Buyer/Planner

About the position

This position is responsible for planning, procuring equipment, and supplies from vendors. The Buyer/Planner position collaborates closely with partners to source, purchase and maintain raw material inventory while ensuring production, customer, and quality requirements are achieved. This position manages the operational flow of goods for purchased items including new product setup, raw material acquisition, inventory management, and margin management.

Responsibilities

• Execute supplier performance initiatives to improve vendor accountability.
• Provide market and vendor analysis in preparation, participation or leading in supplier negotiations with leadership.
• Leverage supplier relationship to maximize cashflow for payment terms/profitability.
• Responsible for collecting and gathering data on potential new suppliers or carriers.
• Minimize demurrage expense and monitor movement of product to receipt.
• Resolve customer service or product quality issues and complaints by identifying root cause and ensuring appropriate actions are taken with suppliers as needed.
• Maintain system planning parameters per established processes, including recommending process improvements to improve efficiencies.
• Communicate supplier cost information to sales, production, and other departments timely.
• Utilize MRP to plan the procurement of materials to ensure the best possible material availability for production and service requirements while monitoring and controlling inventory levels.
• Communicate and coordinate any schedule changes with appropriate partners.
• Collaboratively adjust inventory levels where appropriate; accounting for storage space at the plants, inventory dollars, strength of demand, risk of obsolescence, turn rate, and optimal freight expense.
• Support product costing and analysis as needed.
• Optimize material costs through vendor analysis and identify and implement cost savings initiatives including product cost, order quantity, transportation, and freight terms.
• Analyze safety stocks and re-order points, manage raw material inventory, support demand planning, and provide backup coverage for other purchasing functions.
• Minimize demurrage expense and monitor movement of product to receipt if applicable.
• Identifies and supports execution of strategic purchasing initiatives.
• Resolve customer service or product quality issues and complaints by identifying root cause and ensuring appropriate actions are taken.
• Submit purchase orders for raw materials, monitor the movement of product to receipt, establish priorities to meet customer orders, and resolve shipping or billing issues.
• Proactively identify product and material availability issues and provide supply status and shipment tracking to internal partners.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in supply chain, distribution, logistics, materials management, a related field or equivalent experience required.
• Minimum of 3 years directly related experience in production planning/scheduling, purchasing, or inventory management, preferably in a specialty chemical, food, or pharmaceutical manufacturing environment.
• APICS certification (CSCP or CPIM), CPP or CPM certification preferred.
• Familiar with procure-to-pay cycle and knowledge of contract law.
• Experience and proficiency within MRP/ERP systems and MS-Office applications, J.D. Edwards experience preferred.
• Ability to organize and prioritize tasks, work collaboratively in a cross-functional environment, and ensure timely completion of responsibilities.
• Previous negotiating experience.
• Strong attention to detail and problem-solving skills.
• Proficient written and verbal communication, team building, and interpersonal skills.

Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Life insurance
• LTD/STD
• 401(k) match
• Employee Stock Purchase program (ESPP)
• Paid time off
• Paid holidays