Buyer - Planner in Equipment Manufacturing

Equipment Buyer/Planner

The Manufacturing Equipment Buyer/Planner is responsible for the procurement and lifecycle management of materials, components, and spare parts required to install, sustain, and maintain manufacturing line equipment. This position plays a critical role in ensuring uninterrupted production by proactively sourcing and securing the equipment-related materials and spare parts necessary to support maintenance, repairs, upgrades, and capital deployments.

The core of this role is procurement execution: identifying qualified suppliers, negotiating terms, managing purchase orders, and ensuring on-time delivery of critical parts and materials. Experience with materials or supply planning is a plus, as it supports more effective forecasting and coordination with maintenance and operations teams, but is not the primary focus of the role.

This position is well suited to a candidate who demonstrates strong procurement expertise, sound judgment under pressure, and a consistent record of proactive sourcing and execution in a manufacturing or industrial environment.

Plan, buy, and manage direct materials and spare parts required to support manufacturing line equipment, tooling, automation, and test systems, ensuring continuity of operations and minimal production disruption.

Partner with Engineering, Maintenance, and Production to define and maintain technical specifications, drawings, acceptance criteria, and documentation for equipment materials and spares supporting installation, sustainment, and repair activities.

Own spare parts strategy for manufacturing equipment, including criticality assessment, recommended stocking levels, lead?time risk mitigation, and lifecycle planning aligned to equipment uptime and production needs.

Support Engineering Change Orders (ECOs), deviations, and qualification builds by assessing and executing procurement impacts related to equipment materials, spare parts, cost, lead time, and supplier scope.

Execute sourcing events (RFI/RFQ/RFP) for manufacturing equipment materials, line tooling, test and measurement systems, and associated spare parts, evaluating total cost of ownership (TCO), serviceability, and long?Supports negotiation and administration of supplier commercial terms where requiredincluding pricing, payment terms, incoterms, lead times, warranties, service agreements, and after?sales supportto meet manufacturing quality, cost, and delivery (QCD) objectives.

Partners with Sourcing and Category Management in supplier governance and QBRs, includes monitoring of supplier performance (OTIF, lead time adherence, responsiveness, warranty performance, corrective actions) as well as identifying and mitigating supply risks that could impact manufacturing line availability.

manage acknowledgements, expedites, changes, cancellations, and deliveries through installation, commissioning, or spares receipt with proactive risk management.

Coordinate logistics and site?readiness activitiesincluding packaging, freight, customs documentation, rigging, utilities, and safety requirementsto enable on?time deployment of manufacturing equipment materials and spares.

Track and report procurement activities against manufacturing project schedules, equipment installations, and sustainment plans, providing clear status, risks, and recovery actions to stakeholders.

Manage end?of?life (EOL) and obsolescence for equipment materials and spares by partnering with Engineering to identify, qualify, and transition alternate parts and suppliers.

Serve as the liaison between Procurement, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Finance to execute the Request for Capital Expenditure (RCE) process in compliance with company procedures.

Prepare, submit, and maintain complete technical, financial, and contractual documentation (RCEs, BOMs, contracts, spares lists) to support audit readiness and regulatory compliance when required.

Manufacturing-Focused Procurement: Demonstrated experience buying materials, components, and spares for manufacturing line equipment, automation, tooling, or capital assets.

Spare Parts and Lifecycle Planning: Strong capability in critical spares identification, stocking strategies, lead?time risk mitigation, and lifecycle support of production equipment.

Proven ability to organize and evaluate data to support timely execution of core job responsibilities and support sourcing events where required.

Technical Acumen: Ability to interpret equipment drawings, data sheets, BOMs, and specifications, translating engineering and maintenance requirements into executable purchasing actions.

Effective partnership with Engineering, Manufacturing, Maintenance, Finance, Quality, and Sourcing to align operational, technical, and compliance needs.

Strong bias for action with ownership of delivery performance, equipment readiness, and spares availability supporting manufacturing uptime.

Making Skills: Ability to assess supply risk, forecast equipment and spare part demand, prioritize critical needs, and make data?PO cycle time, PO accuracy, contract coverage, and documentation rigor.

Required Education and Training

Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, Business, Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

Formal training in purchasing, materials management, production planning, or inventory management.

Experience or training in regulated or quality?controlled manufacturing environments (e.g., medical devices, semiconductors, aerospace, automotive).

Documented technical training enabling interpretation of equipment data sheets, mechanical/electrical drawings, P&IDs, and manufacturing BOMs.

Proficiency in ERP and purchasing systems (e.g., SAP, SAP Fiori, Coupa, Agile, NEPTUNE) with strong Excel capabilities for cost modeling and analysis.

Training in negotiation, cost analysis, and supplier management, through formal coursework, certifications, or structured programs.

Maintains on-site presence to perform core job duties; expected to be in the office a minimum of 5 days per week. Schedule is subject to change as project schedules necessitate.

Potential for up to 20% travel, including visits to domestic and international supplier sites and manufacturing locations.

Due to the nature of our business and the role, please note that Intuitive and/or your customer(s) may require that you show current proof of vaccination against certain diseases including COVID-19. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees, and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type, without regard to race, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, color, age, religion, protected veteran or disability status, genetic information or any other status protected under federal, state, or local applicable laws.

Export Controls Disclaimer: In accordance with the U.Export Administration Regulations (15 CFR 743.13(b)), some roles at Intuitive Surgical may be subject to U.S. export controls for prospective employees who are nationals from countries currently on embargo or sanctions status.

Certain information you provide as part of the application will be used for purposes of determining whether Intuitive Surgical will need to (i) obtain an export license from the U.For any Intuitive role subject to export controls, final offers are contingent upon obtaining an approved export license and/or an executed TCP prior to the prospective employee's start date, which may or may not be flexible, and within a timeframe that does not unreasonably impede the hiring need.