Maintenance Repair Operations (MRO) Parts Buyer

Woodland Foods • Waukegan, IL

2d • $68,000 - $80,556 • Onsite

About The Position

This position serves as a dual-functional role, balancing the administrative duties of purchasing with the hands-on task of managing the maintenance storeroom. This role is vital for ensuring high machinery uptime by having the right parts available for both planned maintenance and emergency repairs.

Requirements

• A high school diploma required; Associate's or Bachelor’s in Business or Supply Chain is highly preferred
• 2–5 years in an industrial environment. Knowledge of technical parts (pumps, valves, sprockets) is critical for accurate sourcing.
• Deep proficiency in MS Excel and experience with ERP systems
• Forklift certification is required for receiving and moving heavy parts.
• Ability to prioritize and learn quickly
• Good verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to multitask
• Strong attention to detail
• Strong organizational skills.
• Analytical and mechanically inclined
• Must be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel
• Ability to collaborate cross-functionally with Maintenance, Product, QA and Sanitation
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, compliance-driven environment
• Able to stand for long periods of time, Lift and move materials 50 pounds and utilize lift assistance or a colleague for items greater than 55 pounds to move them safely.

Nice To Haves

• Bilingual English/Spanish a plus

Responsibilities

• Sourcing and ordering a wide range of indirect materials, including motors, bearings, electrical components, and safety gear (PPE).
• Negotiating with vendors to secure competitive pricing, volume discounts, and reliable delivery times.
• Evaluating supplier reliability through scorecards and managing vendor relationships.
• Reconciling invoices with Accounts Payable and investigating pricing discrepancies.
• Interact with and follow-up with vendors and OEM technicians when they come onsite to address and repair issues.
• Maintaining the Asset Hierarchy and Bill of Materials (BOM) in a CMMS system.
• Executing routine cycle counts to ensure physical stock matches digital records.
• Setting and monitoring minimum/maximum stock levels for critical spares to prevent production-halting stockouts.
• "Kitting" parts for scheduled work orders, ensuring mechanics have all necessary tools before a job starts.
• Ensuring all purchased components and chemicals meet Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and food defense regulations.
• Maintaining a clean and organized storeroom to meet audit standards (e.g., SQF, BRC, or USDA).

Benefits

• We offer a competitive compensation package with benefits.
• Additionally, we offer medical, prescription drug plans, dental, life insurance, short-term and long-term disability, vision insurance, flexible spending account, health savings account, tuition reimbursement, employee assistance program, voluntary benefits (hospital, critical illness, personal accident, legal & identify theft), 401k with company match, paid family leave, paid holidays and paid time off.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees