Job Title: Senior Buyer / Planner / Commodity Specialist
Location: San Francisco, CA (On-site)
Salary: $90,000 - $120,000
LANTANA LED, Inc.
LANTANA LED is a San Francisco-based lighting design and manufacturing company focused on creating innovative, high-quality solutions for niche markets. We specialize in data center lighting, with over 35 million square feet under illumination throughout the United States. We design our products in-house and partner with trusted manufacturers to bring them to life. As we scale into a greenfield manufacturing operation, we are building the supply chain infrastructure from the ground up โ and this role is central to that mission.
Job Description
Manufacturing Engineering Manager
The Sr. Buyer / Planner / Commodity Specialist is a hybrid, high-ownership role that spans the full supply chain lifecycle at LANTANA LED. This individual owns three interconnected functions: strategic commodity management and sourcing, factory planning and production scheduling, and day-to-day procurement execution. As LANTANA implements Odoo as its ERP platform and builds its manufacturing operation, this role is critical to standing up planning, purchasing, and commodity workflows from the ground up.
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This is a role for someone who is equally comfortable negotiating supplier contracts as they are running MRP, releasing work orders, and managing inventory. You will operate with a high degree of autonomy, own your data, build your processes, and be a key contributor to the operational foundation of a scaling manufacturer.
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Responsibilities
Commodity Management & Strategic Sourcing
โขย ย ย ย ย Develop and own commodity strategies for key spend categories โ LED drivers, optics, mechanical components, PCBs, and indirect materials โ aligned with cost, quality, lead time, and risk objectives.
โขย ย ย ย ย Identify, qualify, and onboard suppliers; maintain an approved vendor list with performance metrics and risk assessments.
โขย ย ย ย ย Lead RFQ/RFP processes; analyze bids, negotiate pricing, payment terms, lead times, and service agreements with suppliers.
โขย ย ย ย ย Monitor commodity market conditions โ pricing trends, supply constraints, tariff exposure โ and proactively communicate risk and mitigation options to leadership.
โขย ย ย ย ย Establish and manage long-term supplier agreements, blanket POs, and consignment arrangements where appropriate.
โขย ย ย ย ย Drive total cost of ownership analysis across key commodities; identify and execute cost reduction and dual-source opportunities.
โขย ย ย ย ย Track supplier performance against KPIs (on-time delivery, quality, lead time, responsiveness); conduct periodic supplier business reviews.
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Procurement & Purchase Order Management
โขย ย ย ย ย Create, issue, and manage Purchase Orders in Odoo for direct materials, components, and production supplies; ensure accuracy in quantities, pricing, lead times, and delivery dates.
โขย ย ย ย ย Monitor open POs from issuance through receipt; follow up with suppliers on confirmations, ship dates, and discrepancies.
โขย ย ย ย ย Maintain and update PO records as changes occur โ quantity adjustments, delivery reschedules, partial receipts, and cancellations โ keeping Odoo current at all times.
โขย ย ย ย ย Match PO receipts to supplier invoices; flag and resolve variances in coordination with Finance.
โขย ย ย ย ย Maintain supplier lead time, MOQ, and pricing data within Odoo to ensure planning parameters reflect current agreements.
โขย ย ย ย ย Support import purchasing activities including international lead time management, freight coordination, and customs documentation.
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Factory Planning & Work Order Management
โขย ย ย ย ย Create and release Work Orders in Odoo based on the master production schedule; ensure WOs are accurate in quantity, routing, BOM linkage, and scheduled dates before release to the floor.
โขย ย ย ย ย Maintain WOs throughout the production cycle โ updating status, adjusting quantities for yield or scrap, recording completions, and closing orders promptly upon final inspection.
โขย ย ย ย ย Monitor WO status daily; identify and escalate open orders at risk of missing schedule due to material shortages, capacity constraints, or quality holds.
โขย ย ย ย ย Coordinate component availability prior to WO release; confirm material is allocated or on hand before committing production to the schedule.
โขย ย ย ย ย Reconcile WO actuals (labor, materials consumed) against standards; flag significant variances for review.
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Material Planning & Inventory Control
โขย ย ย ย ย Run and interpret MRP outputs in Odoo; translate system-generated procurement proposals into action โ confirm, adjust, or escalate as appropriate.
โขย ย ย ย ย Manage reorder points, safety stock levels, and minimum order quantities in Odoo to maintain appropriate buffer without excess inventory buildup.
โขย ย ย ย ย Monitor material requirements against open POs and on-hand inventory; identify shortages and expedite or substitute as needed to protect the production schedule.
โขย ย ย ย ย Participate in cycle counting and physical inventory activities; investigate and resolve inventory discrepancies.
โขย ย ย ย ย Flag slow-moving, excess, or obsolete inventory for disposition review.
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Odoo ERP Implementation & Data Stewardship
โขย ย ย ย ย Serve as a primary user and key contributor to the Odoo implementation for purchasing, inventory, and manufacturing modules; participate in configuration, testing, and go-live activities.
โขย ย ย ย ย Own data entry and data quality for supply chain and planning functions in Odoo: vendor records, product lead times, reorder rules, BOM linkages, routing data, and commodity pricing.
โขย ย ย ย ย Identify gaps between system behavior and operational need; document and communicate clearly to the implementation team or Director for resolution.
โขย ย ย ย ย Develop and document standard operating procedures for PO creation, commodity review, WO management, and MRP review as processes are established.
Requirements
โขย ย ย ย ย 5+ years of experience in a purchasing, planning, or materials role within a manufacturing environment, with demonstrated responsibility across at least two of the three functions (commodity management, procurement, planning).
โขย ย ย ย ย Proven track record in strategic sourcing and commodity management: RFQ execution, supplier negotiation, contract management, and spend category ownership.
โขย ย ย ย ย Hands-on experience creating and managing Purchase Orders and Work Orders in an ERP system (Odoo strongly preferred; Oracle, SAP, NetSuite, or similar also considered).
โขย ย ย ย ย Working knowledge of MRP concepts: lead times, reorder points, safety stock, lot sizing, and BOM structures.
โขย ย ย ย ย Strong attention to detail and data discipline โ this role owns system accuracy for planning, procurement, and commodity data.
โขย ย ย ย ย Ability to prioritize and manage multiple open transactions simultaneously in a fast-moving production environment.
โขย ย ย ย ย Comfortable operating in a startup/greenfield environment where processes are being built, not inherited.
โขย ย ย ย ย Proficient in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets for tracking, cost modeling, and ad-hoc analysis.
โขย ย ย ย ย Excellent communicator โ able to interface with suppliers, production staff, finance, and executive leadership.
Nice to have
โขย ย ย ย ย Direct Odoo experience in the Purchase, Inventory, or Manufacturing modules.
โขย ย ย ย ย Experience supporting or leading an ERP implementation or go-live.
โขย ย ย ย ย Background in commercial lighting, electronics, or electromechanical assembly manufacturing.
โขย ย ย ย ย Familiarity with import purchasing, international lead times, tariff classification, and customs documentation.
โขย ย ย ย ย Experience with commodity risk management โ hedging exposure, multi-source strategies, or supply chain risk frameworks.
โขย ย ย ย ย APICS CPIM, CPSM, or equivalent supply chain certification or coursework.
About You
โขย ย ย ย ย You think in systems โ you understand how commodity decisions ripple into planning, and how planning discipline protects procurement.
โขย ย ย ย ย You are comfortable owning a function end-to-end without a playbook, and you build the playbook as you go.
โขย ย ย ย ย You are a strong negotiator who builds lasting supplier relationships, not just transactional ones.
โขย ย ย ย ย You are hands-on, detail-oriented, proactive, and committed to data integrity.
โขย ย ย ย ย You thrive in environments where what you build today shapes how the company runs tomorrow.
What Success Looks Like - First 90 Days
โขย ย ย ย ย Odoo purchasing and manufacturing modules are actively in use; POs and WOs are being created, tracked, and closed in the system.
โขย ย ย ย ย All open Purchase Orders are visible, accurate, and up to date in Odoo; no orphaned or unacknowledged POs.
โขย ย ย ย ย A commodity map of key spend categories is drafted, with initial supplier scorecards and pricing benchmarks in place.
โขย ย ย ย ย Work Orders are released to the floor with correct BOMs, quantities, and dates; WO completion and closure is timely.
โขย ย ย ย ย MRP is running and being reviewed on a defined cadence; procurement proposals are actioned, not ignored.
โขย ย ย ย ย Inventory records in Odoo are reconciled and trusted by the team.
โขย ย ย ย ย Standard operating procedures for PO creation, commodity review, and WO management are drafted and in use.
โขย ย ย ย ย The Director of Supply Chain & Operations has full visibility into open procurement, commodity risk, and production activity in Odoo without having to ask.
Travelย
If remote, candidate will be required to travel periodically to spend time in the factory, meet key suppliers, and support team onboarding as needed.
Company Benefitsย
โขย ย ย ย ย Generous healthcare with up to 100% employee coverage and 90% family coverage.
โขย ย ย ย ย 401(k) plan available.
โขย ย ย ย ย Unlimited PTO.
โขย ย ย ย ย A hard-working team that genuinely enjoys what they build.