BUYER PLANNER

Job Description

Summary/Objective 

To purchase materials or other goods and/or coordinates activities involved with procuring goods and services, such as raw materials, equipment, tools, parts, and supplies. The Buyer will be responsible for creating purchase order tracking systems, alerting management when orders have been filled and invoices from vendors have been issued, answering vendor questions and providing them with additional order documentation as needed. The successful candidate for this position has experience in the manufacturing industry and a strong understanding of supply chain management concepts.

Essential Functions

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Create and maintain MRP/build plans and inventory levels with input from Sales, Finance, Marketing, Operations and supply chain partners.
• Perform what-if analysis and mitigation plans for supply chain or manufacturing risks.
• Prepare and present inventory, and supply reports to management.
• Track and manage supplier delivery schedules and resolve supply issues.
• Prioritize supply requirements, adjust for ECOs, and schedule changes.
• Assist in identifying and resolving inventory discrepancies.
• Manage inventory levels to set and maintain safety stocks and lead times.
• Manage all purchasing for parts, services, and logistics/transportation for Production and Engineering.
• Identify alternate sources for components with better cost/quality/delivery.
• Prepare and enter PO in ERP System for confirmed orders.
• Obtain internal approvals; document and communicate PO changes to suppliers.
• Follow-up, track, and expedite goods/services purchases to meet production schedules.
• Verify receipt of goods on POs 
• Collaborate with Sale Operations to schedule and prioritize daily customer shipments.
• Support Sales Operations and customers with shipment tracking and order status updates.
• Oversee daily customer order fulfillments by ensuring all scheduled orders are shipped on time. 
• Drive resolution of issues that prevent orders from being fulfilled. 
• Develop pull systems to simplify replenishment and eliminate shortages.
• Limits backorders of all assigned parts while communicating backorder information to internal departments.
• Maintains and reviews Forecast vs. Actual sales for assigned products.
• Distributes Engineering Change Requests to the suppliers and reviews disposition of existing and in-process inventory.
• Develop an efficient and accurate system for monitoring all open purchase orders
• Deliver a weekly purchase order report to management that indicates the vendor invoice number for all closed purchase orders
• Work with the inventory management team to ensure that all deliveries satisfy the assigned purchase orders and report any back-ordered or missing products
• Assist the Materials Manager with maintaining proper inventory levels of materials used on a regular basis.
• Negotiation skills preferred.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. 
 
Company Conformance Statements

In the performance of their respective tasks and duties all employees are expected to conform to the 

following:

• Perform quality work within deadlines with or without direct supervision.
• Interact professionally with other employees, customers and suppliers.
• Work effectively as a team contributor on all assignments.
• Work independently while understanding the necessity for communicating and coordinating work efforts with other employees and organizations.
• Be at work on time every day and have the flexibility to work overtime as needed.
• Always work safely and report any unsafe conditions. We are all responsible for Safety!

Job Qualifications

• 5 years of related industry experience in Production and MRP
• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience preferred
• Strong Excel skills required
• Demonstrable experience in creating comprehensive MRP reports and analyses
• Proven experience sourcing and purchasing from domestic and international suppliers
• Strong analytical skills required
• Must be highly detail-orientated
• Must be able to thrive in a start-up environment with constant change
• Must have a strong sense of ownership and be able to drive issues to closure
• Must be a self-starter who is hands-on with projects and assignments
• Experience with ERP systems required
• Knowledge of Supply Chain concepts preferred
• Ability to work with a team
• Ability to handle high stress and fast paced environment

Work Environment

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to an office environment. Some trips may be needed to the warehouse or plant, where one may be exposed to fumes or airborne particles. The noise level in the work environment can be loud. 

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

The employee is frequently required to sit for prolonged periods; may occasionally climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, or crouch to reach parts. Extensive use of computer keyboard is necessary. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.