Senior Buyer

Join Us At Kreg Tool

Kreg Tool manufactures a wide variety of tools, accessories, and equipment for woodworkers and do-it-yourselfers. As an employee-owned company, we strive to provide our team members opportunities for personal growth and success and are committed to serving our surrounding communities. Guided by a unique purpose and values, Kreg is dedicated to providing high-quality products to our customers by working together in a motivated, team-based environment.

Headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa (just off I-35 north of Des Moines), we create products that are available throughout North America in the nation's major home improvement stores, such as Lowe's, Home Depot, and Menards. Kreg emphasizes the importance of a healthy work-life integration through its flexible schedule and competitive benefits package. Besides medical, vision, and dental benefits, we also offer a "dress for your day" dress code, onsite fitness center, annual bonus opportunity, and volunteer time off, as well as paid parental leave, and wellness reimbursement. Each employee is a valuable member of the Kreg Team, and we are always looking for our next employee-owner to begin building their career with Kreg.

Senior Buyer

The Senior Buyer is responsible for overseeing the end-to-end supply chain process, from product sourcing to supplier management. Working cross-functionally with internal teams, this role plays a key role in finding and developing new suppliers, fostering existing relationships, and ensuring strategic objectives are achieved through effective communication and collaboration. This person manages the Supply Chain activities of New Product Launches, Cost Reductions, Inventory Optimization, and other Projects by liaising with Product Management, Engineering, Finance, QA, Operations, Suppliers, and Supply Chain. Responsible for ensuring execution within required time frame and cost targets. Support the projects as the primary Supply Chain point of contact from initiation through delivery.

So, What's The Gig?

• Lead and oversee end-to-end supply chain projects, ensuring successful execution and timely completion while adhering to budget and quality standards.
• Reviews project charters and provides guidance on component costs, sourcing timelines, and supplier selection.
• Develops and implements the Supply Chain purchasing strategy for Projects.
• Develop and implement supply chain strategies aligned with the company's overall goals and objectives.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to establish clear supply chain targets and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Conduct comprehensive market research and analysis to identify emerging trends and opportunities within the evolving supply chain landscape.
• Monitors Project Health by conducting thorough risk assessments to identify, communicate, and address potential project risks and disruptions with a specific focus on components pipeline lead-time and cost.
• Facilitate seamless coordination and communication among all stakeholders involved in the supply chain process.
• Utilize data-driven insights to optimize supply chain efficiency, reduce costs, and drive performance improvements.
• Identify and implement innovative solutions and best practices to enhance supply chain operations.
• Continuously monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of supply chain strategies, making necessary adjustments to drive ongoing improvement.
• Facilitates cross functional support to ensure accurate data is sent to buyers for correct PO placement for samples, engineering work, etc.
• Acts as the Supply Chain point of Contact to Sales and Product Management for the assigned project.
• Creates and provides status reports on Project component health for Core Team, Steering Team, and Senior Leadership.

What We're Looking For:

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain, business, or related field.
• Five or more years' experience in purchasing.
• Proven experience in successfully managing end-to-end supply chain projects and delivering results within scope, budget, and timeline.
• Knowledgeable and experienced with international sourcing.
• Solid understanding of manufacturing processes and operating systems.
• Experienced participant in Kaizen (or continuous improvement) Events.
• Proficiency of ERP (enterprise resource planning) System.

Other Skills and Abilities We're Looking For:

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate with internal teams and suppliers.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams to successful execution of strategic objectives.
• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making abilities to address supply chain challenges.
• Detail-oriented mindset with a focus on achieving strategic objectives.
• Robust commodity and analytical skills to interact with team members at various levels of organization.
• Proficiency in operating Microsoft Office programs.
• Ability to interpret and understand multi-level bills of material.
• Agile with the ability to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances.
• Must have the ability, discuss, and solve problems.
• Strong negotiation skills with a desire to build long-term partnerships and key suppliers.