Buyer II - Senior

The Senior Buyer is responsible for negotiating with vendors and obtaining quotations on goods/services; active management of supplier relations; procurement of materials and services; inventory control; management of system information regarding inventory and costs; departmental reporting activities; and other contributions to various improvement projects and objectives. Work is performed independently under the general supervision of the Purchasing Manager.

Performs other duties as directed which are necessary to meet the Materials Department responsibilities to the customer and organization.

Key Areas of Responsibility and Essential Position Functions:

• Conducts research, evaluates findings, and makes recommendations regarding procurement and inventory control matters.
• Active participation in Supplier Review Board activities - Supplier approval, approved vendor list/attribute management and other related onboarding processes.
• Supplier Management (Business reviews, feedback tools, etc.)
• Interprets and evaluates contract provisions.
• Negotiates pricing and terms of service with vendors ensuring ECM receives competitive costs for quality goods and services.
• Quotation of goods and services including but not limited to price (including relevant breaks), lead-times, MOQ’s, payment terms, delivery methods, etc.
• Assesses landing costs and manages burden rates.
• Ongoing review and management of standard costs for raw materials.
• Reviews purchase, changes order & quotation suggestions from the ERP/MRP system; Assesses approved procurement options (or addresses if not defined/available), order quantity, costs and delivery dates to create and release purchase orders.
• Active management of open orders to proactively address potential issues and ensure on-time delivery.
• Aligns procurement strategies with company goals, balancing the need for material availability, inventory turns and prevention of slow-moving and obsolescence.
• Addresses any disruptions to supply and/or purchase variance events proactively; thinks strategically and takes action/makes recommendations how to better mitigate such events when encountered.
• Communicates with operations and sales teams as required on pertinent information related to expedites and any other schedule impacting events that may occur.
• Compares quotes with the specifications and availability of items and places orders.
• Ensures accurate retention of parts and supplier information
• Reviews orders for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with existing policies and procedures.
• Obtains appropriate commodities in a timely manner to support production and other Organization Requirements.
• Assists in the setting of “ABC” cycle count assignments and frequencies.
• Participates in/Oversees physical inventory and other cycle counting processes at one or more sites as required.
• Interacts with suppliers regarding quality matters and works them to timely resolutions.
• Identifies new opportunities and develops sourcing strategies to realize cost savings, create cost avoidance opportunities, and to reduce overall total cost of ownership.
• Reviews supplier performance to provide feedback and facilitate corrective actions when required as well as to provide strategic insights internally to make improvements.
• Develops and implements vendor-managed inventory and other stocking programs where feasible.
• Identifies opportunities for vendor improvement and works with the supplier to improve performance.
• Produces relevant data and analysis to highlight trends or track performance; Creates and/or actively participates in departmental presentations as required.
• Demonstrates continuous effort to improve operations: decreases turnaround times, streamlines work processes, and works cooperatively and across ECM functions to provide quality seamless customer service.

Required Education, Skills, Experience and Certifications:

Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain Operations or Management, Economics, Business Administration, Engineering, Science, Technology or equivalent.

Experience: 3+ years of experience as a Buyer involving the procurement of a variety of supplies, materials, equipment, and services.

Knowledge and Technical Skills:

• Experience with ERP/MRP systems
• An intermediate to advanced experience with spreadsheets, graphs, and word processing
• Lean Manufacturing experience
• Arithmetic skills (addition, subtraction, fractions, decimals, division, multiplication)
• Skilled using the metric system

Language: English