Senior Lead Buyer

Are you ready to contribute to high-impact, international energy projects shaping the future of low-carbon industry?

Driven since 1817 by the entrepreneurial spirit and thirst for innovation of its founder, the John Cockerill Group develops large-scale technological solutions to meet the needs of its time: facilitating access to low-carbon energies, enabling sustainable industrial production, installing critical infrastructures.

Its offer to companies, States and communities consists of services and associated equipment for the sectors of energy, defence, industry, the environment, transports, and infrastructures.

With over 8,000 employees, John Cockerill achieved a turnover of €1.417 billion in 2024, operating in 28 countries across 5 continents.

John Cockerill Energy is a global technology leader with over 200 years of expertise in steam generation and thermal engineering, specializing in the design and supply of heat recovery steam generators, cooling towers and air-cooled condensers under the Hamon® brand. Leveraging strong engineering capabilities, the company also delivers high-value aftersales services such as re-engineering, technical assistance, inspections, upgrades and lifetime assessments. Committed to the energy transition, John Cockerill Energy develops integrated, engineer-driven solutions combining renewable generation, energy storage and advanced Energy Management Systems (EMS).

John Cockerill Energy, The Power to change the World.

Why join John Cockerill Energy?

• Meaningful impact: contribute to energy projects directly supporting decarbonisation and energy efficiency.
• Global reach: collaborate with multicultural teams and international suppliers on complex projects worldwide.
• Supportive environment: benefit from a culture of flexibility, autonomy, collaboration and work-life balance.
• Engineering & decision centers on the same site: evolve in an agile, engineering-driven environment enabling fast and informed decisions.
• Technical expertise: develop your expertise within a highly technical procurement environment and become a key reference for your purchasing portfolio.

Because the energy transition requires reliable, efficient and sustainable technologies, John Cockerill Energy continuously innovates to deliver solutions combining performance, safety and environmental responsibility.

Your role

As a Senior Lead Buyer, with Valves as your main portfolio, you will play a key role within the Procurement, Logistics and Expediting Department.

You will be responsible for leading the procurement activities related to your portfolio throughout the project lifecycle, from sourcing and RFQs through commercial negotiations and purchase order closure, while ensuring quality, competitiveness and on-time delivery.

You will manage a strategic and technically demanding portfolio and work closely with Engineering, Project Management, Quality, Legal, suppliers and international stakeholders.

Your strong technical affinity and purchasing expertise will enable you to act as a key expert for the Valves scope, contributing to sourcing strategies, supplier selection, negotiations and risk management.

This position offers a high level of autonomy and responsibility, with the opportunity to progressively become a key reference and trusted partner within the Procurement team.

Your key responsibilities

• Lead procurement operations for your portfolio, from RFQ to purchase order closure, ensuring alignment with project requirements and schedules.
• Prepare and implement sourcing strategies to improve quality, delivery lead time and competitiveness while mitigating supply chain risks.
• Issue requests for quotation, analyze supplier offers and coordinate the technical approval process with Engineering.
• Coordinate with Headquarters and relevant stakeholders to finalize commercial negotiations and ensure timely ordering and delivery.
• Negotiate prices and contractual conditions while assessing remaining negotiation margins and securing the best possible commercial outcome.
• Select suppliers based on structured comparisons of offers, taking into account technical, commercial, quality and delivery criteria.
• Develop and maintain price norms and rate contracts.
• Manage and develop the supplier panel, including identifying and qualifying new suppliers.
• Monitor supplier and manufacturer performance and implement improvement and corrective action plans where required.
• Ensure appropriate supply chain monitoring through supplier/manufacturer/subcontractor visits and audits.
• Anticipate procurement risks and opportunities throughout the project lifecycle.
• Provide market insights and contribute to the definition of needs and specifications.
• Support the sales process by providing unit prices, budgetary prices and appropriate calculation methods for materials, components and services.
• Protect John Cockerill’s interests by ensuring compliance with contractual terms and conditions.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of procurement processes and their interaction with other business processes.
• Ensure compliance with John Cockerill’s governance, ethics and sustainable development principles.
• Work closely with internal stakeholders, including Project Managers, Project Engineers, Engineering, Quality, Finance and Legal.

Your team

You will join a multidisciplinary Procurement team of around 6–7 people, within a broader Procurement organization of approximately 20 people.

The team is organized around projects and purchasing specialties, with buyers taking responsibility for specific technical equipment categories such as valves, piping, instrumentation, mechanical equipment, cables and other components.

You will work closely with colleagues based in Belgium and India and interact regularly with international suppliers and stakeholders.

The team operates in a collaborative, open and supportive environment, where knowledge sharing and teamwork are highly valued. At the same time, the position offers significant autonomy in managing your own portfolio, priorities and supplier relationships.

You will be based in Seraing, Belgium.

Your profile

Experience & technical skills

• You have a Master’s degree in Engineering, Management, Purchasing or another relevant field, or equivalent professional experience.
• You have a minimum of 7-10 years of relevant experience in Procurement/Purchasing, preferably in a project-oriented industrial environment.
• You have a strong technical affinity and are comfortable working with complex technical equipment and specifications.
• Experience with valves is a strong advantage. Knowledge of valves used in HRSG applications and their worldwide supplier/manufacturer market would be particularly valuable.
• You are able to understand technical documentation, specifications and plans and assess how technical characteristics can influence cost and supplier selection.
• You have solid experience in technical purchasing, including sourcing, RFQs, negotiations, contracts and risk management.
• You have a strong understanding of procurement processes and stakeholder coordination.
• You have a good knowledge of supplier markets and are able to assess supplier capabilities, production capacity and areas of expertise.
• You are comfortable managing a significant purchasing portfolio with a high level of autonomy.
• You have experience with ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle or equivalent, as well as Microsoft Office and commonly used project management tools.
• You are able to manage your own priorities and agenda in a dynamic, sometimes fast-paced project environment.
• You are comfortable interacting with both commercial and technical stakeholders.

Personal & behavioral skills

• Strong analytical and logical thinking.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
• Commercially minded and able to build strong supplier relationships.
• Autonomous, organized and accountable.
• Curious and eager to learn.
• Positive, energetic and solution-oriented.
• Comfortable working under pressure and managing changing priorities.
• Collaborative mindset and ability to bring stakeholders together.
• Able to communicate confidently with both technical and non-technical interlocutors.
• Mature professional attitude and the potential to become a trusted partner / right-hand person within the team.

Languages

• Fluent English is mandatory, both written and spoken.
• Knowledge of French or another language is considered an asset.
• International openness is essential.

International mobility

You are willing to travel occasionally for supplier visits, audits and face-to-face meetings, including internationally.

Travel is expected to remain occasional, depending on project and supplier requirements.

What we offer

At John Cockerill, we deeply value your contribution:

• Attractive salary package with many extra-legal benefits: company car, meal vouchers, flat-rate expenses, hospitalization/life/death/guaranteed income insurance, variable remuneration ranging from 0–25% of your gross annual salary, profit-sharing scheme based on progress and results.
• Flexible work arrangements, with 1–2 days of remote work per week after training.
• Comprehensive onboarding and training with plenty of learning opportunities.
• Career development: regular reviews, large catalogue of training, and career progression.
• International opportunities: potential to evolve within your sector, across different sectors or businesses, and across different regions.
• 31 days off.

The recruitment process

What are the next steps?

• First interview with the Talent Acquisition team.
• Interview with Daniel, Hiring Manager,
• Second interview with François, N+2,

Is it a match between you and John Cockerill? May this collaboration begin!

Want to find out more about John Cockerill Energy’s exciting projects?
👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMTyXXW7C-U

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You can also join our talent pool and be contacted for other positions in the future:
👉 http://www.johncockerill.com/jobs