Junior Buyer

Help Shape Tengco’s Global Supply Base Through International Supplier Engagement

Tengco Inc. supplies custom-manufactured industrial products to customers ranging from Fortune 500 companies to growing businesses. Our product families include fasteners, castings, forgings, stampings, machined parts, injection-molded products, and assemblies.

We are seeking a Buyer to manage supplier sourcing, cost analysis, commercial negotiations, and purchasing activity from quotation through implementation. The Buyer will work with suppliers, overseas offices, and Tengco departments to identify competitive supply solutions that meet customer requirements for quality, cost, delivery, and technical performance. The Buyer will also participate in supplier visits, sourcing trips, audits, negotiations, and business meetings in the United States and internationally.

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL OPPORTUNITY
International travel is a meaningful component of this position. Candidates must be comfortable with overseas travel, multi-day trips, supplier facility visits, and working directly with international business partners.

What You Will OwnSourcing and Supplier Development

• Manage requests for quotation for assigned products, commodities, suppliers, or projects.
• Research and evaluate potential domestic and international suppliers.
• Assess supplier capabilities involving technical requirements, quality, capacity, lead time, cost, and risk.
• Develop supplier comparisons and documented sourcing recommendations.
• Identify and develop alternative sources for supply continuity, cost improvement, or performance improvement.
• Support supplier assessments, audits, and performance-improvement activities.

Cost Analysis and Negotiation

• Develop and evaluate total-landed-cost comparisons.
• Analyze product cost, tooling, materials, freight, duties, packaging, lead time, payment terms, and other commercial factors.
• Lead supplier negotiations to achieve competitive total cost.
• Identify and execute cost-reduction, cost-avoidance, and resourcing opportunities.
• Track savings and communicate financial results.
• Explain cost changes, commercial risks, and sourcing recommendations to management and internal stakeholders.

Purchasing and Project Execution

• Manage assigned sourcing and purchasing activities in accordance with established procedures.
• Ensure quotations and purchasing documentation are accurate, complete, and properly approved.
• Manage supplier confirmations, revisions, cancellations, and open commercial issues.
• Coordinate assigned projects from quotation through supplier implementation.
• Monitor supplier commitments involving samples, production, documentation, and delivery.
• Resolve purchasing issues involving price, quantity, quality, documentation, and schedule.
• Maintain accurate supplier, quotation, purchase-order, freight, material, and project information.
• Drive assigned actions and timelines to completion.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Sales, Engineering, Quality, Logistics, Accounting, overseas offices, and suppliers.
• Support sourcing solutions involving materials, manufacturing methods, pricing, tooling, and logistics.
• Communicate project progress, supplier risks, cost concerns, and required decisions.
• Balance the requirements of multiple customers, projects, and stakeholders.
• Prepare purchasing reports using Microsoft 365 and Tengco’s ERP system.

Global Travel and Supplier Engagement

• Travel domestically and internationally to visit suppliers, evaluate manufacturing capabilities, and strengthen supplier relationships.
• Participate in supplier audits, business reviews, sourcing initiatives, and face-to-face commercial negotiations.
• Visit overseas offices and manufacturing partners to support project execution and supply-base development.
• Represent Tengco professionally while working across countries, cultures, and business environments.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, International Business, Engineering, Finance, Economics, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Relevant experience in purchasing, sourcing, supply chain, manufacturing, logistics, engineering, or a related commercial function.
• Experience performing supplier or cost analysis.
• Experience communicating and negotiating with suppliers.
• Strong Excel and Microsoft 365 skills.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving ability.
• Ability to interpret and communicate detailed commercial information.
• Ability to independently manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally, including overseas and multi-day trips, as an ongoing responsibility of the position.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with custom-manufactured or engineered industrial products.
• Ability to interpret technical drawings, specifications, and revisions.
• Experience with global sourcing and overseas suppliers.
• Experience constructing total-landed-cost models.
• Experience negotiating product pricing, tooling, lead time, payment terms, freight, or related commercial conditions.
• Familiarity with international freight, customs duties, Incoterms, or HTS classifications.
• Experience using ERP, purchasing, inventory, SQL-based, or document-management systems.
• Experience evaluating supplier quality, delivery, responsiveness, capacity, and commercial performance.

What Success Looks Like

• Sourcing recommendations are accurate, timely, and supported by data.
• Supplier negotiations improve cost or commercial terms without compromising customer requirements.
• Purchasing documentation and system records remain complete and accurate.
• Project deadlines, supplier commitments, and open actions receive consistent follow-up.
• Supply, cost, quality, and schedule risks are identified and communicated early.
• Assigned sourcing and productivity objectives are achieved.
• Internal stakeholders receive clear updates and commercially sound recommendations.
• Develops strong supplier relationships through effective in-person engagement, international travel, and site visits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Tengco, Inc. is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race; religion; color; sex (including breast feeding and related medical conditions); national origin; citizenship status; uniform service member status; pregnancy; age; disability; or any other protected status in accordance with all applicable federal, state and local laws.

Pay: $55,000.00 - $60,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) 4% Match
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Profit sharing
• Vision insurance

Ability to Commute:

• Jonesburg, MO 63351 (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $55,000 - $60,000