Global Commodity Senior Buyer - Direct Material

Global Commodity Senior Buyer - Direct Material

Date: Oct 5, 2026

Location:Papendrecht, NL

Company: GKN Aerospace Careers

GKN Aerospace is ‘s werelds meest toonaangevende leverancier binnen de vliegtuigindustrie. Met 32 productielocaties in 12 landen bedienen we meer dan 90% van ‘s werelds vliegtuig- en motorfabrikanten en een omzet behaald van £3.6 miljard in 2025. Wij ontwerpen en produceren innovatieve slimme ruimtevaartsystemen en componenten. Elke keer dat je per vliegtuig reist, is het waarschijnlijk dat GKN je op weg helpt.
We zijn op zoek naar mensen die een verschil willen maken, getalenteerde medewerkers met de vaardigheden en passies om het beste te worden in wat ze doen.

Job Summary

As Global Commodity Senior Buyer, you will support the development and execution of global commodity strategies while driving supplier performance, cost competitiveness and risk reduction across your portfolio.
Your responsibilities will include:

•    Supporting the commodity team in achieving or exceeding key objectives relating to cost, quality, working capital, supplier rationalisation and supply chain performance.
•    Developing and executing sourcing strategies that support business growth and strengthen supply chain resilience.
•    Leading sourcing activities, supplier selection processes and onboarding initiatives for assigned commodities.
•    Taking ownership of supplier negotiations, contract discussions and commercial agreements.
•    Partnering closely with Engineering and Costing teams to identify opportunities for value creation and competitive advantage.
•    Acting as the commercial bridge between technical requirements and contractual obligations, ensuring supplier agreements accurately reflect engineering specifications, compliance requirements and programme commitments.
•    Supporting Make-or-Buy decisions by preparing business cases, data analyses and commodity gate review materials.
•    Building and managing RFI and RFP packages while collaborating with Cost Analysts and Manufacturing Engineering teams to ensure best value for money.
•    Driving supplier development and supply base optimisation initiatives.
•    Leveraging synergies and best practices across the global GKN Aerospace network.
•    Monitoring supplier performance and proactively identifying risks, opportunities and improvement actions.
•    Ensuring procurement activities comply with aerospace regulations, customer requirements and internal governance standards.

Job Responsibilities

This role offers a unique opportunity to influence the future of aerospace procurement on a global scale. Beyond traditional sourcing and supplier management responsibilities, you will play a critical role in ensuring alignment between engineering requirements and contractual agreements.
You'll work in an environment where precision matters, compliance is essential and collaboration drives success. By connecting technical expertise with commercial decision-making, you will help ensure that our suppliers can meet the demanding quality, certification and performance standards required within the aerospace industry.

Job Qualifications

We are looking for someone who combines strong commercial acumen with the ability to navigate complex technical and contractual environments.

Essential qualifications
•    Bachelor's degree in Business Economics, Supply Chain Management or a related discipline.
•    Minimum of 5 years' experience in tactical and strategic procurement of direct materials.
•    Strong experience in supplier management, sourcing and contract negotiations.
•    Fluent in spoken and written English.
•    Willingness to travel internationally on a regular basis (up to 25%).

Preferred qualifications
•    Experience within the aerospace industry or another highly regulated manufacturing environment.
•    Ability to build strong relationships and influence stakeholders across multiple functions and organisational levels.
•    Experience working at the interface between Engineering, Supply Chain and Commercial teams.
•    Strong understanding of contractual frameworks, supplier agreements and compliance requirements.
•    Proven ability to lead complex negotiations and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.
•    Experience developing and deploying procurement or commodity strategies.
•    Strong project management and stakeholder management skills.
•    Customer-focused mindset combined with a strong sense of urgency and ownership.
•    Ability to perform effectively in a dynamic environment, adapting quickly to changing priorities while delivering results.

What's in it for you?

Besides an innovative and international work environment that offers you a good work-life balance
We offer you opportunities to learn and grow, a competitive salary M pension plan, 29 vacation days / 13 ADV days and travel allowance (from 10 km single journey) as well.

How to apply?

Please apply online by sending us your CV and motivation letter. Due to data privacy reasons we do not handle any applications sent by email.

For additional questions you can contact: Koen van Stigt, Talent Acquisition, via email –View email address on careers.gknaerospace.com

Diversity Inclusion and Belonging (DIB)

As a global engineering company, innovation is what differentiates us from our competitors and is central to our success.

A balance of cultures, ethnicities and genders help bring new ideas and creativity to GKN. We need people of different backgrounds, with different skills and perspectives to spark originality, imagination and creativeness in our teams around the world.

GKN is an equal opportunity employer.

We treat all our employees and applicants fairly and are committed to ensuring that there is no discrimination or harassment against any employee or qualified applicant on the grounds of age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, nationality, sex, or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.