Buyer

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title: Buyer

** if you are interested in this opportunity, please feel free to apply and email me your resume at alalfaro @ astoncarter.com so we can schedule a time to connect asap! **

Job Description

The Buyer is responsible for leading and coordinating all aspects of sourcing and procurement for both direct and indirect materials, services, and equipment, supporting over $210M in annual spend. This role manages complex purchasing activities, optimizes supply chain performance, and partners closely with internal stakeholders and suppliers to ensure supply continuity, cost efficiency, and high-quality support for production build plans and forecasts. The position plays a critical role in supporting life-saving medical products within a highly collaborative, smaller team environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead direct and indirect purchasing of parts, supplies, services, and equipment across the organization, managing an annual spend of more than $210M.
• Perform complex purchasing activities, including pricing analysis, volume discount negotiations, and long-term contract development with suppliers.
• Negotiate optimal terms with suppliers, including pricing, delivery schedules, and payment terms, while maintaining efficient and accurate output of purchase orders.
• Drive initiatives to reduce inventory levels and lower material costs without compromising quality or supply continuity.
• Manage material flow proactively to meet business demands and support build plans and forecasts.
• Execute optimal supply chain strategies at a tactical level for all parts to support operational and financial objectives.
• Establish category procurement strategies and objectives to ensure supply continuity, mitigate inflation, and support business growth.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key business unit leaders to gain alignment and support for sourcing and procurement initiatives.
• Mitigate supply continuity risks by partnering closely with vendors and internal stakeholders to identify and address potential issues early.
• Drive capacity expansion with critical new and existing suppliers by assessing suppliers’ financial health, manufacturing capabilities, and capacity.
• Lead inflation mitigation projects by executing RFIs and RFPs, developing cost models, and conducting benchmarking analyses.
• Conduct business scorecard reviews with key suppliers to provide performance feedback, identify improvement opportunities, and communicate future growth plans.
• Collaborate with suppliers to address non-conformance and underperformance issues, ensuring corrective actions and continuous improvement.
• Utilize ERP systems, particularly SAP, to manage procurement processes, purchase orders, and material requirements planning (MRP).
• Perform spend analysis, identify sourcing opportunities, and manage the end-to-end procurement process including RFI/RFP, stakeholder engagement, negotiations, and contracting.
• Apply category management frameworks, including analysis, strategy development, implementation, and measurement, to create and execute effective category strategies.
• Use Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint to perform data and financial analysis and to prepare clear presentations and reports for stakeholders.
• Communicate effectively with cross-functional teams, providing updates, insights, and recommendations related to sourcing, supplier performance, and cost savings initiatives.
• Act as a proactive team player who takes initiative, steps into new situations, and independently drives tasks and projects to completion.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor’s degree.
• 5–8 years of experience in indirect or direct materials strategic sourcing and procurement.
• Industry experience in medical device or pharmaceutical environments.
• Hands-on experience with ERP systems, ideally SAP, with the ability to work with other ERP platforms as needed.
• Strong understanding of procurement processes, including spend analysis, opportunity identification, RFI/RFP processes, stakeholder management, negotiations, and contracting.
• Proven ability to apply category management frameworks, including analysis, strategy development, implementation, and performance measurement.
• Experience executing complex purchasing activities, including negotiating pricing, volume discounts, and long-term contracts.
• Demonstrated ability to manage material flow and execute tactical supply chain strategies to meet business demands.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel for data and financial analysis.
• Proficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint for preparing and delivering presentations.
• Strong communication, presentation, negotiation, and influencing skills.
• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with suppliers and internal business stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to proactively manage supplier performance and address non-conformance or underperformance issues.
• Comfort working in a fast-paced environment, taking initiative, and operating as a proactive team player.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience in a medical technology, infusion therapy, or related healthcare products environment.
• Exposure to SAP in a procurement or supply chain context; experience with additional ERP systems is beneficial.
• Familiarity with medical device or pharmaceutical supply chains and regulatory considerations.
• Experience leading inflation mitigation initiatives, including RFP execution, cost modeling, and benchmarking analysis.
• Experience conducting supplier scorecard reviews and performance evaluations.
• Supply chain management–related certifications such as CPIM, CPSM, CSCP, LEAN Six Sigma, or similar are a plus.
• Ability to perform advanced data and financial analysis to support sourcing decisions and cost optimization.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and align cross-functional teams.
• Demonstrated ability to support capacity expansion with suppliers by assessing financial health, capabilities, and capacity.
• A proactive, collaborative, and solutions-oriented mindset, with a willingness to step into new situations and drive them forward.

Work Environment

This role is 100% onsite at a campus focused primarily on infusion therapy products. The work schedule is generally 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with occasional overtime possible but not frequent. You will work within a smaller procurement and supply chain team of approximately five people, providing coverage for a team member on leave and supporting ongoing growth needs. The environment centers on critical care products used in hospitals, surgery centers, infusion therapy, pharmacies, and dialysis clinics, contributing directly to life-saving patient care. The facility utilizes modern ERP systems such as SAP and standard productivity tools including Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint. The culture emphasizes collaboration, proactive problem-solving, and strong teamwork, offering the opportunity to make a visible impact and contribute to a stable, secure role within a close-knit team.

This is a Contract position based out of Irvine, CA.

The pay range for this position is $41.00 - $41.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a fully onsite position in Irvine,CA.

This position is anticipated to close on Aug 3, 2026.

Aston Carter provides world-class corporate talent solutions to thousands of clients across the globe. Specialized in accounting, finance, human resources, talent acquisition, procurement, supply chain and select administrative professions, we extend the capabilities of industry-leading companies. We draw on our deep recruiting expertise and expansive network to meet the evolving needs of our clients and talent community with agility and excellence. With offices across the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe, Aston Carter serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® Platinum Award winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on ziprecruiter.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.