Procurement Buyer - Conway, AR

Westrock's Procurement Buyer II - Capital Projects & MRO is a dynamic, self-motivated and results-oriented professional with a proven record of building relationships, managing projects from concept to completion, and demonstrating exceptional communication skills. Primary responsibilities include the purchase and risk management of various equipment and parts; the development and management of supplier relationships in conjunction with internal stakeholders (Manufacturing, Quality Assurance, Research & Development, and Finance); and supporting strategic contracts, owned by Category Management, with an emphasis on quality, continuous improvement and service. This role leverages modern procurement tools and technology, including AI-enabled platforms, to drive efficient sourcing, data analysis and decision-making.

Principal Job Duties:

• Develop sourcing plans that analyze and calculate costs of procurement and use those to drive multi-year procurement plans and events to maintain flat to down raw material costs in inflationary environments
• Leverage AI-enabled tools and data analytics for spend analysis, market research and reporting to support faster, more informed sourcing decisions
• Identify, source and assess potential trustworthy partners
• Develop a system to evaluate partners to ensure quality, price, delivery, and service. Review periodically to ensure compliance to agreed upon terms and conditions.
• Create and utilize multi-step sourcing processes that drive Best Value relationships with vendors, sharing those sourcing processes with the Global Sourcing team to ensure Continuous Improvement in the supply chain
• Perform supply chain management activities, including the expediting and tracking of urgent deliveries and checking of received items.
• Work with equipment vendors to ensure reliability and determine stocking options
• Work with project management team to coordinate receipt of critical path items to support the manufacturing process
• Interface and align with Global Sourcing Quality Assurance team to ensure specifications and standards are consistently met
• Support commercialization of NPD (New Product Development) projects with sales team
• Liaise between Procurement and Manufacturing to ensure effective communication
• Manage the plant purchasing card, document and report on all expenses accordingly
• Performs other duties as assigned

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain or other related field
• 5+ years' experience in procuring equipment, preferably in a food and/or beverage manufacturing environment; or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Experience managing a diverse set of external vendors, including sourcing, managing contracts, risk management, forecasting, developing category strategies, and manufacturing relationships
• Strong computer skills (Word, Excel, Outlook, NetSuite, or other similar ERP systems), including comfort using AI-powered tools (e.g., Copilot, generative AI) to support research, analysis and reporting
• Ability to work in fast paced high-pressure environment where change is constant and needs to be managed with internal and external customers
• Experience in Capital Procurement
• Financial understanding of P&L and ability to drive results for bottom line profit
• Demonstrates superior interpersonal, coaching, and communication skills to multiple levels of the organization
• Motivated, self-directed, and detail oriented
• Aptitude in decision-making and working with financial KPI's
• Ability to support and contribute to the strategic priorities of the Global Procurement organization
• Effectively manage multiple projects simultaneously and develop priorities for self
• Collaborates cross-functionally

Preferred Qualifications:

• Professional certification is a plus (CPSM/CPIM)
• Experience working with maintenance management systems
• 2+ years' experience working with Tipalti or similar accounts payable automation software preferred