NPI Project Buyer

ZEISS Group•Dublin, CA

2d•$77,000 - $96,000

About The Position

The NPI / Project Buyer leads procurement activities for New Product Introduction (NPI), product development, and other cross-functional projects from early development through production release. The role serves as the primary procurement interface within project teams and ensures supplier, material, cost, and sourcing readiness in alignment with project milestones. It works closely with Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Planning, Operations, Finance, and suppliers to identify and resolve procurement risks that could affect product launch, cost, quality, or schedule. The buyer manages sourcing and supplier readiness, purchased-component sourcing status, material availability, cost tracking, and procurement-related engineering changes. The role also supports the transition from NPI to sustaining production by ensuring suppliers and purchasing information are ready for handoff to operational procurement and planning teams, and by supporting initial production ramp stabilization.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Operations, or a related field.
Typically 5+ years of experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, NPI purchasing, project buying, or supply chain.
Experience supporting NPI and product-development projects in a manufacturing environment.
Experience with engineering BOMs, drawings/specifications, ECOs or engineering changes, and prototype-to-production transitions.
Experience managing suppliers through development, qualification, ramp-up, and production readiness.
Experience with ERP/MRP systems, preferably SAP.
Strong understanding of interdependencies between Engineering, Procurement, Planning, Manufacturing, Quality, and Finance.
Ability to manage purchasing milestones, risks, deliverables, and dependencies against an NPI schedule.
Ability to manage supplier RFQs, selection, lead-time alignment, capacity/readiness, and material availability.
Ability to develop should-cost and quote comparisons, negotiate pricing, identify cost-reduction opportunities, and track NPI material costs.
Ability to review BOMs for sourcing status, lead times, shortages, cost, and supply risk.
Ability to coordinate purchasing implications of ECO/PCO/design changes and supplier transitions.
Ability to identify long-lead, single-source, capacity, quality, obsolescence, and supply-continuity risks.
Ability to work cross-functionally with Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Planning, Quality, Operations, Finance, and suppliers.
Ability to ensure purchasing and supplier readiness before transition into sustaining production.
Comfort working across suppliers and manufacturing teams in multiple regions and time zones.
Strong ownership and accountability.
Ability to operate with incomplete information during early NPI phases.
Excellent follow-through and attention to detail.
Ability to challenge suppliers and internal stakeholders professionally.
Strong communication and escalation skills.
Ability to manage several projects and priorities simultaneously.
Proactive rather than transactional purchasing mindset.
Knowledge of SAP/ERP/MRP, BOM and material-master structures, purchase orders and requisitions, RFQ and sourcing processes, supplier lead-time management, inventory and demand-planning fundamentals, and Excel/data analysis.

Nice To Haves

APICS/ASCM, CPSM, or project-management certification.
Experience with SAP MDG, KMAT/configurable products, or complex capital-equipment manufacturing.

Responsibilities

Lead procurement activities for assigned NPI and product-development projects from concept and prototype through production readiness.
Represent Procurement on cross-functional project teams and integrate purchasing deliverables into project plans.
Drive sourcing and material readiness against NPI milestones and production launch requirements; track procurement status, issues, risks, and critical-path items.
Manage RFQs, supplier evaluations, negotiations, and sourcing recommendations.
Partner with Strategic Sourcing and Engineering to select suppliers based on cost, quality, capability, lead time, capacity, and supply risk.
Coordinate supplier readiness for prototypes, pilot builds, qualification, and production ramp.
Identify long-lead, single-source, capacity, and supplier-related risks and develop mitigation plans.
Review project BOMs and drive sourcing status for purchased components.
Identify and escalate material shortages, long lead-time items, and sourcing gaps that may affect project schedules.
Coordinate purchasing activities related to engineering changes, including ECO/PCO implementation.
Support accurate material-master, purchasing, and sourcing information in SAP/ERP systems.
Obtain and evaluate supplier quotations, negotiate commercial terms, and track purchased-material cost against project targets.
Partner with Engineering and suppliers on design-to-cost, value-engineering, and cost-reduction opportunities.
Provide procurement input for forecasting, business cases, and project cost reviews.
Ensure procurement and supplier readiness before transition from NPI into sustaining production.
Coordinate handoff of suppliers, pricing, lead times, purchasing information, and open risks to operational procurement and planning teams.
Support stabilization during initial production ramp.