Senior Buyer / Planner, Mechanical

Mainspring Energy•Menlo Park, CA

7d•$98,000 - $116,000•Onsite

About The Position

Mainspring Energy is revolutionizing power generation with the worldâs most flexible and adaptable local power generation technology, the Mainspring Linear Generator. Commercial, industrial, and utility leaders are choosing Mainspring over traditional options like engines, turbines, and fuel cells to quickly and reliably deliver local power for EV charging, commercial facilities, data centers, and grid-scale operations. The Mainspring Linear Generator is fuel flexible, ramps up and down to meet demand, and utilizes a flameless reaction with near-zero NOx emissions. Backed by top-tier investors including Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates, American Electric Power, Lightrock, and General Catalyst Mainspring designs, manufactures and delivers its products to customers across the U.S. today, and weâre quickly scaling for international expansion. Inspired by our vision of the affordable, reliable, net-zero carbon grid, Mainspring is rapidly expanding within the $816B global electricity equipment market, and weâre hiring the best talent to meet growing customer demand around the globe. We welcome a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, and talents to bring fresh perspectives and ongoing innovation to our customers. We are looking to build relationships with people who share our values: Pragmatic Optimism. Building a new category of world-class power generation requires the optimism of ambition and creativity, balanced with practicality to solve problems efficiently. The challenges that arise are opportunities for growth. Excellence without Ego. We bring expertise and commitment to creating the best customer experience, from sales to deployment and service, just as we apply deep technical rigor to building and delivering world-class products. We strive for excellence and behave as leaders with the humility to acknowledge our challenges, both collectively and as individual contributors. Proactive Collaboration. The integration and cross-disciplinary nature of Mainspringâs business requires intentionally seeking out others who bring different skills, perspectives, and priorities. Our culture of inclusion and respect extends beyond our team to interactions with our partners and customers. More information can be found at www.mainspringenergy.com Job Overview The Buyer/Planner Mechanical will be managing Mechanical commodities/assemblies and suppliers from âquote to payâ to ensure continuity of supply and reduce the cost of assigned portfolio. The candidate will be organized, communicative, hands-on and will have regular shop floor engagement and constant cross-functional engagement with production, NPI, engineering, logistics, material handling, and suppliers. The role balances tactical buying excellence with advanced planning, supplier coordination, and cost control, ensuring uninterrupted supply while supporting business objectives.

Requirements

At least 5 years of experience in production control, material demand planning, or supply chain management environment
Independent, excellent communicator, and collaborator with Engineering, Quality, Program Management, and Manufacturing
Detail-oriented with thorough analytical capabilities including the ability to solve problems with minimal supervision
Proficient with Excel and Google Workspace tools. Experience with ERP packages
Bachelorâs Degree in Engineering, Business, Economics, Supply Chain Management or similar discipline
Cultural fit: Pragmatic Optimism (creative, practical, problem solver), Excellence without Ego (expertise, rigorous, data-driven, service-oriented, leadership ability, humble), Proactive Collaboration (seeking others, inclusive, respectful)
Smart, cognitively agile, high-horsepower, dependable person
Clear, concise, to the point communication and presentation skills, ability to work with teams
Data-driven and analytical

Nice To Haves

Experience managing the transition of new products into volume production with manufacturing partners
Partner with IT and other business stakeholders on planning processes and system improvements
Knowledge of Mechanical components / Mfg technologies (Casting, Forging, Stamping, CNC Machining, Welding, Assembly, tooling, Sheet Metal) Knowledge of cost reduction using DFM and should-cost modeling in collaboration with Engineering, NPI, and Quality
Experienced with cross-functional business process improvements to improve the supply chain efficiency

Responsibilities

Deep knowledge of material planning, forecasting factoring in demand, supply, lead times, inventory, and business inputs regarding risks and use-of-capital
Deep understanding of planning systems and parameters to optimize inventory levels
Ability to provide data-driven status updates to manage exceptions
Experience administering competitive RFQs and driving supplier negotiations and supporting cost reduction activities
Ability to build and manage effective supplier relationships and act as the primary interface with suppliers on delivery status, issues, and problem resolution
Ability to communicate proactively with Production, Material Handling, and Engineers about order status and schedule challenges, and manage change orders, rush-requests, and returns, as necessary