Inventory Planner / Buyer - Manufacturing

The Buyer/Planner manages purchasing and material planning activities that support manufacturing, distribution, customer demand, and new product introduction. The role converts forecasts, production requirements, and inventory data into timely supply actions, ensuring that materials, components, subassemblies, and finished goods are available in the right quantity, at the right time, and at the best overall value.

This position owns purchase order execution, supplier communication, material availability, shortage resolution, and inventory planning within assigned categories. The Buyer/Planner works closely with Production, Engineering, Quality, Inventory Control, Business Development, Customer Service, and Finance to maintain supply continuity, control cost, and improve operational performance.

Purchasing & Purchase Order Management

• Create, release, manage, and close purchase orders and, where appropriate, blanket purchase agreements in accordance with approved requirements and company policies.
• Determine and confirm export and import documents meet requirements (e.g., HTC and product descriptions) for international shipments.
• Obtain and evaluate supplier quotations, pricing, availability, lead times, minimum order quantities, payment terms, freight terms, and other commercial conditions.
• Negotiate pricing, delivery, quality, and terms within established authority to achieve the best total value including the impact of import duties and tariffs.
• Maintain complete and accurate procurement records, supplier correspondence, acknowledgments, and supporting documentation.

Material Planning, MRP & Inventory Control

• Analyze internal demand forecasts, production schedules, external OEM customer requirements, historical usage, lead times, and inventory positions to determine material requirements.
• Use ERP and MRP tools, including exception messages and purchase suggestions, to identify shortages, excess inventory, late supply, and required planning actions.
• Define and maintain planning parameters such as lead time, order quantity, safety stock, reorder points, and stocking policies (e.g., stock, non-stock, drop-ship and cross-dock) for assigned items.
• Balance service, production continuity, cash requirements, and obsolescence risk when making replenishment decisions.
• Coordinate material availability for production schedules, non-stock requirements, ready-to-fly production, MRO needs, R&D activity, and new product launches.
• communicate risks and recovery plans promptly.

Identify, evaluate, select, qualify, and onboard suppliers in coordination with Category Management, Quality and other functional stakeholders.

• Develop productive supplier relationships and serve as the day-to-day commercial contact for assigned suppliers and categories.
• Monitor supplier delivery, quality, responsiveness, cost, and service performance; Source alternate suppliers and equivalent materials to reduce supply risk, improve lead time, and support cost-reduction objectives.
• Support supplier agreements, vendor-managed inventory, economic order quantity, and replenishment programs when beneficial.

Partner with Engineering and suppliers on specifications, bills of material, engineering changes, product lifecycle transitions, and new product introductions.

• Collaborate with Production, Scheduling, Quality, Warehouse, Inventory Control, Customer Service, Business Development, and Finance to resolve supply and order issues.
• Provide timely responses to questions involving product availability, shipment status, returns, backorders, substitutes, and expected delivery dates.
• Coordinate non-stock purchasing and support quoting and order management activities as assigned.

Track and communicate inventory status, shortages, open-order risk, supplier performance, purchase price variance, lead-time improvement, and cost-saving opportunities.

• Analyze data and recommend practical actions to improve forecast accuracy, inventory effectiveness, procurement efficiency, and supplier performance.
• Support standard-cost updates, budgeting, cash-flow planning, payment-term improvements, and other cross-functional business reviews as requested.
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives involving purchasing processes, material flow, ERP/MRP utilization, reporting, and internal controls.
• Maintain awareness of market conditions, supplier capacity, business-practice changes, and new or alternative materials relevant to assigned categories.