Senior Buyer/Planner I

The Senior Buyer/Planner I develops and implements planning, procurement, and negotiation strategy for materials, equipment and/or services from suppliers; prepares and evaluates supplier quotations and services to determine the most competitive solution based upon total cost of ownership.  This position requires the ability to become an industry expert within assigned portfolio of products and lead complex sourcing projects in collaboration with Engineering and New Product Development teams.  Accountable to work independently and cross functionally within the organization.

Buyer

• Understand enterprise resource planning (ERP) and supply chain management (SCM) concepts
• Analyze demand requirements for materials into detailed plans and schedules for inventory acquisition.
• Forecast and plan materials in anticipation of expected demand.
• Establish and maintain appropriate safety stock levels on critical items.
• Analyze and select parts for KanBan and Supplier replenishment programs
• Coordinate set-up and maintenance of material master data in ERP system.
• Manage supplier relationships and performance, including but not limited to dispute resolution.
• Work closely with other purchasing members, suppliers, manufacturing, engineering, and customer service.
• Monitor and communicate supplier performance for delivery and quality through supplier scorecards.
• Monitor and track market conditions which affect cost of purchased items, recommend appropriate actions to minimize exposure to risk.
• Initiate contract negotiations and development of supply agreements.
• Identify and reduce or eliminate waste in all areas of supply chain.
• Manage purchase order execution and product delivery through evaluation and management of ERP.
• Generate and maintain purchase order requirements and communicate to suppliers.
• Negotiate the need to expedite or defer purchase orders in support of material requirements.
• Mitigation and resolution of invoice deficiencies and execution of cost reduction goals.
• Where purchase recommendations are inappropriate, identify root causes for errors and apply countermeasures so that future recommendations are accurate.

Quality Functions

• Investigate and resolve issues related to damages or material receipt issues.

Engineering Functions

• Work closely with Engineering on Engineering Change Orders (ECO).
  • Confirm Buyer information
  • Add Buyer information to ECO
• Act with the Senior Buyer II as the product and category expert through development of supplier and commodity road maps to Engineering and NPD.
• Lead efforts to identify preliminary critical parts, long-lead parts and inspection requirements in support of project deliverables.
• Support the product specification/revision process and facilitates execution with suppliers.
• Collaborate with Engineering and Quality Teams to select suppliers whose methods and core competencies align with company requirements and develop long term relationships with them.  

General Responsibility

• Represents DriSteem in a positive and ethical manner following all company policies.  Develops and maintains conduct that projects fair and ethical dealings with vendors.
• Support Lean initiatives and continual compliance with ISO 9001 standards and procedures.
• Maintains work area in a neat and orderly condition.  Works safely and complies with all established safety rules and work practices.
• Complies with any/all company safety and health rules and policies and promotes safe work practices.  Report any safety concerns to a supervisor/manager.
• Performs normal work assignments on time with minimal direction.
• Written and verbal communication is clear and concise.
• Keep the manager and Operations team informed of important matters.
• Perform related work as apparent or assigned.

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant discipline; or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of seven years of purchasing experience in a manufacturing environment, including ERP system experience.
• Experience in logistics, including working with tariffs, import/export requirements, and related compliance activities.
• Strong negotiation skills with suppliers and service providers.
• Syteline ERP experience is strongly preferred.
• Previous experience working in Supply Chain.
• Experience in purchasing mechanical components, sheet metal, plastics, and packaging.
• Strong understanding of inventory management and bill of material structure.
• Knowledge of a computerized purchasing system along with MS applications (specifically Outlook, Excel, and Word).
• APICS certification desired.

• Outstanding relationship development, building trust while driving results.
• Detail oriented individual.
• Self-motivated with positive attitude, teamwork skills.
• Excellent presentation, written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrate ability to work well in cross-functional team environment and clearly communicate status of assigned projects.
• Strong analytical, administrative, and organizational skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with a wide variety of company personnel, suppliers, and others.