Buyer

Buyer

Location: Mentor, OH

Pay rate: $30- $35/hr

Position Summary

The Buyer obtains the best quality, service, and value for products and services through effective bidding, negotiation, and supplier management. Identifies manufacturing needs, identifies, and selects suppliers, negotiates contracts, and arranges delivery. Purchases a high volume and variety of parts, equipment, services, and materials.

Essential Functions

• Identifies and recommends suppliers by investigating potential suppliers, researching parts, equipment, machinery, services, and materials availability.
• Conducts supplier site visits and evaluates them as to production capability, performance, delivery, and other key business criteria. May complete supplier certification as part of a technical and/or quality team.
• Purchases parts, equipment, and materials by preparing request for quotations and submitting purchase orders with approved suppliers. Issues purchase orders and agreements that accurately reflect price, schedule, terms, and conditions as negotiated with suppliers. Maintains accurate lead times for assigned commodities.
• Evaluates bids for standard and non-standard items. Selects suppliers for lower cost items or items of limited scope and complexity and negotiates price, delivery, quality, and service. Develops alternate sources of supply by identifying and researching prospective suppliers.
• Monitors and evaluates supplier performance. Advises appropriate personnel of impending supplier failure to fulfill contractual agreements that may delay production or delivery. Resolves shipment quality discrepancies by mediating supplier/manufacturing issues. Facilitates the resolution of issues by arranging and participating in conferences between suppliers and company personnel.
• Negotiates and settles damage claims, rejections, losses, return of materials, over-shipments, cancellations, and engineering changes with suppliers.
• Provides parts, equipment, and materials information by answering questions and requests. Prepares reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing information and trends.
• Participates in continuous improvement activities and provides suggestions for cost reduction and improved efficiency.
• Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops, reviewing trade publications, establishing networks, and/or participating in professional associations.
• Complies with federal, state, and aerospace industry regulations; ensures adherence to requirements and advises management on needed actions. Complies with Government/Commercial Practices Manual (GPM/CPM) policies and procedures.
• Contributes to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed. Work assignments may include cross-functional or project team responsibilities (e.g., continuous improvement).

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in Business Administration or related field which has provided both theoretical and practical knowledge in the field. May have limited prior industry experience or worked with direction in student internship programs.
• Certificate in Purchasing Management (CPM) preferred.
• Knowledge of key purchasing and negotiating methods, principles and concepts and general business operations.
• General knowledge of legal and regulatory requirements related to procurement.
• Basic understanding of continuous improvement techniques and methods.
• Ability to use standard business application software and specialized purchasing and/or materials systems (e.g., electronic data interface (EDI) or manufacturing resource planning (MRP) systems).
• Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, and percentages.
• Ability to research and analyze data and develop recommendations or resolve problems by drawing on internal information and referring to prior decisions.
• Ability to work with only general work direction and instructions regarding the scope of assignments and determine priority and order of assignments.
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret financial reports.
• Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to negotiate effectively to obtain the best price and terms.
• Ability to effectively demonstrate team member competencies and participate in goal setting, performance feedback, and self-development activities.