Indirect Buyer

Salary Range: €48,000.00 To €58,000.00 Annually

Indirect Buyer Position Summary The Indirect Buyer is responsible for the operational procurement of indirect goods and services, purchase order management, across Gowan's four production plants & laboratories in Italy. The role executes local sourcing activities, supports the delivery of regional indirect category projects, and ensures procurement compliance and process discipline across all sites. The position combines hands-on operational buying with growing exposure to category management, sourcing, and supplier negotiation, acting as the local execution arm of the regional and global indirect procurement strategy.

This is a site-facing, cross-functional role requiring close collaboration with Plant Management, Maintenance, Quality, EHS, and Finance teams, alongside regular coordination with the Global Procurement Category Manager.

Job Status

Permanent Contract

Full-Time

Reports to Global Procurement Category Manager (based in Milan, Italy)

Role Responsibilities Operational Procurement

Receive and process indirect purchase requests from the four Italian plants and the Novara laboratory

Verify and evaluate supplier quotations for price, quality, lead time, and commercial terms

Issue purchase orders through the ERP system in line with approved sourcing decisions and budgets

Confirm receipt and quality of materials, spare parts, and services against purchase orders

Investigate and resolve invoice, delivery, and quality discrepancies with suppliers and internal stakeholders

Support Finance with indirect OPEX/CAPEX budget planning and cost centre accuracy

Indirect Category & Sourcing Support

Lead execution of regional indirect procurement projects (e.g. Capex, MRO, facilities services, professional services, logistics, equipment) as directed by the Global Procurement Category Manager

Conduct local spend analysis to identify savings, demand management, and consolidation opportunities across the four plants and laboratories

Manage and run RFx processes (RFI / RFQ / RFP), local and regional, indirect categories

Support supplier evaluation, qualification, and onboarding for indirect categories

Be responsible for negotiations for local and regional supply agreements under the guidance of category managers.

Track and report savings, cost avoidance, and compliance metrics for assigned categories

Own contract lifecycle tracking, including renewal and expiry dates, for assigned indirect suppliers

Build and maintain effective working relationships with local and regional indirect suppliers

Act as day-to-day point of contact for suppliers

Partner with Plant Managers, Maintenance, Quality, and EHS teams to align procurement activity with operational needs

Support monitoring of supplier performance (delivery, quality, responsiveness) and elevate issues as needed

Process & Compliance

Ensure procurement activities comply with Gowan's Global Procurement Policy and local regulatory requirements

Maintain accurate procurement records, contracts, and supplier documentation

Support standardization of local procurement processes in line with regional and global templates and tools

Assist with internal and external audit requests related to indirect procurement

Maintain accurate vendor master data and support catalogue/P2P system adoption

Ensure all purchases comply with Gowan's Delegation of Authority and approval limits

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, Engineering, Supply Chain, or a related field (or equivalent professional experience)

Experience / Skills / Abilities

Minimum 5 years of procurement experience, including indirect categories and an industrial or manufacturing environment

Familiarity with ERP and procurement systems (e.g. SAP, Ariba, Coupa or similar)

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, comfortable working with spend and cost data

Good stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills

Fluent English and Italian, written and spoken

Proficiency in MS Office, particularly Excel

Ability to work both independently and as part of a regional/global procurement team

Job Expectations / Working Conditions

Regular travel across the four Italian production plants and the Novara laboratory (approx. 30-40%)

Occasional travel for regional or global procurement meetings and supplier visits

Ability to work in both office and plant/warehouse environments

Frequent interaction with Maintenance, Quality, EHS, Finance, and Plant Management teams

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