Buyer/Planner

Job Summary

Buyer/Planner is responsible for procuring materials and equipment required to support production and meet the Company’s Sales & Operations Plans and Quality Objectives. This role owns purchasing, planning, expediting, and scheduling activities, ensuring seamless logistical support of customer orders in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. The ideal candidate demonstrates strong problem-solving skills, a bias to action, and the ability to operate with urgency and accountability.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain strong cross-functional relationships across the organization.
• Understand Production objectives and align daily activities to support business goals.
• Prioritize and execute work in a fast-moving, dynamic environment with changing priorities.

Purchasing:

• Plan and execute purchases for assigned commodities and projects; negotiate and implement optimal sourcing strategies.
• Issue purchase orders, confirm deliveries, and proactively expedite as needed.
• Resolve purchasing issues related to delivery, receiving, and invoicing.
• Partner with Supplier Engineering to develop strategic supplier relationships, monitor performance, and mitigate supply chain risks.
• Support supplier qualification and negotiate cost-effective solutions.
• Drive supplier accountability through performance tracking and scorecards.
• Participate in MRB activities and support corrective actions and recovery plans.
• Maintain and continuously improve purchasing procedures and documentation.

Inventory Management:

• Develop and communicate supplier forecasts using MRP and business plans.
• Manage components and finished goods inventory, including consigned inventory.
• Balance service levels, inventory accuracy, and inventory turns to meet business objectives.
• Maintain and publish accurate tracking systems to proactively identify and communicate supply risks.
• Take ownership of issues, drive root cause analysis, and implement timely solutions.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• APICS certification preferred.
• 3–5 years of experience in purchasing and planning, preferably in a regulated industry.
• Hands-on experience with ERP/MRP systems, with strong preference for SAP ERP.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (data analysis, pivot tables, lookups, and reporting).
• Experience in lean manufacturing environments is a plus.

Skills, Abilities, and Competencies

• Strong problem-solving mindset with the ability to make data-driven decisions quickly.
• Demonstrated bias to action with a sense of urgency and ownership.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, rapidly changing environment.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and time management skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to influence internal and external stakeholders to mitigate supply chain risks.
• High attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Self-motivated, with the ability to work independently and cross-functionally.
• Knowledge of lean principles and continuous improvement methodologies.