Senior Buyer - Interior & Safety

About the role

Slate is a company dedicated to building safe, reliable vehicles that people can customize and love. Located in the USA, Slate aims to reindustrialize the industry through its commitment to local manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage a strategic supply base for automotive interior and safety components.
• Lead supplier RFIs, RFQs, negotiations, and commercial agreements to meet program cost targets, deliverables, and Job 1 launch timing.
• Source and purchase production parts, service parts, tooling, and services supporting interior and safety systems.
• Take ownership of sourcing activities for interior systems and safety-related components, ensuring supplier readiness, precision fit, and program timing.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Engineering, Supplier Quality, Manufacturing, and Program Management to resolve cost, quality, and delivery issues.
• Identify and implement cost reduction opportunities and value engineering initiatives with suppliers.
• Maintain supplier performance and mitigate sourcing risks to support program launch and supply continuity.
• Ensure supplier compliance with Slate’s Global Terms and Conditions and commercial agreements.
• Analyze sourcing data and market intelligence to support best value sourcing decisions.
• Communicate supplier risks, program impacts, and sourcing priorities to internal stakeholders.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, Business, Engineering, or a related field or equivalent experience.
• 8–10 years of experience in Procurement, Supply Chain Management, or Engineering within automotive or manufacturing industries.
• Proven experience sourcing automotive interior components and/or vehicle safety systems.
• Strong supplier negotiation and relationship management skills.
• Ability to identify process issues and drive improvements to enhance operational efficiency.
• Experience working with ERP systems such as SAP, Plex, or similar platforms.
• Strong analytical, interpersonal, and communication skills.
• High level of integrity and accountability.
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced startup environment.