Hardware Buyer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The Buyer / Planner owns procurement and build planning for manufacturing operations. This role sources and purchases parts and materials, tracks hardware from purchase order through completion, and ensures the manufacturing floor is planned and stocked to support active builds. The Buyer / Planner also plays an active role in building and vetting the supplier base, including occasional supplier visits, to support reliable and scalable manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Own the full procurement cycle by sourcing, requesting quotes, negotiating, and issuing purchase orders for hardware, raw materials, fabricated parts, and consumables.
• Manage open orders end-to-end by tracking deliveries, updating lead times, and expediting parts that are at risk of impacting the build schedule.
• Resolve purchase order discrepancies by working with receiving, suppliers, and engineering, and drive issues through to complete closure.
• Maintain accurate ERP/MRP data, including open purchase orders, lead times, pricing, vendor records, and part status information.
• Identify and implement cost and lead time improvement opportunities across the supply base.
• Work from bills of materials (BOMs), work orders, and engineering requirements to plan material needs for active and upcoming builds.
• Track parts through their full lifecycle, from purchase order issuance through receiving, inspection, kitting, and build completion.
• Maintain clear visibility into build status and material readiness, and proactively surface shortages and schedule risks.
• Coordinate closely with engineering, production, and receiving teams to keep part flow aligned with build priorities.
• Support traveler and documentation accuracy to ensure traceability throughout the build process.
• Identify and onboard new suppliers across machining, injection molding, PCBAs, electronics, testing, assembly, and other processes as needed.
• Conduct supplier vetting by evaluating capabilities, quality systems, capacity, and certifications.
• Make occasional supplier visits to assess facilities first-hand and build strong supplier relationships.
• Maintain and grow a reliable, high-performance vendor base that can scale with manufacturing operations.

• 1–5 years of experience in purchasing, procurement, or materials planning in a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated ownership of purchase order management and open order tracking in an ERP or MRP system.
• Ability to work from bills of materials and engineering drawings to translate requirements into procurement actions.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage a large and constantly shifting queue of open orders and build priorities.
• Direct and proactive communication style when working with suppliers, engineers, and technicians.
• Willingness to travel occasionally for supplier visits.
• Ability to thrive in a fast, ambiguous environment where plans change frequently and ownership is expected.
• Experience with purchasing, procurement, supply chain, ERP systems, and buying and planning in a manufacturing context.

• Background in aerospace, defense, or precision manufacturing.
• Familiarity with supplier qualification processes and quality documentation such as Certificates of Conformance (C of C), material certifications, and AS9100-related requirements.
• Experience sourcing across a broad range of processes, including machining, PCBAs, electronics, testing, coatings, and non-destructive testing (NDT).
• Experience working in a startup or high-growth manufacturing environment.

This role is based on site in El Segundo within a manufacturing environment. You will work closely with engineering, production, and receiving teams and rely heavily on ERP/MRP systems, bills of materials, and engineering documentation to manage procurement and planning. The environment is fast-paced and dynamic, with shifting build priorities and an expectation of high ownership. The position includes occasional travel to supplier facilities for on-site assessments and relationship building.

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Torrance, CA.

The pay range for this position is $80000.00 - $120000.00/yr.

The Buyer / Planner owns procurement and build planning for Amca's manufacturing operations. You will be responsible for sourcing and purchasing the parts and materials that go into our builds, tracking hardware from PO through completion, and ensuring the manufacturing floor is planned and stocked to support active builds. You'll also play an active role in building and vetting our supplier base — including occasional supplier visits. Responsibilities Procurement
• Own the full procurement cycle — source, quote, negotiate, and issue POs for hardware, raw materials, fabricated parts, and consumables
• Manage open orders end-to-end: track deliveries, update lead times, and expedite parts that are at risk of impacting the build schedule
• Resolve PO discrepancies with receiving, suppliers, and engineering — own the issue through to closure
• Maintain accurate ERP/MRP data: open POs, lead times, pricing, vendor records, and part statuses
• Identify cost and lead time improvement opportunities across the supply base Build Planning & Part Tracking
• Work from BOMs, work orders, and engineering requirements to plan material needs for active and upcoming builds
• Track parts through the full lifecycle — from PO issuance through receiving, inspection, kitting, and build completion
• Maintain visibility into build status and material readiness; surface shortages and schedule risks early
• Coordinate with engineering, production, and receiving to keep part flow aligned with build priorities
• Support traveler and documentation accuracy to ensure traceability through the build Supplier Development
• Identify and onboard new suppliers across machining, injection molding, PCBAs, electronics, testing, assembly, and other processes as needed
• Conduct supplier vetting — evaluate capabilities, quality systems, capacity, and certifications
• Make occasional supplier visits to assess shops first-hand and build relationships
• Maintain and grow a reliable, high-performance vendor base that can scale with our manufacturing operations

This is a fully onsite position in Torrance,CA.

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 21, 2026.

Aston Carter provides world-class corporate talent solutions to thousands of clients across the globe. Specialized in accounting, finance, human resources, talent acquisition, procurement, supply chain and select administrative professions, we extend the capabilities of industry-leading companies. We draw on our deep recruiting expertise and expansive network to meet the evolving needs of our clients and talent community with agility and excellence. With offices across the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe, Aston Carter serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® Platinum Award winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email astoncarteraccommodation@astoncarter.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.