Buyer / Planner

Job Description

Job Description

JOB TITLE: Buyer Planner 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY:

The Buyer Planner owns an assigned material category end to end, from suppliers to material on the dock. One person plans, sources, buys, and expedites the material, and is accountable when it is late, short, or over-stocked. This position works closely with the production planning team to understand the build plan and material requirements to support. 

Multiple positions share this job description and differ only by assigned category. Categories may be rebalanced by Supply Chain leadership to even out workload or cover absences, and each Buyer Planner is cross-trained to back up at least one other category.

TEAMWORK

• Help each other succeed
• Communicate clearly and directly, listen well
• Encourage teammates
• Blameless problem solving

HONESTY AND INTEGRITY

• Honor your commitments
• Do the right thing
• Consistent in your attitudes and actions

LEAN

• Improve processes
• Open to new ideas
• Share information, and teach
• Expose issues

NUMBERS FOCUSED

• Deliver results
• Analyze data for improvement
• Take ownership and accountability
• Work smarter, not harder

EXCELLENCE

• Exhibit passion in serving customers
• Contribute solutions
• Sense of urgency
• Be the best at what you do
• Seek knowledge

FUN

• Be positive
• Celebrate achievements
• Don’t take yourself too seriously

CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES:

PLANNING AND MATERIAL AVAILABILITY

• Run MRP / NetSuite planning daily for the assigned category and convert demand into a purchase plan
• Perform clear-to-build analysis on scheduled jobs and confirm material is available before release to the floor
• Maintain planning data for assigned items, including lead times, MOQs, order policies, and safety stock
• Reschedule open orders in or out as demand changes so supply matches the production plan

SOURCING AND PURCHASING

• Issue RFQs, evaluate quotes on total cost (price, lead time, quality, and terms), and award to approved suppliers
• Work closely with the Global Supply Manager (GSM) who manages all master contracts and commercial aspects of the supplier relationship
• Create and submit POs in accordance with the FFM Procurement Policy and approval workflow
• Keep open POs accurate: confirmed dates, correct pricing, and no unconfirmed or past-due lines left unaddressed
• Partner with the GSM to negotiate pricing, lead times, and terms for the assigned category

SUPPLIER MANAGEMENT

• Own day-to-day relationships with all suppliers in the assigned category
• Track and report supplier on-time delivery and quality; maintain supplier scorecards
• Work with Quality on non-conforming material, supplier corrective actions, and returns
• OSP assignment: coordinate send-outs and returns with Shipping & Receiving and manage supplier turn times against the routing

SHORTAGES AND RISK

• Own the shortage report for the assigned category and drive each shortage to closure
• Expedite as needed to protect the production schedule and customer commitments
• Flag supply risks early, before they become shortages: lead-time changes, price increases, single-source exposure, and capacity limits
• Escalate issues that put customer ship dates at risk, with a recovery plan

INVENTORY HEALTH AND E&O

• Own excess and obsolete (E&O) inventory for the assigned category
• Identify root causes of E&O (buy quantities, MOQs, engineering changes, cancelled demand) and correct them
• Recommend dispositions (return to vendor, rework, reuse, or write-off) to Finance and Supply Chain leadership

REPORTING AND IMPROVEMENT

• Report category performance measures weekly
• Support customer inquiries on material status and lead times
• Support NPI by quoting new materials and setting up new items before launch
• Maintain the responsibilities of the ISO 9001 system in accordance with the Quality Manual and procedure-level documentation
• Participate actively and positively in Lean and continuous improvement activities
• All other duties as assigned.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES:

Each Buyer Planner is measured on the assigned category. Targets are set by the Planning Manager and reviewed quarterly.

• Clear-to-build rate: % of jobs with all material available at scheduled start
• Shortages:  open shortages and line stoppages caused by the category
• Supplier on-time delivery: % of PO lines received on or before the confirmed date
• PO health:  past-due and unconfirmed PO lines
• E&O:  category E&O dollars and trend over time
• Cost performance:  purchase price variance and documented savings
• Inventory turns:  category inventory turns

REPORTS TO:  Planning Manager

WORKS WITH:  Suppliers, Production Planning, Global Supply Manager, Operations, Engineering/NPI, Quality, Shipping & Receiving, Inside Sales, Finance, Future Form Team Members

SAFETY REQUIREMENTS OF POSITION:

Follow all OSHA safety regulations and those set by Future Form Manufacturing

REQUIREMENTS OF POSITION:

Essential

• High school diploma or GED required
• 2+ years of purchasing, material planning, or buyer/planner experience in a manufacturing environment
• Working knowledge of MRP logic: BOMs, lead times, order policies, and open-order management
• ERP experience required; strong Excel skills (pivot tables, lookups, basic analysis)
• Ability to read BOMs and engineering drawings well enough to source and quote material
• Clear, direct written and verbal communication with suppliers and internal teams
• Organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage competing priorities against hard deadlines
• Ability to work on-site at our Sparks, NV facility; occasional travel to supplier sites
• Authorization to work in the United States without employer sponsorship

• College degree in Supply Chain, Business, or a related field, or equivalent experience
• Experience with NetSuite ERP, particularly planning and purchasing modules
• Sheet metal fabrication experience: steel, aluminum, and stainless grades; hardware; finishing and outside processes
• Supplier negotiation experience
• CPIM, CSCP, CPSM, or equivalent supply chain / procurement certification

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS OF POSITION:

Work is primarily computer-based, with regular time on the production floor and in receiving to verify material, resolve shortages, and coordinate with Shipping & Receiving. Must be able to sit for extended periods at a computer and use a keyboard and mouse frequently; stand and walk throughout the facility, including on concrete floors; and occasionally bend, stoop, reach, and climb stairs. Must be able to lift and carry up to 50 lbs occasionally (material samples, hardware, and parts). Occasional driving to supplier sites (valid driver's license required). Must have normal vision (with or without corrective lenses), sufficient to read screens, part labels, and engineering drawings, and normal hearing (with or without hearing aid enhancement) sufficient to communicate in a moderate-noise shop environment.

Working Environment: Shop environment. Moderate noise level. Exposure to dust, heat and cold.

This position will require drug testing per company policy.