Senior Buyer

Senior Buyer

Location: Onsite Status Type: Full Time

Qualifications Required: Bachelor's degree in supply chain, business, operations, engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience. Seven years of progressive purchasing or supply chain experience in a manufacturing environment. Demonstrated experience purchasing direct materials, components, and services in support of production. Advanced working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems, bills of material, inventory management, and production planning concepts. Experience leading supplier negotiations involving pricing, lead times, capacity, payment terms, and other commercial conditions. Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills. Ability to independently prioritize competing requirements, escalate risk, and drive issues to closure.

Preferred: Experience in a regulated medical device, pharmaceutical, aerospace, automotive, or other highly controlled manufacturing environment. Proficiency with SAP purchasing, material master, source list, and purchasing information record transactions. Experience with strategic sourcing, supplier development, cost modeling, and contract review. Experience supporting new product introduction, engineering changes, and supplier qualification. APICS, CPSM, or related supply chain certification.

Skills & Competencies: Strategic sourcing and supplier relationship management. Material planning, shortage prevention, and risk mitigation. Commercial negotiation and total-cost analysis. Supplier performance management and escalation. Data-driven decision making and financial acumen. Leadership, influence, and cross-functional collaboration. Attention to detail, accountability, and responsiveness to business needs. Coaching and knowledge sharing.

Physical Requirements: Occasional interaction with the production floor and supplier facilities. Must be able to remain in a stationary position for extended periods of time. Must be able to work in an office and manufacturing environment. Ability to constantly operate a computer and other office equipment, such as printer and telephone. Position requires being physically present on the premises during regular company hours or as approved by management. Occasional domestic travel may be required to support suppliers, audits, or business needs.

Responsibilities: Own procurement strategy and execution for assigned commodities, suppliers, and materials in support of MRP requirements, production schedules, customer commitments, and inventory targets. Review MRP messages, exception reports, demand changes, inventory positions, yields, open purchase orders, lead times, and supplier capacity; take timely action to prevent shortages and excess inventory. Lead supplier communications, order confirmations, recovery plans, expedites, and escalations when material availability, quality, or delivery performance threatens operations. Negotiate pricing, lead times, minimum order quantities, capacity commitments, payment terms, tooling, and other commercial conditions consistent with company objectives and approval requirements. Develop and execute sourcing and cost-reduction initiatives using competitive bids, should-cost analysis, volume leverage, alternate sourcing, value engineering, and supplier collaboration. Monitor and report supplier performance related to delivery, quality, responsiveness, capacity, and cost; lead corrective action and supplier development activities when performance is below expectations. Identify supply continuity risks and establish mitigation plans, including safety stock, alternate suppliers, capacity reservations, and recovery timelines. Maintain accurate purchase orders, purchasing information records, source lists, lead times, pricing, and other procurement master data in SAP. Partner with Planning and Production to align purchase commitments with production requirements and provide clear, early visibility to material constraints and recovery dates. Support supplier selection, qualification, audits, quality agreements, new part introduction, engineering changes, validation activities, and product transfers. Collaborate with Quality and Engineering to resolve supplier nonconformances, deviations, specification issues, and corrective actions while protecting production continuity. Work with Finance and Accounts Payable to resolve invoice discrepancies, track purchase price variance, validate savings, and improve working capital. Prepare and communicate procurement metrics, supplier status, shortage reports, cost savings, and risk updates to leadership and cross-functional stakeholders. Lead or participate in continuous improvement projects that improve procurement processes, ERP accuracy, supplier performance, inventory turns, and operational readiness. Provide day-to-day guidance, training, and support to buyers and other team members; share best practices and serve as a subject-matter resource. Ensure compliance with company purchasing policies, delegated authority, contractual requirements, ethical standards, and applicable quality-system procedures. Perform other duties and support business priorities as assigned.