Category Buyer III for AP Harnesses

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.

Your Work Shapes the World

Whether it be groundbreaking products, best in class solutions or creating a lifelong career, you can do the work that matters at Caterpillar. With a 95-year legacy of quality and innovation and 150 locations in countries around the world, your impact spans the globe.

When you join Caterpillar, you are joining a team of makers, innovators and doers. We are the people who roll up our sleeves and do the work to build a better world. We don't just talk about progress and innovation. We make it happen. And we are proud of that, because it helps our customers build and power the world we live in – the roads, hospitals, homes and infrastructure. Without a dedicated workforce Caterpillar could not effectively meet our customer's needs. Join us.

Description

Candidate will be a Category Buyer in the RI Global Wire Harness Category . Responsibilities include managing an Asia Pacific supply base for wire harnesses.

Job Duties

Improve the performance of the AP harness supply base

Identify and develop additional capacity

Build resiliency within the supply base through strategic sourcing

Strengthen the business relationship with the supply base

Collaborate across verticals to align activities

Basic Qualifications

Bachelor's degree

3 years of work experience in purchasing or supply chain

Top Candidates will also have

Previous Buyer experience

Additional Information

The location for this position is Thiruvallur-RIOP CIPL Plant in India.

Relocation assistance is not available for this position. Any relocation costs incurred would be the responsibility of the selected candidate.

This position will require 25% travel

Employee benefit details

Our goal at Caterpillar is for you to have a rewarding career. Our teams are critical to the success of our customers who build a better world.

Here you earn more than just a salary because we value your performance. We offer a total rewards package that provides benefits on day one (medical, dental, vision, RX, and 401K) along with the potential of an annual bonus.

Additional benefits include paid vacation days and paid holidays (prorated based upon hire date).

Skill Descriptors

Data Analytics: Knowledge of techniques and processes for inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and modeling data; ability to discover useful information, draw logical conclusions, and support decision-making.

Level Extensive Experience:

• Advises stakeholders on the relationship between financial, performance, and operational data used in business data analytics.
• Anticipates operational challenges of data collection and its integration with decision-making.
• Identifies correlations that reveal trends and determine conditions.
• Evaluates the quality of data collected and the effectiveness of data analysis methods for evaluating business performance.
• Interprets potential risks, threats, and opportunities involved with predictive modeling.
• Directs the implementation of business data collection processes and educates junior employees on new data sources.

Effective Communications: Understanding of effective communication concepts, tools and techniques; ability to effectively transmit, receive, and accurately interpret ideas, information, and needs through the application of appropriate communication behaviors.

Level Extensive Experience:

• Reviews others' writing or presentations and provides feedback and coaching.
• Adapts documents and presentations for the intended audience.
• Demonstrates both empathy and assertiveness when communicating a need or defending a position.
• Communicates well downward, upward, and outward.
• Employs appropriate methods of persuasion when soliciting agreement.
• Maintains focus on the topic at hand.

Interpersonal Relationships: Knowledge of the techniques and the ability to work with a variety of individuals and groups in a constructive and collaborative manner.

Level Working Knowledge:

• Explains impact of interactions with individuals and groups.
• Identifies roles and responsibilities for self and others.
• Demonstrates an understanding of alternative points of view.
• Collaborates with departmental associates and management.
• Adapts interaction style to situations and people.

Negotiating: Knowledge of successful negotiation concepts and techniques; ability to negotiate successfully across the organization and with external vendors and clients in a constructive and collaborative manner.

Level Extensive Experience:

• Ensures negotiators have awareness of complementary yet diverse interests.
• Successfully completes significant negotiations, both internal and external.
• Details the risks of negotiation breakdown from each party's perspective.
• Protects own position, while demonstrating willingness to achieve win-win.
• Identifies similarities and differences in position and assesses impact on discussions.
• Detects and addresses lack of progress or a stalemate.

Contracts Management and Administration: Knowledge of policies, standards and processes of how to manage and administer contracts; ability to use proper processes and practices for managing and administering a variety of contractual agreements.

Level Working Knowledge:

• Administers locally relevant contracts for the department.
• Implements organizational protocols and procedures for contracts management.
• Explains the types of information required before a contract is signed.
• Reviews contracts to ensure compliance with contract specifications and regulations.
• Assists in creating files of relevant information for specific vendors, customers, or contracts.

Purchasing Tasks and Activities: Knowledge of policies, regulations and processes of purchasing; ability to use practices and procedures for procurement of materials, components, equipment and services.

Level Working Knowledge:

• Records documents of purchasing tasks and activities, such as orders, bidding.
• Uses available procurement systems and tools.
• Ensures compliance with procurement regulations and contract specifications.
• Works with basic purchasing related tasks and activities.
• Adheres to various requirements and steps of the procurement process.

Supplier Relationship Management: Knowledge of supplier relationship management concept and strategies; ability to address critical issues to meet supplier needs and maintain engaged, partnering relationship with suppliers.

Level Extensive Experience:

• Advises others on the organization's supplier relationship management practices.
• Builds consensus, resolves conflicts, and applies techniques to achieve influence and impact results with different suppliers in the organization's supplier network.
• Coaches juniors on selecting, evaluating, and managing suppliers.
• Conducts periodic reviews of work effort, progress, issues, and successes in supplier relationship establishment and management.
• Evaluates the impact of SRM on the organization's different financials.
• Refines organizational processes for establishing and maintaining supplier partnerships.

Strategic Sourcing: Knowledge of strategic sourcing methods, technologies and processes; ability to analyze, improve and re-evaluate organizational procurement process continuously.

Level Working Knowledge:

• Works with various basic components of strategic sourcing, such as data analysis, market research and purchasing budgets examination.
• Participates in enhancing institutional sourcing process continuously including identifying improvement opportunities.
• Conducts strategic sourcing activities in a limited environment.
• Follows relevant standards, policies and practices regarding strategic sourcing.
• Assists senior sourcing professionals with strategic sourcing in multiple environments.

Final details

Please frequently check the email associated with your application, including the junk/spam folder, as this is the primary correspondence method. If you wish to know the status of your application – please use the candidate log-in on our career website as it will reflect any updates to your status.

This employer is not currently hiring foreign national applicants that require or will require sponsorship tied to a specific employer, such as H, L, TN, F, J, E, O. As a global company, Caterpillar offers many job opportunities outside of the U.S. which can be found through our employment website at .

For more information, visit To connect with us on social media, visit

Relocation is available for this position.

Posting Dates:

September 2, September 16, 2025

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply

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