What are the responsibilities and job description for the Buyer/Planner position at Columbia Helicopters?
For over 65 years, Columbia Helicopters have been a trusted provider of heavy-lift helicopter services. We create new aircraft, fly heavy-lift helicopters around the world, and provide maintenance support to ensure you are mission-ready for critical operations. If you are passionate about aviation, join our Columbia Family!
The Buyer/Planner evaluates needs, inventory levels, and demand to procure technical and non-technical materials and services. They ensure all purchases meet military, customer, and company standards at the best value, manage RFQs and purchase orders, coordinate with suppliers and internal teams, and apply procurement strategies to balance inventory, supply, and departmental requirements.
What You Will Do
The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)
The Buyer/Planner evaluates needs, inventory levels, and demand to procure technical and non-technical materials and services. They ensure all purchases meet military, customer, and company standards at the best value, manage RFQs and purchase orders, coordinate with suppliers and internal teams, and apply procurement strategies to balance inventory, supply, and departmental requirements.
What You Will Do
- Uses a variety of tools and systems (enterprise and self-developed) to Plan and Procure materials to meet our needs, balancing inventories, Spends, Lead Time and desired Service levels to ensure coverage with minimum appropriate inventories and Safety Stocks
- Resolve nominally-complex problems and situations that might endanger the adequate flow of materials and/or constrain fleet operations
- Analyze, recommend and select proper vendors for placement of orders, negotiate with vendors as to assure proper quality, on-time delivery and competitive pricing, interfacing with the Production/Supply Planners, Engineering, Quality and other functional & support organizations as needed to accomplish his/her and Columbia’s objectives
- Demonstrate exceptional ownership and accountability for his/her parts and products, addressing both technical as well as business obstacles to achieve his/her fleet support and business objectives, effectively and promptly escalating concerns and both technical as well as business roadblocks to more senior Supply Chain and other departments and resources for guidance and direction
- Has budgetary discretion to purchase technical and non-technical materials and services consistent with military, customer and company specifications and quality levels at the most advantageous prices
- Expedites or places orders to resolve actual or potential shortages, and will replenish current supplies using effective cost reduction and avoidance procedures
- Identify and implements Lean concepts to eliminate waste from processes
- Identifies and leverages supplier’s capabilities to develop creative ideas and action plans for cost reduction and quality improvement ideas
- Identifies the need for development and implementation of sourcing strategies and methodologies to meet cost, quality, delivery and service objectives, working as needed with more senior members of the Procurement team to create sourcing and/or supplier development strategies
- 5-7 years overall Procurement experience, with 3-5 years’ experience in procurement of aircraft parts and components, aircraft parts markets and sources. Experience with FAA Part 21 manufacturing/Procurement very desirable
- Bachelor’s Degree in related field or equivalent training and/or experience.
- Demonstrated competence with capable MRP/ERP systems required; RAMCO Marshall experience preferred
- Strong understanding of supply chain management and an aptitude for computer database tools
- Understanding of standardized quality management system and the ability to communicate with vendors and customers, experience with purchase orders, terms and conditions, and BOA’s
- Exposure to Lean Manufacturing concepts
- Maintain a good working relationship with all team members, stakeholders and customers
- Competence and familiarity with engineering (aviation preferred) drawings, specifications, materials, processes, and inspections
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills to be able present ideas, concepts and proposals with a wide range of audiences at all levels both internal and external to the company
- Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
- Advanced skills with Microsoft Office applications preferred
The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)