Procurement Specialist

The Asahi Kasei Group operates with a commitment of creating for tomorrow.  Our business sectors, Materials, Homes, and Health Care, contribute to the development of society by anticipating the changing needs of those around the world. We look for candidates that offer a fresh perspective and a variety of skills to help us achieve our commitment.

Asahi Kasei is a long-trusted supplier of lithium-ion battery separators – polymer-based microporous membranes that are a key component of the lithium batteries used to power electric vehicles, renewable energy storage systems, and more. We are currently seeking applications to fill the following job opening at Asahi Kasei Battery Separator Canada, where we are in the process of constructing a new lithium battery separator manufacturing facility to support increasing North American demand.

Company:

Asahi Kasei Battery Separator Canada Corporation

Job Description:

We are seeking a Procurement Specialist to be a part of a new plant start-up based in Port Colborne, Ontario.   This position will be responsible for responsible for coordinating and the execution of purchasing activities, managing site spend categories to ensure best total cost for goods and services that are procured. This position is a new role for AKBSCA.

This position directly reports to the Procurement Leader.

• Sincerity – Being sincere with everyone.
• Challenge – Boldly taking challenges, continuously seeking change.
• Creativity – Creating new value through unity and synergy.

• Identify, evaluate, and select suppliers for Indirect and MRO Categories.
• Lead the end-to-end RFx processes for supplier evaluation and selection.
• Responsible for vendor onboarding including NDA, COI, and safety protocol. 
• Convert purchase requisitions into purchase orders in Dynamic 365 system.
• Track order status and follow up on delayed deliveries.
• Handle indirect procurement categories such as uniforms, snow removal, safety equipment, janitorial services, office supplies, and other facility-related services.
• Develop, maintain, and automate procurement reports using Excel and POWER BI to analyze spend trends, supplier performance, contract compliance, and cost-saving opportunities.
• Monitor spending trends, supplier scorecards, and leverage purchasing synergies to optimize costs and mitigate risks.
• Collaborate extensively with Maintenance Manager and Production Manager to understand and anticipate procurement needs. 
• Contribute to defining strategic objectives and tactics within the entire supply chain scope.
• Drive supplier development initiatives focused on cost reduction, quality improvement, delivery performance, and innovation.
• Focus on reducing risk and dependency exposure by developing alternative suppliers, and wherever possible, establishing dual sourcing.
• Vendor site visits as needed for project follow-up, support, review, best practice sharing, etc.
• Adhere to ethical principles and standards of purchasing.
• Ensure department and purchasing practices comply with all applicable safety, regulatory, and quality system requirements.
• Support continuous improvement of procurement processes.

Key Skills and Abilities:

• Must possess excellent communication skills (oral and written) for internal and external customer/vendor interaction.
• Must possess strong negotiating skills.
• Individual initiative, analytical skills, and a healthy sense of urgency are required.

Education Background:

• Bachelor’s degree required in business, supply chain or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Knowledge & Experience: 

Expected Compensation:

• Salary based position with a range of $75,000.00 to $90,000.00 based on education and experience.  

Travel:

• Must hold a valid Passport and be willing to travel up to 5% internationally for training and visiting other company locations, predominately the United States of America and Japan.

Schedule:

• Full-time 100% in-person position.
• Typical work hours are Monday to Friday, with flexibility to address urgent issues as needed 24/7. Attendance at meetings and trainings on off shifts may also be required periodically.

This position will be based in a temporary office on the construction site until the permanent office is built in 202. The final work environment will be at a 24/7 manufacturing operation.  This position is in support of manufacturing and requires working in a production environment around chemicals. The manufacturing facility will be a state of the art in terms of automation and being temperature and humidity controlled.  This will be a clean and comfortable environment due to the nature of the products being produced.

Asahi Kasei Battery Separator Canada is a pioneer in battery technology and a long-trusted supplier of lithium battery separators, which are polymer-based microporous membranes that are key components of lithium-ion batteries (LIB) used in consumer electronics and electric vehicles.

The company’s Hipore™ brand of separators has been commercially available since the lithium battery market’s inception in the early 1990s, and they are found primarily in electric drive vehicles (EDVs) as well as in consumer electronics (CE) such as smartphones, tablets and personal computers. Hipore™ membrane separators bring high porosity and excellent energy transfer, while contributing to battery safety and reliability, and they are especially well matched for the high-capacity batteries required for power plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and full battery (BEV) vehicles. 

Asahi Kasei is accelerating its next phase of global growth with proactive investment and capacity expansion in battery separators to meet increasing demand for electric vehicle applications. We are now in the early phases of staffing our new greenfield site, in Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada, which will further build our LIB separator infrastructure for automotive applications to meet growing demand in North America where significant expansion of electric vehicle production is forecasted. 

The Asahi Kasei Group is a diversified group of companies led by holding company Asahi Kasei Corp., with operations in the material, homes, and health care business sectors. With more than 49,000 employees around the world, the Asahi Kasei Group serves customers in more than 100 countries. We are Creating for Tomorrow!

For more information, go to www.ak-bsc.ca.

Asahi Kasei Battery Separator Canada is an equal opportunity employer that embraces diversity in the workplace and encourages applications from qualified women, men, visible minorities, aboriginal peoples, and persons with disabilities.  

We are committed to providing accommodations throughout the interview process for needs that are made known in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). If accommodation is required in the application process, please contact AKBSCA Human Resources at hr@ak-bsc.ca.

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As an equal opportunity employer, Asahi Kasei is dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce. Asahi Kasei believes that its diverse workforce strengthens the company’s ability to adapt and thrive in a changing world .