Purchaser Planner I

Thorlabs•Sterling, VA

About The Position

Thorlabs is a company that designs and manufactures components, instruments, and systems, playing a role in advancing science through photonics technologies. They are committed to positively impacting customers, employees, and communities, investing in a brighter future through educational outreach and sustainable business practices. The company values diversity and seeks individuals who will thrive in their fun, fast-paced culture. The Purchaser Planner I position is responsible for assisting planning, purchasing, forecasting, and inventory management for the Virginia Imaging Systems Group. This involves working with operations, manufacturing, Engineering R&D, internal sales, and overseas offices, negotiating prices, establishing lead times, purchasing products, and planning/scheduling machine shop activities and inventory management. The role also includes purchasing consumables, working on cost reduction and process improvement projects, and ongoing vendor evaluations.

Requirements

Minimum 1 years of experience in a similar position
High School Diploma or equivalent or equivalent work experience
Strong Inventory planning skills
Understanding of safety stock, forecasting, and made-to-order products
Strong understanding of how a product moves through an ERP system
Strong knowledge of transaction processing
Knowledge and understanding of BOMs and how they impact the forecast, purchase, and manufacturing requirements
Strong sense of ownership
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Strong computer skills including Microsoft Excel
Excellent organizational skills
Strong ability to work well in a group atmosphere and comply with high quality standards
Strong ability to shift from one task to another to address changing production priorities

Responsibilities

Working with operations, manufacturing, Engineering R&D, internal sales, and overseas offices
Negotiating prices, establishing lead times and purchasing products
Planning, scheduling of machine shop and inventory management
purchasing consumables and project work to reduce costs and improve processes
ongoing vendor evaluations
Inventory Control and Inventory Planning (Safety Stock, forecast, build/order size)
Purchasing (Daily purchasing, expediting, date and data management)
Initiates and participates in purchasing improvement and cost reduction programs
Generate special and periodic reports as required or directed
Review Document and Data
Review company back orders
Product Availability and Lead Time calculation