Buyer

Buyer

Position Summary

This position will procure materials to meet planned requirements in accordance with inventory stocking policies and procedures, while meeting business objectives of safety, quality, on time delivery, competitive customer lead times, profitability, and inventory.    The Buyer will also support daily management activities to ensure commitments are achieved and ensure project management teams are supported.

Principle Responsibilities

• Ability to utilize Material Requirement Planning (MRP) to its fullest extent to perform Procurement related activities
• Maintain part master data as well as understanding how master data drives material requirement planning
• Maintain appropriate inventory levels to meet and exceed inventory targets and turns; as well as seek opportunities to reduce inventory through various techniques such as lot size optimization, off-the-shelf vs. MTO analysis, Kanban, etc. 
• Understand PFEP “Plan for Every Part” as well as determining Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) to achieve price reductions while balancing inventory levels.
• Full understanding of re-order points and safety stock formulas; as well as the impact on different ways of calculating.
• Ability to place purchase orders according to forecast and demand; as well as understanding of cyclical, seasonal, and/or historical ordering trends
• Ability to proactively identify potential part shortages, work with vendors to prevent shortages, understand vendor capacity and constraints; as well as when to properly escalate potential part shortages.
• Perform purchase order acknowledgement, reconciliation of open orders with vendors, and provide forecast to vendors for future ordering. 
• Identify root cause of late lines and implement corrective action to prevent forward to ensure fill rate targets are achieved and sustained.
• Ability to drive root cause for missed shipments and help to implement corrective actions to ensure Customer fill rate targets are achieved and sustained.
• Track on-time supplier delivery performance and drive root cause and corrective action to improve overall supplier performance
• Evaluate slow moving items and work with appropriate groups to propose clean-up, re-work, obsolescence, changes to lot sizing, stock status etc.
• Communicate effectively both internally and externally at all levels.

• Other duties as assigned

Qualification Requirements

Credentials/Experience:

• Educated to degree standard desirable (Bachelor of Science degree preferred), but not essential – relevant experience consistent with required skills and abilities).
• 3-5 years of experience within Planning and/or Procurement.

Experience/Educational/Training Preferred:

• APICS certification a plus or equivalent.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

• Demonstrated experience within materials planning and scheduling, and supplier performance management in a fast paced, regulated, precision engineering environment.
• Excellent attention to detail with a capacity to recognize problems and proactively resolve where possible and escalate as necessary.
• Advanced Microsoft skills, particularly MS Excel and ability to download and manipulate data quickly and easily using advanced functions
• Strong numerical and analytical skills with a methodical and organized approach to work.
• Works well under pressure within a busy office environment with the ability to prioritize multiple competing tasks.
• Ability to apply LEAN concepts and good understanding of Pull systems.
• Expert knowledge of Material Requirement Planning (MRP)
• High energy, enthusiastic and confident individual with excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
• Sensitive to different international cultures and able to adapt style accordingly whilst ensuring targets are met and exceeded.
• Good negotiation skills.
• A team player.

• Experience using a business ERP system in a manufacturing environment.

Other Requirements 

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, the employee could be required to stand.  The employee could frequently be required to walk; use hand to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms and talk or hear. The employee could be required to sit; climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.   The employee could occasionally lift and or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job could include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and ability to adjust focus.