Senior Buyer

We are seeking a Senior Buyer to manage domestic and international purchasing, production planning, and inventory control within a manufacturing environment. This role is responsible for maintaining material availability, negotiating competitive supplier agreements, and coordinating production schedules to meet customer demand.

The ideal candidate brings strong purchasing and planning experience, excellent analytical skills, and a hands-on approach to solving problems. Success in this role requires attention to detail, sound financial judgment, and the ability to manage changing priorities across suppliers and internal teams.

Key Responsibilities

Purchasing & Supplier Management

• Manage domestic and international procurement, including sourcing, supplier selection, negotiations, purchase order placement, and delivery follow-up.

• Negotiate pricing, payment terms, lead times, and delivery schedules to support production needs and cost objectives.

• Evaluate total purchasing costs, including transportation, storage, tariffs, duties, taxes, and the financial impact of payment terms and inventory commitments.

• Maintain accurate purchase order information, expedite materials, and resolve supplier quality or delivery issues.

• Build relationships with existing suppliers, qualify new sources, and develop backup supply options to reduce disruption risk.

• Obtain competitive quotes and evaluate suppliers based on quality, cost, delivery performance, and service.

• Maintain supplier quality documentation to support audit requirements and the Approved Supplier Program.

Production Planning & Scheduling

• Maintain and review production schedules for the Danvers facility and associated warehouse locations.

• Adjust schedules based on customer requirements, sales forecasts, order backlog, material availability, and production capacity.

• Lead weekly planning meetings with sales, engineering, service, production, shipping, and customer care.

• Communicate schedule changes, material shortages, and delivery risks to affected teams.

• Partner with manufacturing, logistics, receiving, and finance to resolve issues and maintain operational and financial performance.

• Develop and report metrics that track planning effectiveness, process performance, and improvement opportunities.

Inventory Control & ERP Accuracy

• Analyze demand, inventory trends, and replenishment needs to maintain appropriate stock levels.

• Oversee cycle counting, including counts, recounts, variance reconciliation, and inventory adjustments.

• Support physical inventories and investigate negative inventory balances across locations.

• Maintain accurate purchasing, planning, and inventory data within the ERP system.

• Improve material flow, inventory control practices, and supply processes.

• Provide guidance and mentorship to colleagues and support collaboration across departments.

Qualifications

• Experience in manufacturing purchasing, production planning, or materials management.

• Bachelor’s degree in materials management, business, or a related field preferred.

• Extensive hands-on experience with ERP and computerized production planning systems.

• Strong supplier negotiation skills and an understanding of purchasing contracts, payment terms, product specifications, delivery requirements, and contract limitations.

• Ability to evaluate competing cost scenarios and make financially sound purchasing recommendations.

• Strong Microsoft Excel skills, including PivotTables, VLOOKUP, spreadsheet development, and basic statistical functions.

• Excellent organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to lead cross-functional meetings and present information clearly to audiences ranging from production teams to executive leadership.

• APICS certification preferred.

Additional Requirements

• Must be authorized to work in the United States; visa sponsorship is not available.

. . . Pay Statement and Pay Transparency Laws: rate of pay listed is on a per hour basis. You will be entitled to health insurance once employed for 60 days and you must work 30 hours per week, on average, per month to enroll and maintain health insurance through Complete Staffing Solutions. Once both qualifiers are met you must complete the enrollment packet and your benefits will start on the first of the subsequent month. . . It is our policy to provide equal employment opportunity to all individuals regardless of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, veteran status, ancestry, national or ethnic origin or any other legally protected class. We are committed to a diverse workforce. We value all employees' talents and support an environment that is inclusive and respectful. We are strongly committed to this policy, and believe in the concept and spirit of the law. #ZIP