Buyer/Planner

Alcon Research • Sinking Spring, PA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

At Alcon, we're passionate about enhancing sight and helping people see brilliantly. With more than 25,000 associates, we innovate fearlessly, champion progress, and act swiftly to impact global eye health. We foster an inclusive culture, recognizing your contributions and offering opportunities to grow your career like never before. Together, we make a difference in the lives of our patients and customers. Are you ready to join us? This role is part of Alcon’s Supply Chain function, a team that manages logistics, inventory management, production planning, and supply chain analytics for Alcon's industry‑leading products to ensure materials and products are delivered efficiently and effectively so that people can see brilliantly. The Buyer/Planner (Para‑Professional & Support Path) is primarily responsible for scheduling, ordering, and leading raw material components to support Production Planners’ build requirements, while also maintaining material schedules, supporting production control, and facilitating material flow between departments. This role ensures materials, parts, and assemblies are planned, available, and accurately tracked to support manufacturing, sub-assemblies, and finished goods inventory (FGI) needs with accuracy, proactive communication, and minimal supervision.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree or Equivalent years of directly related experience (or high school +8 yrs; Assoc.+4 yrs)
• The ability to fluently read, write, understand, and communicate in English
• Work hours: Monday – Friday: Exempt

Nice To Haves

• Purchasing, Production Planning, and Supply Chain Experience
• MS Excel Experience
• SAP Experience

Responsibilities

• Plan, schedule, and coordinate the efficient movement of material from receiving, to warehouse, and into manufacturing
• Maintain schedules for material requirements and availability to support production plans and production control
• Plan materials to meet production plans and adjust for reasonable changes in market demand
• Compile records on the quantity, cost, and type of material received, shipped, in stock, or in production
• Develop raw material requirements in optimum quantities and timing, adhering to engineering and quality specifications
• Support the flow of materials, parts, and assemblies within or between departments according to production and shipping schedules
• Use MRP, available tools, and systems to determine material requirement availability that meets component inventory targets and supports on‑time production
• Determine possible and actual shortages and initiate corrective actions as needed
• With guidance from Sr. Buyer/Planner and/or Supervisor, Supply Chain, negotiate lead times and manage suppliers’ schedules accordingly
• Communicate forecasted material usage volumes with suppliers to help secure adequate supplier capacity
• Analyze data from multiple tools to identify potential raw material issues and prevent production delays or interruptions
• Ensure timely disposition of defective or otherwise unusable materials once disposition direction is approved
• Maintain accuracy of owned system data to protect customer service levels and prevent negative inventory or cost impacts
• Proactively inform Supervisor, Supply Chain and key partners of risks that could cause backorders, production interruptions, or increased inventory exposure
• Provide timely feedback and responses to internal “customers” with accurate and reliable information
• Follow established procedures with limited decision‑making authority
• Adhere to GxP regulations by strictly following Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and maintaining accurate and complete documentation to ensure rigorous quality control
• Complete all required training and meet individual job requirements while contributing to the overall compliance of the organization
• Commit to continuous improvement and compliance with regulatory requirements

Benefits

• Alcon provides a robust benefits package including health, life, retirement, flexible time off for exempt associates, PTO for hourly associates, and much more!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level