Buyer 3

Metrea•Tampa, FL

20h

About The Position

The Buyer III is a strategic partner and subject matter expert responsible for lifecycle management of complex products and services. The role provides leadership within the Purchasing team, mentors junior staff, manages critical vendors, and partners with Strategic Sourcing on long-term strategies, vendor performance, and relationships. The position supports procurement requirements for the Aerospace Engineering Group’s Part 21 efforts, with a focus on the Metrea Aircraft Integration Center (MAIC) Part 145 Repair Station. It maintains and improves MAIC purchasing operations in accordance with enterprise standards and guidance. Responsibilities include addressing purchasing requirements derived from engineering data and ERP entries, required vendor audits, vendor relationship development, and purchasing transactions.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent demonstrated experience.
5–10+ years of procurement experience, with a strong emphasis on aerospace or aviation.
Demonstrated experience negotiating high-value contracts and conducting strategic sourcing.
Demonstrated ability to mitigate global supply-chain risks.
Competence in aerospace manufacturing processes and/or aircraft systems.
Knowledge of aviation part numbers, alternate part numbers, and National Stock Numbers.
Ability to understand documentation required for a part to be airworthy, such as FAA Form 8130-3.
Extensive demonstrated use of business software applications such as Excel, Power BI, and Teams.
Seasoned commercial awareness.
Experience interacting with and counseling senior business leaders.
Demonstrated ERP/MRP proficiency, including managing assigned parts, item masters, and vendor records, and running reports to evaluate and forecast requirements to support material availability while optimizing costs and inventory.
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
Ability to be on call and available as business needs require.

Nice To Haves

MBA or specialized Master's degree.

Responsibilities

Identify material needs and vendor qualification requirements; create and manage RFQs; negotiate pricing, lead times, and other operational requirements; and place and manage purchase orders.
Support negotiation of high-value Long-Term Agreements (LTAs) and Master Service Agreements (MSAs).
Monitor purchase order status and proactively expedite shipments to meet aircraft entry-to-service, maintenance production schedule, and AOG requirements.
Conduct cost analysis and market research to identify savings opportunities and improve procurement strategies.
Conduct macroeconomic analysis and monitor industry and geopolitical trends to anticipate changes in aircraft-component and raw-material pricing and availability.
Represent procurement in FILE and Operations meetings to align operations and maintenance production schedule targets with vendor capacity.
Resolve purchase order and invoice discrepancies, handle returns for defective materials, and address supply-chain bottlenecks.
Build and maintain vendor relationships and assess vendor performance.
Identify underperforming critical vendors and participate in cross-functional Tiger Teams, such as Quality, Engineering, and Logistics, to improve their manufacturing processes.
Ensure purchasing activities comply with applicable aerospace industry standards, regulations, and company policies.
Identify and implement process improvements to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve procurement performance.