proficient oral and written communication skills

• Highly organized individual that possess strategic and tactical skills in a demanding environment

• High level of analytical ability where problems are unusual and complex

• Interpersonal skills to work effectively with others and ability to collaborate cross-functionally

• Knowledge of computer software applications, interpreting and management of complex contracts

• Negotiations skills

• Ability to prioritize assignments/projects and multi-task within restricted time

• Ability to travel 10% of the time, including international travel as required

Preferred/Desired Skills or Experiences:

• Experience in Government compliance under Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and Defence Acquisition Regulations (DAR) preferred, not required.

• Ability to work in a cross-functional, team-oriented atmosphere while maintaining exceptional relations internally and external to Avon Protection Systems.

• Cost analysis, or manufacturing experience preferred. Knowledge of materials management. Capable of adequate investigation and interpreting market data. Ability to read blueprints and understand basic engineering documents. Knowledge of contract law and its applications regarding purchasing processes.

This job description is not intended, and should not be construed, to be an all-inclusive list of all responsibilities, skills, efforts or working conditions associated with this job. While this job description is intended to be an accurate reflection of the job requirements, management reserved the right to modify, add or remove duties from particular jobs and to assign other duties as necessary.

Responsibilities of this position may include direct and/or indirect physical or logical access to information, systems, technologies subjected to the regulations/compliance with U.S. Export Control Laws.

U.S. Export Control laws and U.S. Government Department of Defense contracts and sub-contracts impose certain restrictions on companies and their ability to share export-controlled and other technology and services with certain "non-U.S. persons" (persons who are not U.S. citizens or nationals, lawful permanent residents of the U.S., refugees, "Temporary Residents" (granted Amnesty or Special Agricultural Worker provisions), or persons granted asylum (but excluding persons in nonimmigrant status such as H-1B, L-1, F-1, etc.) or non-U.S. citizens.

To comply with these laws, and in conjunction with the review of candidates for those positions within Avon that may present access to export controlled technical data, Avon must assess employees' U.S. person status, as well as citizenship(s).

The questions asked in this application are intended to assess this and will be used for evaluation purposes only. Failure to provide the necessary information in this regard will result in our inability to consider you further for this particular position. The decision whether or not to file or pursue an export license application is at Avon's sole election.

Must be legally authorized to work in country of employment without a sponsorship for employment visa status (e.e. H1B status).

The anticipated annual salary for candidates who will work in Cadillac, MI is $85,000 - 90,000 annually. The final compensation offered to a successful candidate will be dependent on several factors that may include but are not limited to the type and years of experience within the job, type and years of experience within the industry, education, etc.

EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability