Associate Procurement Professional

Career Area: Procurement Job Description: Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc. When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other.  We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here – we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it. As an Associate Procurement Professional , you will process requisitions and provide support for purchasing, supply chain, sourcing, cost and price analysis, and contract/purchase order generation. This position supports the U.S.-based Unformed Steel Procurement team by conducting data analysis, developing charts and presentations, presenting findings to leadership, leading cost reduction and assurance of supply initiatives, and supporting daily procurement activities such as supplier issue resolution and price management. The role will also contribute to a variety of procurement and strategic sourcing projects as needed. What You Will Do: • Developing improvement plans to support buyers & professionals related to Response Time, Lean Targets Quality, Cost, Logistics, Development, and Management (QCLDM) to enable optimal and efficient operations. • Performing analysis and maintenance of assigned processes that produce output excellence, builds expertise for the assign process area, and contributing to continuous improvement efforts. • Supporting customers and customer proposal efforts with pricing information and supplier selection. • Performing analytical and administrative tasks in support of purchasing strategic initiatives.

Requirement: Degree or equivalent experience desired What Skills You Will Have: Data-driven Decision Making: • Apply an assigned technique for data-driven thinking in a Decision-Making process. • Discern between "signal" and "noise" when interpreting data. • Identify, obtain, and organize relevant data and ideas. • Participate in the process of choosing KPIs and metrics to influence decisions. • Utilize the basic data collection and evaluation tools and techniques. Analytical Thinking: • Name specific tools or techniques that can be used to support the analytical thinking process. • Ability to describe specific software applications or products used for business analytics. • Provide examples of how analytical thinking has been used to resolve problems. • Help others research and learn more about business analytics tools and applications. Effective Communications: • Deliver helpful feedback that focuses on behaviors without offending the recipient. • Ability to listen to feedback without defensiveness and uses it for own communication effectiveness. • Make oral presentations and writes reports needed for own work. • Avoid technical jargon when inappropriate. • Look for and considers non-verbal cues from individuals and groups. Project Management: • Provide input for Gantt or PERT charts or their equivalent to track project progress and status. • Under guidance, plans and estimates simple projects. • Assist in detailed project plans including cost, schedule, and resource requirements. • Obtain information from stakeholders during the planning stage of a project. • Produce standard project status reports. Procurement: • Identify the major steps and critical paths in a purchasing cycle. • Explain the basic concepts and responsibilities of institutional purchasing. • Describe the major types of materials, products or services purchased by the organization. • Identify the basic tools used for maintaining procurement information and records. Knowledge of a Specific Procurement System: • Use the system to process routine purchase orders and payments. • Communicate with professionals to understand