Brunswick Corporation · 2 days ago
Category Buyer - Cowl Systems
Fond du Lac, WI
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
$72K/yr - $115K/yr
5+ years expBrunswick Corporation is a global marine leader committed to innovation and redefining marine recreation. The Category Buyer role focuses on developing and executing sourcing and supplier management strategies for complex cowl systems, ensuring cost competitiveness and quality for Mercury’s manufacturing operations.
BoatingFitnessIndustrialLifestyleManufacturing
Responsibilities
Proactively build and maintain constructive business relationships with suppliers and internal customers to understand needs and facilitate collaboration across all stakeholders to deliver expected results
Proactively support the Category Team in strategy development, execution, and communication
Visit current and potential suppliers to audit capabilities, build personal category expertise, and stay closely connected to state of their business, operations, industries, and markets
Conduct in-person business reviews with suppliers to drive engagement and execution of continuous improvement activities
Facilitate Requests for Quote, analyze quotations, and build supplier selection recommendations inclusive of total landed costs, supplier capabilities, and category strategies
For new or changing component designs, obtain supplier quotations and robust component feasibility input to ensure that costs are fully understood and manufacturability fully addressed prior to award or kickoff
Execute purchase orders, requisitions, and appropriation requests for the purchasing of tooling, components, and services as required
Drive continuous improvement in supplier performance for quality, delivery and cost, leveraging Mercury’s Supplier Progress Review system
Manage projects in a collaborative, thorough, and detail-oriented manner to ensure that quality, cost, and timing deliverables are met or exceeded
Utilize effective project management tools to ensure timely delivery of responsibilities
Manage changes as required, Mercury or supplier driven, with effective communication and execution via Mercury’s change management processes
Develop, align, monitor, and communicate project schedules with suppliers and internal stakeholders to manage risk and ensure on-time execution
Drive cost optimization for Mercury in all sourcing and supplier management activities
Conduct in-depth analysis of supplier proposals to ensure alignment with contractual terms and conditions and reasonableness based on industry benchmark tools and/or Should Cost models
Manage tooling lifecycle and costs with assigned suppliers, supported by detailed plans for tool life expectancy, condition monitoring, and plans for timely repair, refurbishment, or replacement that ensures continuity of quality supply
Support processes to quantify and recover excess costs resulting from supplier performance issues
Negotiate to obtain the best possible commercial outcome for Mercury in all endeavors
Support accurate reporting of financials with timely and accurate forecasting of potential future cost changes and diligent use of Mercury’s processes for managing orders and changes
Proactively engage all internal and external stakeholders with a positive attitude, effective communication, and a drive that builds mutually beneficial outcomes aligned with Mercury’s strategic needs
Demonstrate a high level of personal integrity, procurement/category credibility, and focus on common goals that builds trust with stakeholders
Support and actively participate in cross-functional discussions with suppliers
Participate in the decisions being made as part of the team and ensure procurement objectives are understood and aligned cross-functionally
Drive proactive communication of current concerns and emerging issues across all stakeholders, facilitate plans to resolve
Collaborate with the category leader to develop, align, communicate, and champion strategies
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Business, or related field
5+ years of experience in supply chain management or engineering
Strong technical understanding of highly engineered components
Proven negotiation skills and experience managing complex supplier relationships
Proficiency in ERP systems (e.g., SAP), sourcing tools, and data analytics platforms
Excellent communication, project management, and stakeholder engagement skills
Preferred
Experience with global sourcing and supplier development
APICS, CPSM, CPIM or Six Sigma certification is a preferred
Benefits
Medical
Dental
Vision
Paid vacation
401k (up to 4% match)
Health Savings Account (with company contribution)
Well-being program
Product purchase discounts
Company
Brunswick Corporation
Brunswick is a global leader in marine recreation, delivering innovation that transforms experiences on the water and beyond.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Brunswick Corporation has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (31)
2024 (35)
2023 (28)
2022 (42)
2021 (43)
2020 (20)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$1B2024-10-11Post Ipo Debt· $1B
1997-02-05IPO
Leadership Team
David Foulkes
Chief Executive Officer
Recent News
Investing.com
2026-01-06
Company data provided by crunchbase