Kitting Buyer

Aston Carter•Dearborn, MI

7d•$38 - $46•Hybrid

About The Position

The Kitting Buyer plays a key role in supporting the service parts division by purchasing goods, materials, components, and services that meet defined cost, quality, and delivery targets. This position focuses on kitting-related procurement activities, supplier relationship management, and cost analysis, while partnering closely with internal teams to ensure timely availability of parts and continuous improvement in purchasing processes. The role requires a strategic, analytical, and solution-oriented professional who can manage complex, high-volume, high-cost purchasing decks in an automotive environment.

Requirements

3–6 years of automotive purchasing or buyer experience, with direct responsibility for sourcing parts and managing supplier relationships.
Proven automotive purchasing experience, ideally in a service parts or similar environment.
Intermediate Excel skills with the ability to pass a skills test at 80% or higher, including data analysis and reporting.
Experience working with SAP or other ERP systems for purchasing, order management, and supplier data.
Strong negotiation skills with experience handling RFQs, pricing discussions, and contract terms.
Demonstrated ability to manage complicated purchasing decks involving high volume and high cost components.
Strategic planning and decision-making skills applied to sourcing strategies and supplier selection.
Motivated, self-starter mindset with the ability to work independently and take initiative.
Solution-oriented approach with a focus on resolving supply, cost, and quality issues efficiently.
Effective communication skills for collaborating with internal teams and external suppliers.

Nice To Haves

Kitting experience in a purchasing or supply chain context is highly desirable.
Experience in supplier relationship management and performance evaluation.
Background in conducting market tests and analyzing supplier proposals or quotes.
Familiarity with cost estimating processes and methodologies for parts and components.
Ability to interpret market trends and competitor strategies to inform purchasing decisions.
Strong analytical skills for cost analysis, savings identification, and reporting.
Organizational skills to manage multiple projects, open assignments, and weekly reporting requirements.

Responsibilities

Purchase goods, materials, components, and services in line with specified cost, quality, and delivery targets, with a focus on kitting and service parts.
Support the purchasing function and other relevant departments by communicating supply issues that may impact business operations.
Act as an interface between suppliers and internal departments on purchasing processes, new projects, and ongoing activities.
Monitor and advise on issues that present risk or opportunity to the organization, including supply constraints and cost changes.
Track market trends, competitor strategies, and supplier developments to inform purchasing strategies.
Provide cost analysis on new and existing parts and lead cost reduction activities where feasible.
Collaborate closely with colleagues in the procurement function to identify and implement continuous improvement and business process enhancements.
Negotiate contracts, pricing, and terms of business with suppliers, leveraging negotiation and procurement best practices to achieve savings.
Build, maintain, and manage strong supplier relationships while ensuring consistent and clear communication.
Conduct research to identify new components and potential suppliers that meet quality, cost, and delivery requirements.
Compile and maintain data related to supplier performance to enable evaluation and informed sourcing decisions.
Contact suppliers to resolve price discrepancies, quality concerns, delivery delays, and invoice issues.
Resolve supplier shortages and past-due situations to minimize impact on operations and customer service.
Update and maintain commodity strategies to align with business objectives and market conditions.
Work with cost estimating teams to develop cost estimates for savings negotiations and to mitigate supplier price uplift requests.
Produce weekly reports, charts, and status updates on open assignments and projects for stakeholders.
Perform market tests, analyze supplier responses, and award sourcing of parts based on objective evaluation.
Review open vehicles off road (VOR) and backorders on a weekly basis and expedite parts delivery to restore vehicle availability.