Purchasing Operations Supervisor or Purchasing & Open Order Supervisor

Thermo Fisher Scientific • Pittsburgh, PA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Purchasing Operations Supervisor, also referred to as Purchasing & Open Order Supervisor, oversees purchasing activities and supplier management for assigned Third Party suppliers while leading a team responsible for expediting open orders and resolving back orders. The supervisor manages and develops three employees, oversees backlog performance, sets priorities, resolves supplier and order issues, and partners across the organization to support timely product delivery and a strong customer experience.

The role combines purchasing and supplier-management responsibilities with backlog management, supplier resolution, reporting, and training. It includes identifying trends and root causes, improving operational processes, and developing tracking and reporting. The supervisor also provides leadership during quarter-end, year-end, and other business initiatives and drives continuous improvement across supplier and open-order operations.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Science, or a related field.
• At least 3 years of relevant buying or purchasing experience.
• Demonstrated ability to coach, support, and develop team members and manage competing team priorities.
• Experience managing supplier relationships and resolving purchasing, order, or supply-related issues.
• Ability to investigate and resolve issues independently and escalate appropriately when necessary.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities and meet demanding schedules.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong computer skills and proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Experience with Mainframe, AS400, or similar purchasing or order-management systems.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment and adapt to changing requirements and priorities.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively across teams and functions.

Nice To Haves

• Previous people leadership, supervisory, or demonstrated team leadership experience.

Responsibilities

• Manage, coach, and develop a team responsible for expediting open orders and resolving order issues.
• Oversee day-to-day team activities, set priorities, balance workloads, and ensure timely follow-up and resolution of open-order issues.
• Manage purchasing activities and relationships with assigned Third Party suppliers.
• Review, approve, and process direct-ship purchase orders within established turnaround expectations.
• Evaluate and process stock orders to support appropriate inventory availability.
• Maintain customer-specific pricing, evaluate sell-price adjustments when appropriate, and maintain Specials data.
• Manage the open-order and backorder portfolio, focusing particularly on past-due, high-dollar, and customer-impacting orders.
• Analyze backlog trends, supplier performance, and operational reports to identify root causes, risks, and improvement opportunities.
• Work with suppliers to obtain invoices, shipment updates, promise dates, and other information needed to resolve outstanding orders.
• Collaborate with Buyers, Category Management, internal suppliers, and other cross-functional partners to resolve purchasing and supply issues.
• Develop and maintain reporting on backlog status, trends, risks, supplier performance, team productivity, and progress against goals.
• Monitor performance against departmental goals and metrics and take action when results are off target.
• Provide leadership and support during quarter-end, year-end, vendor conversions, and other key business initiatives.
• Escalate significant supplier, customer, or operational issues when appropriate.
• Improve customer experience by identifying and implementing process efficiencies, enhanced tracking and reporting, standardized workflows, and other operational improvements.
• Identify recurring issues and work with stakeholders on corrective actions to prevent future backorders.
• Promote consistent processes, documentation, knowledge sharing, and best practices across the Open Order team.
• Provide ongoing coaching, training, feedback, and development opportunities to strengthen individual and team capabilities.
• Complete assigned projects and other duties as required.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager