Strategic Metal Commodity Buyer

Join Our Team as a Strategic Metal Commodity Buyer!

We're looking for a skilled and driven Strategic Metal Commodity Buyer to join our team. In this role, you'll help secure reliable metal supply, manage costs, and support our continued growth.

Special Products & Manufacturing (SPM) is a world-class contract manufacturer and proud recipient of The Fabricator's 2025 "Fabricator of the Year" award. We lead the industry in precision metal fabrication, machining, assembly, welding, engineering, prototyping, laser cutting, powder coating, and finishing.

Position Summary

The Strategic Metal Commodity Buyer is responsible for developing and executing sourcing strategies for sheet metal and related commodities in a way that optimizes cost, quality, delivery, and supply continuity. This role requires years of expertise in metal markets, supplier negotiation, cost modeling, and risk mitigation. The Buyer serves as the primary contact with metal suppliers, distribution partners, and value-added processors-leveraging market intelligence, technical knowledge, and strong supplier relationships to reduce total cost of ownership and ensure an uninterrupted flow of materials to production.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Sourcing & Commodity Management:

• Conducts continuous market analysis and forecasting for sheet metal and raw materials, monitoring price trends, global market drivers, capacity shifts, and geopolitical influences.

• Develops and executes commodity strategies, including dual-sourcing, forward buys, safety stock planning, and supplier diversification to protect against market volatility and supply disruptions.

• Builds, qualifies, and manages a high-performance supplier portfolio, identifying new sources for standard and nonstandard materials, surplus/secondary materials, and value-added processing services.

• Supports company strategic direction - looking at cost savings avenues like buying mill direct.

Supplier Relationship & Performance Management

• Establishes long-term partnerships with key mills (when applicable), service centers, surplus suppliers, and Value-Added Suppliers (VAS) providers (laser, forming, leveling, slitting, etc.).

• Conducts supplier site visits to evaluate capability, performance, capacity, quality systems, and compliance with company standards.

• Leads supplier negotiations, including pricing, terms, service levels, engineering changes, delivery schedules, and quality expectations.

• Manages supplier scorecards and performance metrics; escalates risks and resolves delivery, quality, or service issues quickly and effectively.

• Negotiates and settles claims related to damage, rejections, variances, over-shipments, and contract disputes.

Cost Optimization & Value Engineering

• Identifies and implements cost-saving opportunities through price negotiation, alternative materials, re-specification, surplus purchasing, logistics optimization, and supplier VAS integration.

• Partners with engineering and operations to support manufacturability, reduce scrap, streamline processing, and optimize material utilization.

• Builds cost models and TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) analysis to support decision-making and budgeting.

Risk Mitigation & Supply Chain Resilience

• Proactively identifies and mitigates supply chain risks involving pricing volatility, supplier reliability, market shortages, and geopolitical or catastrophic disruptions.

• Develops contingency plans, alternate sourcing strategies, and capacity buffers to ensure supply continuity.

• Leverages market intelligence, forecasting tools, and supplier insights to guide executive decision-making.

Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Prepares detailed reports analyzing commodity trends, cost impacts, supplier performance, and sourcing opportunities.

• Applies Lean principles and continuous improvement methods to streamline procurement processes, increase efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance internal customer service.

• Actively participates in cross-functional teams including Engineering, Quality, Operations, and Finance to improve manufacturing performance and supply chain effectiveness.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or related field; or high school equivalent with 3+ years of relevant experience.

• Minimum 5 years' experience in sheet metal or metal commodities in manufacturing purchasing.

• Proven experience managing supply chains for metals, sheet metal, fabricated components, or industrial materials.

Technical Skills

• Advanced knowledge of ERP/MRP systems and procurement workflows.

• Intermediate to advanced Excel and PowerPoint skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, cost modeling, presentations).

• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, metal properties, fabrication methods, inventory control, and warehouse operations.

• Working knowledge of Lean principles, continuous improvement techniques, and inventory management.

Core Competencies

• Strong negotiation skills with the ability to secure favorable commercial terms.

• Analytical and critical-thinking skills with an ability to interpret data and market trends to make strategic decisions.

• High sense of urgency with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple high-impact tasks in a fast-paced environment.

• Excellent communication skills and relationship-building abilities across internal teams and external partners.

• Problem-solving orientation with an investigative, curious, and solutions-based approach.

Why Join Us:

Competitive compensation package and benefits.

Opportunity to make a significant impact on operational efficiency and quality.

Collaborative and innovative work environment.

Career development and growth opportunities within a growing company.

How to Apply:

If you are a hands-on, performance-conscious individual with a team player mentality and a sense of urgency, we want to hear from you! Please apply online at

At SPM, you're not just building a career - you're joining a supportive community. We value passion, growth, and meaningful contributions, while ensuring our team enjoys a healthy work/life balance.