Capex & Services Buyer

ASR Group is the world’s largest refiner and marketer of cane sugar, with an annual production capacity of more than 6 million tons of sugar. The company produces a full line of grocery, industrial, food service and specialty sweetener products. Across North America, ASR Group owns and operates six sugar refineries, located in Louisiana, New York, California, Maryland, Canada and Mexico. In the European Union, the company owns and operates sugar refineries in England, Portugal and Italy.  ASR Group also owns and operates mills in Mexico and Belize.  The company’s brand portfolio includes the leading brands Domino®, C&H®, Redpath®, Tate & Lyle®, Lyle’s® and Sidul®.

POSITION SCOPE

The Capex & Services Buyer will manage and be responsible for all of the Sidul plant capex and services (hard/soft) for the procurement team. This individual will be the person responsible and a key member for the site Corporate Engineering team, Operation, and Maintenance teams related to all site capex and services, contracts and compliance, negotiations, spend profiles, finding alternative suppliers to meet the business requirements as needed. Responsible for developing and implementing ASR’s purchasing strategy through effective vendor relationship management, contract, ad-hoc project management, and management of suppliers and their capabilities.  The Capex & Services Buyer will be required to work well in a team environment, have the ability to handle a large order volume while following specific process requirements, and maintain positive business relationships with both internal and external customers. The incumbent could have up to 5% of the time travling; travel will be assigned based on the current needs of the business but the intent is to leverage technology (teleconference, videoconference, etc.) to minimize the travel requirements.

ESSENTIAL CAPABILITIES (KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES)

• Experience with purchasing on an ERP system (SAP)
• Ability to successfully negotiate price, terms, delivery, and volume levels with suppliers
• Research and evaluate global or local suppliers based on price, quality, service, support, availability, reliability, production and distribution capabilities, reputation, financial status, and history
• Develop and actively manage project procurement plans
• Define and understand the current and future markets related to service and capex providers
• Collaborate on specification and scope documents, review requisitions for goods and services, solicit proposals, and perform commercial evaluations, while helping to define a clear scope of work for Capex Projects & Services
• Ability to anticipate issues, perform independent/critical needs analysis, and take corrective actions resulting in thorough and effective solutions
• Intermediate to advanced skills with Microsoft Office (specifically Excel, Project, and Word)
• Ability to work in a transactional, large volume, deadline driven purchasing environment
• Ability to work with changing market conditions, incomplete information, and make decisions in the best interests of the business

• Must have a solid understanding of TCO (total cost of ownership)
• Ability to provide a superior level of customer service and follow up on a variety of issues
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including the Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with internal and external members of the Supply Chain
• Ability to present information in a clear and concise manner to all audience levels up to C-level
• Ability to work in an industrial/plant setting including functioning in factory operating areas
• Ability to proactively communicate risk and potential issues with service providers and capital projects
• Any other reasonable duties which may be required from time to time

ESSENTIAL CAPABILITIES (KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES)

• Analytical Thinking — Job requires analyzing information and using logic and analytical evaluations to address work-related issues and problems.
• Organization – Strong organization skills, attention to detail and follow-through to resolve any outstanding issues.
• Computer Proficiency – Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook) & SAP.  Microsoft Project is another tool that is used.  Previous experience with MS Project is helpful.
• Energy – High positive energy to take on continuous and complex business challenges in a fast-paced environment.
• Flexibility - Adapt to change and different ways of doing things quickly and positively; does not shy away from addressing setbacks or ambiguity; deal effectively with a variety of people and situations; appropriately adapts one’s thinking or approach as the situation changes.
• Ethics & Integrity – High degree of personal integrity in all business dealings.
• Execution – Attentive to detail and demonstrated ability to deliver on accountabilities in order to help the business and the team be successful.
• Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
• Initiative — Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

• Communication – Excellent written and verbal communication skills; appropriately communicates at all levels of the organization. Bilingual English and Portuguese, and ability proactively communciate
• Critical Thinking — Use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.  It is necessary to be able to effectively and efficiently support and communicate the reasoning for such choices to colleagues and superiors.
• Management of Financial Resources — Determine how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
• Persistence — Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
• Purchasing – Functional/Technical Skills
• Negotiating – Negotiate price, terms and volume levels with suppliers
• Engineering and Project Management – Understanding of process plant and packaging equipment is required.  Most work is in support of projects, so previous experience with engineering and project management is essential.
• Travel and Work Environment – Ability to travel to various domestic and international sites, primarily in Europe, and able to work effectively in a manufacturing and/or construction environment

WORK EXPERIENCES

• Strong background in industrial services, and/or project purchasing, preferably in a manufacturing environment
• Operations, project, and/or maintenance experience in the category
• Strong understanding of Hard services management
• Background in a manufacturing environment, preferably with food and/or beverage blending and packaging
• Contract negotiations and contract management experience
• Ability to adapt in a fast pace environment

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business or other related field is required 

For more than 100 years, our employees have taken pride in “Making Life a Little Sweeter” by providing our customers and consumers with quality service and sugar products. Our commitment to that principle drives us in all that we do and encourages us to uphold our company’s high ethical standards of business conduct to ensure our continued success.