Senior Director - Purchasing U.S.

Location: Romeoville

GEA Group, founded in Germany in 1881, is a global leader in engineering solutions, serving industries such as food and beverage, pharma, dairy, and more. With over 18,000 employees worldwide and a strong U.S. presence since 1929, GEA combines the heritage of a well-established company with the innovation of a forward-thinking industry leader. At GEA, we’re not just building equipment, we’re building lasting careers with an average employee tenure range from 5 to over 11+ years, reflecting the strong culture, growth opportunities, and support we provide.

Working at GEA Group has significant benefits

• Start strong – Medical, dental, and vision coverage begins on your first day
• Recharge and refresh – Enjoy 12 paid holidays, including a flexible floating holiday, and 136 hours of PTO to relax or explore
• Invest in your future – A 7% 401(k) employer match helps grow your retirement savings faster
• Keep learning – Take advantage of tuition reimbursement to further your education or skillset
• Live well – Our wellness incentive program rewards healthy habits
• Get support when you need it – Access to a confidential Employee Assistance Program for personal or professional guidance
• Save smart – Flexible Health Savings and Spending Accounts to manage out-of-pocket expenses

Responsibilities / Tasks

• Work on strategic vision and initiatives for FT US & LAM
• Develop and drive procurement activities for the local FT organization in America’s
• Develop and drive procurement activities for the GEA US & LAM Market and support LAM Hygiene site for strategic procurement needs.
• Responsible for direct and indirect procurement
• Negotiate, involved in long term vendor contracts
• Secure availability of resources and materials, achieve the required performance targets in terms of cost and delivery time.
• Synchronize the requirements of local production with the flow of materials from suppliers in order to achieve a balance between, high delivery performances, low working capital, and low spend.
• Manage Continuous Improvement of procurement processes and structure (strategy, methods, tools, personnel development, etc.)
• Ensure compliance to QHSE regulations.
• Support the execution of the special global supply chain strategic projects as it relates to the local operation.
• Manage and coordinate key suppliers, assess supplier quality, secure priorities, availability of products and materials.
• Define pricing and contractual conditions, negotiate discounts and define terms of payment with suppliers.
• Set and control saving targets for the relevant categories and track Implementation of cost reduction projects, ensure standard spend and savings reporting.
• Develop and procurement team by special training in negotiations or using e-Auction tools
• Develop and implement a performance measurement system to manage the savings, on time delivery and quality of the suppliers
• Understand the customer needs and their specific requirements (Farm Business)
• Ability to read and understand engineering drawings and material requirements
• Lead projects for Make or Buy and drive for decisions & implementation.
• Identify and assess key strategic suppliers.
• Perform other tasks as required.