Tactical Buyer

Tactical Buyer

Location: Salt Lake City, United States of America

Thales people architect solutions that are relied upon to deliver operational advantage at every decisive moment throughout the mission. Defence and armed forces customers rely on us to deliver the full range of defensive systems for land, sea, and air. From early warning, to threat neutralisation, our platforms cover all levels from very short-range systems, to extended protection across the entire battle-space including Airspace Mobility Solutions, Vehicles and Tactical Systems and Missile Defence, Optronics, and Radar.

Position Summary

Thales is looking for a Tactical Buyer, whose role is to support the procurement function by executing day-to-day purchasing activities that ensure the timely acquisition of goods and services while meeting business, project, and operational requirements. This role is responsible for managing the procurement lifecycle, including supplier quotations, purchase order creation, pricing negotiations within delegated authority, and maintaining accurate purchasing documentation. The Tactical Buyer plays a key role in securing the best overall procurement solution by balancing quality, cost, and delivery while supporting internal stakeholders and ensuring compliance with procurement processes and strategies. In this position, you will manage daily purchasing activities by requesting supplier quotations, evaluating pricing, negotiating within delegated authority limits, creating and maintaining accurate purchase orders, and ensuring all required documentation, project information, and financial coding are complete. You will collaborate with internal customers and suppliers to resolve purchasing issues, manage supplier disputes, and ensure timely delivery of materials and services that support business operations. Success in this role requires strong organizational and communication skills, attention to detail, sound problem-solving abilities, and the ability to manage multiple priorities while delivering excellent customer service and supporting organizational procurement objectives.

Referral Bonus Eligibility: Tier 1 - $2,500

Key Areas of Responsibility

• Execute end-to-end procurement activities by reviewing purchase requisitions, obtaining supplier quotations, negotiating within Delegation of Authority (DoA) limits, issuing purchase orders, and managing order modifications, cancellations, and rescheduling to meet business and project requirements.
• Ensure the accuracy and completeness of procurement transactions by maintaining purchase orders, GL accounts, project numbers, supplier information, shipping details, and all required procurement documentation in accordance with established processes and procedures.
• Monitor and expedite procurement orders by obtaining supplier acknowledgements, tracking delivery commitments, resolving delays, and leading recovery efforts to improve on-time delivery (OTD) and overall supplier performance.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with suppliers and cross-functional stakeholders, including Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, Quality, Program Management, Contracts, Planning, Repairs, Finance, and Warehouse teams, to provide timely updates, resolve issues, and support operational objectives.
• Manage supplier performance and procurement-related issues by resolving disputes, supporting accounts payable and invoice discrepancies, conducting RFx activities, participating in integrated project teams, and driving issues to resolution with minimal supervision.
• Support continuous improvement and procurement performance by maintaining departmental KPIs, managing supplier aging metrics, preparing procurement and cost analysis reports, monitoring supplier performance, and leading recovery initiatives and cross-functional improvement efforts when needed.

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum of 2 years of experience in customer service, order management, sales support, repair administration, supply chain support, or a related customer-facing operations environment.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Economics, Engineering, or a related field with 14+ years of relevant procurement or purchasing experience; or a Master's degree in a related field with 02+ years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 15 years of experience requesting supplier quotations, negotiating pricing within Delegation of Authority (DoA) thresholds, issuing purchase orders, and ensuring the accuracy of purchase orders, GL accounts, project numbers, and supporting procurement documentation.
• 15 years of experience securing the best procurement solution by balancing quality, cost, and delivery while meeting customer requirements, supporting procurement strategy, and resolving supplier or purchasing-related disputes.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, drive assignments to completion, and work effectively with minimal supervision. Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Microsoft Excel.
• Must be a US Person as defined in applicable law, or otherwise authorized or eligible, to access to hardware, software, technology or technical data controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).

Special Position Requirements

• 35 years of strategic sourcing, procurement, or supply chain experience.
• Experience using SAP or other enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.
• Aviation, aerospace, or electronics manufacturing industry experience.
• Master's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Economics, Engineering, or a related field.
• Ability to interpret engineering parts lists, technical drawings, and bills of material (BOM).
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and influencing skills with the ability to collaborate effectively across a complex, cross-functional organization.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer at the time of hire. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship or for assuming sponsorship of an employment visa now or in the future.

If you're excited about working with Thales, but not meeting the requirements for this position, we encourage you to join our Talent Community!

Why Join Us?

Thales champions inclusion and we believe diversity strengthens the fabric of our culture. Thales is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans.

If you need an accommodation or assistance in order to apply for a position with Thales, please contact us at View email address on click.appcast.io.

The reference Total Target Compensation (TTC) market range for this position, inclusive of annual base salary and the variable compensation target, is between

Total Target Cash (TTC) 61,093.50 - 101,822.50 USD Annual

This reflects how companies in a similar industry and geographic region generally pay for similar jobs. This range helps the Company make pay decisions as one data point among many. Where a position falls within this range is also dependent on other factors including but not limited to the employee's career path history, competencies, skills and performance, as well as the company's annual salary budget, the customer's program requirements, and the company's internal equity. Thales may offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant's status protected by local, state, or federal law.

(For Internal candidate, if you need more information, please raise HR request through MyThales)

Thales provides an extensive benefits program for all full-time employees working 30 or more hours per week and their eligible dependents, including the following:

Elective Health, Dental, Vision, FSA/HSA, Voluntary Life and AD&D, Whole Group Life w/LTC, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, Accident Insurance, Legal Plan, Identity Theft, and Pet Insurance

Retirement Savings Plan after 30 days of employment with a company contribution and a match, and with no vesting period

Company paid holidays and Paid Time Off

Company provided Life Insurance, AD&D, Disability, Employee Assistance Plan, and Well-being Program