MRO Purchasing Assistant - Metals Manufacturing

Thunderbird LLC•Elk Grove Village, IL

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The MRO Purchasing Assistant is responsible for managing and supporting the procurement of all maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) materials and services for a manufacturing facility. This role combines administrative purchasing support with strategic sourcing and vendor negotiation responsibilities to ensure timely availability of maintenance parts, tools, equipment, and services critical to plant operations. This position plays a vital role in minimizing equipment downtime, controlling maintenance costs, and maintaining accurate inventory levels of spare parts and consumables.

Requirements

3+ years of purchasing experience in a manufacturing environment.
Experience purchasing MRO or maintenance-related materials strongly preferred.
Experience with ERP/MRP systems
Strong Microsoft Excel skills (pivot tables, lookups, data tracking).
Ability to read equipment manuals, part diagrams, and BOMs.
Understanding of inventory control and spare parts management.

Nice To Haves

Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Industrial Technology, or related field preferred.

Responsibilities

Source and purchase maintenance-related materials including replacement machine parts, electrical components, mechanical components, hydraulic and pneumatic parts, tools and tooling supplies, safety equipment and PPE, lubricants and chemicals, and facility supplies.
Negotiate pricing, terms, delivery schedules, and service agreements.
Develop and maintain relationships with MRO suppliers and service vendors.
Identify cost-saving opportunities and alternative sourcing options.
Monitor supplier lead times to prevent maintenance-related downtime.
Establish blanket purchase orders or vendor agreements where appropriate.
Generate and process purchase orders in ERP/MRP system.
Review and validate maintenance requisitions for accuracy.
Track and expedite urgent or emergency maintenance orders.
Confirm order acknowledgements and delivery timelines.
Reconcile invoices with purchase orders and receiving documentation.
Maintain accurate vendor files, pricing records, and part master data.
Ensure compliance with company purchasing policies and approval limits.
Forecast spare parts requirements.
Maintain appropriate stock levels of critical spare parts.
Establish reorder points and safety stock.
Monitor inventory for obsolete or slow-moving maintenance items.
Support cycle counts and inventory accuracy initiatives.
Assist in creating and maintaining a critical spare parts list.
Track equipment manuals and technical documentation as needed.