Senior Buyer - Media & Agency Relations Procurement

We are people who want to make a difference.

Everything we do starts with people. It’s what makes us different from all other car companies. If you share our belief in the power of people and our passion for human-centric innovation, you will thrive together with brilliant, like-minded colleagues who are committed to making a true difference.

Indirect Procurement (IDP) is a global organization with highly skilled and motivated employees located in the USA, Sweden, Belgium, China, Malaysia, and India. We are responsible for the procurement of non-production goods and services, such as logistics, machinery & tooling, services IT HW & SW and much more.  We, with the support of our stakeholders, are responsible for developing a supplier base that will enable Volvo Cars' to reach our ambitious cost, quality, and environmental requirements.

You will join a diverse team of Buyers in a dynamic environment where we transform the supply chain at Volvo Cars in the Americas.  This is an onsite position based in Mahwah, NJ.

Job Summary

This role is part of the Americas Procurement Marketing Team, where you will lead cross-functional sourcing projects within our media and agency fee area, covering all aspects from project preparation, execution, analysis, trend and market evaluations, negotiation, supplier selection, and contract management.

Principal Responsibilities:

• You'll establish the media strategy and play a central role how we develop, evaluate, improve, and implement the ways we purchase media in the future. Responsible to set supplier strategies and actively cultivate and maintain strong commercial relationships with suppliers.
• Collaborate proactively with key business stakeholders to gain a deep understanding around required products and services, the market, and innovations within each area. Identify opportunities to leverage existing business value, encompassing aspects like cost-efficiency, quality enhancement, and sustainability.
• You'll conduct comprehensive market analysis, prioritize tasks, and develop optimal negotiation tactics. Furthermore, you'll have the freedom to challenge the status quo, whether it's established routes or decisions, and engage with stakeholders, suppliers, and colleagues to foster a better mutual understanding and work collaboratively toward innovative and effective solutions.

Competencies/Abilities

• You have deep knowledge and extensive experience in the dynamic media and marketing landscape from a procurement perspective, proficient understanding of media buying processes, negotiations, and a solid grasp of the media providers prevalent in the market.
• You have a proven track record of consistently driving successful media spend, optimizing media investments, and cultivating strong relationships with agencies and stakeholders, playing a pivotal role to contributing to an organization's overall growth and transformation success.
• With your professional negotiation skills, you are an expert securing favorable rates and value when establishing contracts, and forging long-lasting partnerships with agencies, publishers, and suppliers, allowing for mutually beneficial collaborations.
• Your continuously aware of the latest trends, technologies, and shifts in the media landscape, positioning yourself as a reliable source of insights within the organization, while at the same time enabling you to make informed decisions to remain at the forefront of industry advancements.
• Your well-informed perspective encompasses emerging media channels, audience behavior, and advancements in media planning tools and techniques, allowing you to leverage these insights to drive, establish, innovative effective media strategies.
• Proficiency in analyzing data empowers you to extract valuable insights, enabling data-driven decision-making to optimize and consolidate future requests and overall media strategies.
• You demonstrate exceptional skills in setting strategic direction, aligning media strategies with overarching business objectives, and collaborating closely with stakeholders to excel in meeting objectives and delivering desired outcomes to target audiences.
• You demonstrate leadership capabilities, by your ability to influence and guide cross-functional teams, drive successful execution, and foster a collaborative and motivated work environment.
• You possess experience with supplier management and contractual topics, excelling in driving fact-based negotiations and discussions to ensure optimal agreements.
• Your attention to details in spend management, optimizing costs, delivering comprehensive financial analysis and forecasting for media investments showcases your exceptional capabilities to guarantee optimal efficiency and resource utilization, setting you apart as a standout professional within the field.
• Collaborating effectively with finance departments, you align media budgets with financial parameters, incorporating them into planning and procurement decisions for maximum efficiency and effectiveness.
• Your proficiency for collaborating efficiently in complex environments allows you to engage with stakeholders in effective tracking and cost optimizations to maximize return on investment for the business.
• You hold a university degree or possess equivalent experience that underscores your knowledge and expertise.
• With a minimum of 3-5 years of relevant experience from procurement and the media and marketing landscape, you bring a wealth of expertise and insights to the role.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Volvo Car is an equal opportunity employer. The successful candidate must be legally authorized to work in the US without sponsorship.

Who are we?

Everything we do starts with people. Our purpose is to provide freedom to move, in a personal, sustainable and safe way. We are committed to simplifying our customers’ lives by offering better technology solutions that improve their impact on the world and bringing the most advanced mobility innovations to protect them, their loved ones and the people around them. 

Volvo Cars’ continued success is the result of a collaborative, diverse, and inclusive working environment. The people of Volvo Cars are committed to making a difference in our world. Today, we are one of the most well-known and respected car brands, with over 40,000 employees across the globe. We believe in bringing out the best in each other and harnessing the true power of people. At Volvo Cars your career is designed around your talents and aspirations so you can reach your full potential. Join us on a journey of a lifetime as we create safety, autonomous driving and electrification technologies of tomorrow.