Senior buyer

Chipton-Ross is seeking a Senior Buyer for a direct opportunity in Buena Park, CA. BASIC QUALIFICATIONS (REQUIRED SKILLS/EXPERIENCE): Five or more years of progressive purchasing, procurement, sourcing, or supply chain experience in a manufacturing environment. Demonstrated experience issuing purchase orders, conducting RFQs, negotiating commercial terms, managing suppliers, and resolving delivery or quality problems. Working knowledge of ERP or MRP systems, bills of material, drawings and specifications, inventory controls, lead times, and material requirements. Strong Microsoft Excel skills and the ability to analyze quotations, cost information, supplier performance, and purchasing data. Ability to manage multiple priorities and urgent requirements while maintaining accuracy, documentation, and professional supplier relationships. Strong judgment, negotiation, problem solving, written communication, and cross functional collaboration skills. Ability to work onsite and interact regularly with office, receiving, inspection, and production teams. POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES: Develop and execute sourcing and purchasing strategies for assigned commodities, including raw materials, machined components, castings, tooling, outside processing, production supplies, and services. Prepare and issue requests for quotation; analyze supplier proposals for price, lead time, capacity, quality, technical compliance, payment terms, and total cost of ownership. Negotiate pricing, delivery, minimum order quantities, tooling charges, freight, payment terms, and other commercial conditions within established authority. Create, maintain, and close purchase orders in the ERP system with accurate quantities, pricing, due dates, revisions, specifications, quality clauses, and customer or regulatory flow downs. Monitor open orders and supplier commitments, identify shortages and late deliveries early, and drive expedites or recovery plans to protect production schedules and customer delivery dates. Partner with Planning and Operations to align purchase priorities with MRP demand, inventory levels, lead times, safety stock, capacity constraints, and changing production requirements. Coordinate with Engineering and Quality on drawings, specifications, approved sources, first article requirements, supplier changes, nonconforming material, corrective actions, and technical questions. Evaluate supplier performance using delivery, quality, responsiveness, cost, and risk data; conduct supplier reviews and lead improvement or escalation activities when performance falls below expectations. Identify and qualify alternate sources to reduce cost, shorten lead times, resolve capacity constraints, and mitigate single source, obsolescence, geopolitical, or continuity risks. Initiate and coordinate supplier onboarding and setup for new sources, including nondisclosure agreements, vendor records and codes, and required documentation, in partnership with Quality and Finance. Support new product introductions, program transfers, engineering changes, and make or buy decisions by obtaining reliable cost, lead time, capacity, and supplier readiness information. Resolve invoice discrepancies, receiving issues, returns, credits, and purchase order variances in partnership with Receiving, Quality, and Finance. Maintain complete purchasing records and comply with company policies, delegated authority, customer requirements, the quality management system, and applicable export control and procurement requirements. Provide guidance to less experienced buyers and share market, supplier, and commodity knowledge across the team. Perform other related duties as assigned. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS (DESIRED SKILLS/EXPERIENCE): Bachelor degree in supply chain, business, operations, engineering, or a related discipline; equivalent relevant experience will be considered. Purchasing experience in aerospace, defense, precision machining, die casting, metal products, or another regulated manufacturing environment. Experience purchasing aluminum or zinc alloys, CNC machined components, tooling, finishing, heat treatment, plating, coatings, or other outside processing services. Familiarity with aerospace quality requirements, customer flow downs, approved supplier controls, first article inspection, traceability, and counterfeit parts prevention. Knowledge of FAR or DFARS requirements and United States export controls applicable to aerospace and defense supply chains. APICS CSCP or CPIM, ISM CPSM, or comparable procurement or supply chain certification. REQUIRED EDUCATION: Accredited WORK HOURS: Full-Time #J-18808-Ljbffr Chipton-Ross, Inc.