Buyer - Supervisor

TriMas Corporation • Commerce, CA

5d • $105,000 - $115,000 • Onsite

About The Position

A Buyer-Supervisor in a manufacturing environment is a dual-role position responsible for both the tactical procurement of materials (raw materials, components, MRO supplies) and the leadership of a purchasing team. This role ensures uninterrupted production by maintaining optimal inventory levels, managing supplier relationships, and enforcing purchasing policies while driving cost-reduction initiatives.
Key Responsibilities
• Team Leadership & Development: Supervise, train, and mentor a team of buyers or purchasing clerks; assign daily tasks, evaluate performance, and foster a collaborative work environment.
• Strategic Procurement & Sourcing: Identify, evaluate, and select suppliers based on quality, cost, and on-time delivery (OTD). Negotiate contracts, pricing, and payment terms to achieve cost savings and minimize negative purchase price variance (PPV).
• Inventory & Production Support: Align purchasing activities with production schedules (MRP/ERP systems) to ensure material availability. Optimize inventory levels (safety stock) to prevent shortages while minimizing excess, slow-moving, or obsolete inventory.
• Supplier Relationship Management: Manage key vendor relationships, including supplier scorecards, quality assurance, and resolving issues related to delivery delays or defective goods.
• Process Improvement & Compliance: Develop and enforce purchasing policies, procedures, and ethical standards. Drive continuous improvement in procurement processes to increase efficiency.
• Reporting & Analysis: Track key performance indicators (KPIs) regarding supplier performance, cost savings, and inventory accuracy, presenting findings to management.
This role is required to be on-site 5 days at the Commerce, CA location.

Requirements

• Experience: 10+ years of procurement or buying experience, with at least 1–2 years in a supervisory role.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, or a related field is preferred; however, a combination of equivalent experience and education may be accepted.
• Technical Proficiency: Strong knowledge of ERP/MRP systems (e.g., Syteline, SAP, Oracle) and MS Office Suite, particularly Advanced Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP).
• Skills: Strong negotiation, analytical, and problem-solving skills; excellent communication and leadership abilities.

Nice To Haves

• Certifications: APICS, CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management), or CSCP certifications are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Team Leadership & Development: Supervise, train, and mentor a team of buyers or purchasing clerks; assign daily tasks, evaluate performance, and foster a collaborative work environment.
• Strategic Procurement & Sourcing: Identify, evaluate, and select suppliers based on quality, cost, and on-time delivery (OTD). Negotiate contracts, pricing, and payment terms to achieve cost savings and minimize negative purchase price variance (PPV).
• Inventory & Production Support: Align purchasing activities with production schedules (MRP/ERP systems) to ensure material availability. Optimize inventory levels (safety stock) to prevent shortages while minimizing excess, slow-moving, or obsolete inventory.
• Supplier Relationship Management: Manage key vendor relationships, including supplier scorecards, quality assurance, and resolving issues related to delivery delays or defective goods.
• Process Improvement & Compliance: Develop and enforce purchasing policies, procedures, and ethical standards. Drive continuous improvement in procurement processes to increase efficiency.
• Reporting & Analysis: Track key performance indicators (KPIs) regarding supplier performance, cost savings, and inventory accuracy, presenting findings to management.

Benefits

• Benefit offerings include Medical Insurance and Prescription Drugs, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability Insurance (for eligible employees), Employee Assistance Plan (EAP), Paid Time Off (may include vacation and sick time), Retirement Program, and Other Voluntary Benefits.

What This Job Offers

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