Project Buyer - General Procurement
Herndon, USA Sales
Job description
Airbus is committed to providing reasonable accommodations as an Equal Opportunity Employer to applicants with disabilities. If you require assistance or an accommodation to complete your application, please contact us at USCareers@airbus.com
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Job Description:
Airbus is an international pioneer in the aerospace industry. We are a leader in designing, manufacturing and delivering aerospace products, services and solutions to customers on a global scale. We aim for a better-connected, safer and more prosperous world.
A commercial aircraft manufacturer, with Space and Defence as well as Helicopters Divisions, Airbus is the largest aeronautics and space company in Europe and a worldwide leader.
Airbus has built on its strong European heritage to become truly international - with roughly 180 locations and 12,000 direct suppliers globally. The company has aircraft and helicopter final assembly lines across Asia, Europe and the Americas, and has achieved a more than sixfold order book increase since 2000.
Airbus Commercial Aircraft is looking for a Category Buyer to join our North American General Procurement team, based in Wichita, KS.
POSITION CAN BE LOCATED IN HERNDON,VA, WICHITA, KS, OR MOBILE, AL.
Meet the team:
The Customer Support team provides aircraft operations support throughout the aircraft's operational life. The team coordinates, implements and monitors all services customized to meet the customer’s specific needs, to ensure a positive customer relationship. Our Field Service teams provide technical support so our customers can operate safely and efficiently. Being based at our customers' facilities enables us to have a strong customer relationship and understanding of the airline's technical and operational needs.
Your working environment:
Located on the Wichita State University (WSU) innovation campus is Airbus’ first dedicated engineering facility outside of Europe. Our team of 200+ support staff and engineers focus on aerostructure design including analysis of aircraft primary structures, such as wings and fuselages, for all major Airbus products across the globe.
How We Care for You:
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Financial Rewards: Competitive base salary, incentive compensation which may include profit sharing schemes, retirement savings plan and the ability to participate in an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (“ESOP”)
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Work/Life Balance: Paid time off including personal time, holidays and a generous paid parental leave program.
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Health & Welfare: Comprehensive insurance coverage including medical (traditional and high-deductible health plans), prescription, dental, vision, life, disability, Employee Assistance Plan (“EAP”) and other supplemental benefit coverages.
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Individual Development: Upskilling and development opportunities through our global Leadership University, including unlimited access to 10,000+ e-learning courses focusing on ways to develop your employability, certifications, career path as well as the opportunity to participate in accelerated development programmes and both national and international mobility.
Your challenges:
Procurement Strategy & Category Management: 35%
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General Procurement focal point for Management and Operations for the any internal customers within the region (i.e. Mobile Final Assembly Line, Corporate office, etc.) for assigned scope
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Support Internal Customer (IC) organizations (or teams) and General Procurement in creating and formulating the sourcing strategy by providing data about local suppliers.
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Work closely with the global General Procurement commodities and drive local multi-functional teams (MFTs) to maximize visibility on procurement planning.
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Establish and ensure regular two-way communication with key functional and local customers; manage the integration with assigned General Procurement commodities in North America and worldwide.
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"Local for Global" - Identification of key/niche areas where the company can plan offshoring and manage the complete outsourcing cycle in alignment with commodity strategy. Act as primary procurement contact for these suppliers in alignment with the assigned commodity.
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Supplier Relationship Management - Responsible for building relations with suppliers of assigned commodities, and identifying new vendors.
Drive Sourcing Projects (Call for Tenders): 35%
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Lead Commodity Multi Divisional Teams (MDT) in RFP/RFI Process for assigned commodities. Values of projects will vary, but generally around $1,000,000 per event. Some RFP/RFI values may be well over $1,000,000 in certain cases.
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Develop procurement plans and identify opportunities within assigned commodities which support savings program targets at Airbus Americas. Escalate blockages to Key Account Manager or Regional Director, as needed.
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Manage the relationship with internal business partners, across multiple Airbus divisions, to achieve target levels of customer satisfaction.
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Responsible for all Operational and Regional Sourcing activities with focus on an assigned commodity.
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Perform "Local for Local" procurement activities in alignment with the global commodities’ strategy, based on GP terms and regulations.
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Support “Global for Local” procurement activities to provide local insight and support to global and other regional buyers leading sourcing projects
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Responsible for creation, negotiation and management of contract terms and conditions and communicated with all stakeholders.
Team Leadership: 10%
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Provide leadership and coaching to less experienced team members
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Provide support & input to General Procurement Directors/Key Account Manager to set realistic and achievable goals for the team based on commodity strategy, suggested operational improvements.
Procurement & Process Tools Expert: 10%
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Drive compliance to Airbus General Procurement and related processes through robust communication with internal customers.
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Resolve general procurement process blockages and recommend solutions to operational and contractual problems.
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Monitor and, when needed, initiate actions to facilitate timely payment to the supplier minimizing disruption of Airbus processes.
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Report savings to the Shared Services organization in a timely way through the standard mechanisms.
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Expert experience in procurement tools (i.e. SAP, Ariba, Coupa, Oracle, etc) is preferred.
Additional Responsibilities: 10%
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Drive non-flying procurement contributions to projects affecting assigned teams / organizations / commodities. Ensure strong liaison with all GP in the Americas, GP in Europe and relevant business partners.
Your boarding pass:
Education:
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A Bachelors’ Degree in Business, Engineering or a related field is required. Equivalent combination of education and experience can be substituted in lieu of a degree.
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Fluency in written and verbal English. Fluency in French, German and/or Spanish is highly desirable.
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Project Management, Purchasing, or Supply Chain Certifications are desirable.
Experience:
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Five or more years of related experience.
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Project management skills are desirable.
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Knowledge of additional functions including: finance, operations, negotiation and communication skills is highly desirable.
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Demonstrated effectiveness as a participant and leader on a work-focused team.
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Experience working in a manufacturing organization or a similar quality-focused manufacturing organization is highly desirable.
Knowledge, Skills, Demonstrated Capabilities:
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Knowledge of Business Case Analysis & Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Approach.
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Procurement process and advanced negotiation skill.
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Project Management – Excellent skills to motivate multi-functional teams in situations of often conflicting objectives (Internal Customer, Supplier, Budget) to perform in-country RFx and procurement projects.
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Knowledge of North American supplier base and cost structure.
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Awareness on applicable Laws (labor, IP, international trade).
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Preferable knowledge of additional functions including: finance, negotiation and communication skills.
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Proven leadership capabilities and team working skills that can be applied in a complex matrix organization
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Analytical capacities to synthesize large quantities of complex data to generate meaningful insights
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Capable of living up to the Airbus Integrity Principles, consistently demonstrating ethical leadership behaviors
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Proactive nature and strong self-initiative in an unstructured environment
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Ability to identify and solve complex problems and manage conflict
Communication Skills (Spoken, Written, Influencing, Proficiency in Other Languages):
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Ability to influence and support ‘positive behavior change’ within a multinational company at all levels
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Strong interpersonal and communication skills with a senior executive audience (internal and external)
Working Conditions/Physical Demands (for ex. lifting, working in heights)::
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Carrying: Able to carry up to 10lbs/5kg
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Hearing: Able to participate in phone and in-person conversations and also able to hear sirens, alarms and other emergency signals.
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Lifting: Able to lift to 10lbs/5kg
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Pushing / Pulling: Able to push/pull items over short distances and only on occasion.
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Sitting: Able to sit for a long period of time in meetings; drafting computer-based documents, sometimes with limited breaks.
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Speaking: Able to speak and conduct conversations often for extended periods of time in meetings, negotiations and training.
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Squatting / Kneeling: Able to occasionally squat and kneel occasionally mainly to replace or retrieve items from low storage.
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Standing: Able to stand for long periods of time, touring vendor facilities, traveling and similar activities.
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Travel: Able to travel domestically and internationally sometimes on short notice and sometimes for long periods of time. Travel is expected to be less than 5% of the time.
Eligibility:
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Eligible for employment in the US
Take your career to a new level and apply online now!
A full job description will be provided to candidates who progress to the interview stage or any candidate upon request.
As a leader in our field, Airbus in America provides relocation assistance for qualified positions and a comprehensive compensation and benefits package.
Airbus in America provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetics, pregnancy, marital status, veteran status or other legally protected status. In addition to federal law requirements, Airbus in America complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, demotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, benefits and training.
Airbus in America expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetics, pregnancy, marital status, veteran status or other legally protected status. Improper interference with the ability of Airbus' employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.
As a matter of policy, Airbus does not sponsor visas for US positions unless specified. Only applicants with current work authorization will be considered.
Airbus does not offer tenured or guaranteed employment. Either the company or the employee can terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice.
This job requires an awareness of any potential compliance risks and a commitment to act with integrity, as the foundation for the Company’s success, reputation and sustainable growth.
Company:
Airbus Americas, Inc.
Employment Type:
US - Direct Hire
Experience Level:
Professional
Remote Type:
On-site
Job Family:
Sourcing, Buying and Ordering
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Job Posting End Date: 08.11.2025
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Airbus provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetics, pregnancy, marital status, veteran status or other legally protected status. In addition to federal law requirements, Airbus complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, demotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, benefits and training. Airbus expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetics, pregnancy, marital status, veteran status or other legally protected status. As a matter of policy, Airbus does not sponsor visas for US positions unless specified. Only applicants with current work authorization will be considered. Airbus does not offer tenured or guaranteed employment. Employment with Airbus is at will, meaning either the company or the employee can terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice. Airbus reserves the right to revise or change job duties and responsibilities as the need arises. This position description does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment.
By submitting your CV or application you are consenting to Airbus using and storing information about you for monitoring purposes relating to your application or future employment. This information will only be used by Airbus.
Airbus is committed to achieving workforce diversity and creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome all applications irrespective of social and cultural background, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation or religious belief.
Airbus is, and always has been, committed to equal opportunities for all. As such, we will never ask for any type of monetary exchange in the frame of a recruitment process. Any impersonation of Airbus to do so should be reported to emsom@airbus.com .