Outside Processing Buyer

About the role

We are looking for a dependable, detail-oriented Outside Processing Buyer to join our manufacturing team in Milwaukee. You will manage the outside vendors that perform secondary operations on our steel products, including but not limited to heat treating, plating, testing, shearing, laser processing and grinding.

Your job is to keep parts moving: out to the right vendor, through processing on time, and back to our facility meeting our quality standards.

What you'll do

• Purchase order management: Issue, track and manage purchase orders for outside processing services such as heat treating, plating, testing, shearing, grinding and laser processing.
• Logistics coordination: Arrange and monitor the transport of steel parts to and from outside vendors and other Wrought Washer plants so turnarounds stay on time and production isn't delayed.
• Daily planning: Keep multiple orders, vendors and shipments in motion at once, and re-plan quickly when a customer rush, a line-down situation or a vendor delay comes up.
• Vendor communication: Check in with vendors daily to track order status, resolve scheduling bottlenecks and clarify processing specifications.
• Quality verification: Work with our Quality department to confirm that certifications and inspection data match requirements when processed parts come back.
• Data entry and inventory tracking: Keep accurate records of where inventory is, what processing costs, and current lead times in our ERP system.

What we're looking for

• Experience: 0–5 years in manufacturing, purchasing, inventory control, scheduling, or industrial logistics. Entry-level candidates with a strong work ethic and attention to detail are welcome to apply.
• Industry knowledge: Familiarity with steel or metal fabrication workflows and processing terms (heat treating, plating, grinding) is a strong plus.
• ERP software: Experience tracking material in an ERP system is helpful. Plex ERP experience is a distinct advantage but not required; we will train you.
• Education & Skill: A college degree is not required. Comfortable working with weights, piece counts, unit conversions (pounds, pieces, cwt pricing) and costs, and quick to catch a figure that doesn't add up.
• Prioritization and judgment: You can keep dozens of open orders moving, decide what comes first when a rush order or a late vendor changes the plan, and follow each one through to closed.
• Skills: Strong organization, clear verbal and written communication, and basic Microsoft Office Applications.