Senior Buyer / NPI Buyer Electronics

Mainspring Energy•Menlo Park, CA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

As R&D/NPI Buyer, Electrical, you are the primary supply chain point of contact for the Engineering team — the person engineers come to for parts on the bench, prototype builds, and new suppliers stand up fast. You’ll own tactical purchasing for R&D and prototype builds and carry those parts through the transition into production as programs move from NPI to manufacturing. The work mixes structured projects (supplier/part qualification, RFQs, EC cut-in planning) with a live queue of ad-hoc requests. You’ll sit on the SC PM & Cost Engineering team within Strategic Sourcing.

Requirements

BA/BS in Business, Supply Chain, or Engineering, or equivalent experience
3+ years of buyer/planner experience in hardware manufacturing, ideally supporting R&D or NPI
Hands-on ERP/MRP proficiency — POs, part/planning data, running and acting on MRP
Working knowledge of electrical commodities: PCBAs, cables/harnesses, e-boxes/enclosures, connectors, passives
Comfortable reading BOMs and ECs; communicates credibly with design engineers
Highly organized and self-directed under shifting priorities

Nice To Haves

Experience with contract manufacturers
Familiarity with obsolescence/allocation markets and AVL management
Experience with a formal EC process or PLM system
Analytics/AI tool experience (dashboards, scripting) for reporting automation

Responsibilities

R&D and Prototype Purchasing: Main point of contact for Electrical Engineering, translating needs into sourcing actions with clear cost, lead-time, and availability calls
Own end-to-end tactical purchasing for R&D/prototype builds — RFQs, PO placement, expedites, delivery follow-through
Source and onboard quick-turn suppliers; negotiate pricing, NRE, and tooling for prototype quantities
Resolve shortages, allocation, and EOL components — alternates with engineering, distributor/broker channels, early risk escalation
Plan and stage material for builds, coordinating kitting and receiving with the shop floor and Quality
NPI Transition to Manufacturing: Support prototype-to-production transition: part qualification, FAI, capacity/lead-time confirmation, handoff to production planning and CMs
Support supplier-side EC execution — change quotes, cut-in timing, disposition of obsolete/excess material
Partner with SCM Program Managers and Commodity Managers so R&D buys land on the right supplier and terms for volume
Systems, Data, and Reporting: Maintain accurate ERP/MRP data — part records, sourcing rules, lead times, pricing — and run MRP to drive buys
Keep open orders and shortage lists current; report cost, schedule, and supply risk to program teams
Resolve receiving, quality, and invoice discrepancies with AP, Quality, and suppliers