Senior Buyer / Supply Chain Planner

Subinitial•El Cajon, CA

10d•Onsite

About The Position

Subinitial is seeking a Senior Buyer / Supply Chain Planner to manage the gap between released engineering bills of materials and manufacturing build readiness in a high-mix, low-volume electronics environment. The role turns BOMs into buying plans, ensures required parts are ordered and arrive on time, and resolves shortages through supplier negotiations, alternate sourcing, expedited or partial shipments, and approved alternatives developed with Engineering. The position uses Subinitial’s in-house ERP, which provides visibility into demand, inventory, open orders, and kit readiness, and offers influence over how the tools develop. Subinitial provides advanced automated testing services to the aerospace and electric vehicle industries. Its high-performance testing systems and automation tools support technology performance, efficiency, and reliability, helping clients accelerate development, improve product quality, and reduce time to market.

Requirements

At least 5 years of experience in procurement, purchasing, or supply chain planning in electronics manufacturing, contract manufacturing, aerospace/defense, or a similar high-mix environment.
A track record of resolving shortages and pulling in lead times.
Strong negotiation and phone skills, including the ability to obtain commitments from suppliers and distribution or manufacturer representatives.
Comfort with BOMs and manufacturer part numbers, and working knowledge of component lifecycle, allocation, franchised versus independent distribution, and counterfeit-avoidance basics.
Organization skills to manage dozens of urgent orders simultaneously.
Fluency with ERP/MRP systems and spreadsheets.
Clear, early, factual communication with Engineering and Manufacturing, including when communicating bad news.
Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual, or other U.S. person per 22 CFR § 120.62 due to ITAR and/or CUI compliance.

Nice To Haves

Experience buying PCB assemblies, cable and harness components, machined parts, or consigned kits for contract manufacturers.
Experience with independent and broker sourcing, including related inspection and traceability.
Familiarity with ITAR/EAR, tariffs, or import paperwork.
APICS/ASCM (CPIM, CSCP) or similar certification.

Responsibilities

Identify parts that could gate a build and resolve shortages using legitimate sourcing options, including alternates, other sources, expedites, partial shipments, and pull-ins.
Negotiate supplier lead times, delivery dates, minimum buys, and allocation; build relationships with distributors, manufacturers’ representatives, and contract manufacturers; and secure committed dates.
Convert released BOMs into buying plans by assessing available stock, existing commitments, and purchasing needs, and promptly raise discrepancies with Engineering.
Manage complex purchase orders, including RFQs, quotes, drop-ships to contract manufacturers, consigned kits, tariffs, and inspection holds.
Work a daily queue of open orders, unconfirmed purchase orders, missing ETAs, and late shipments; maintain accurate ETAs in the system.
Respond to shortages discovered on the manufacturing floor by ordering replacements the same day.
Resolve supplier issues such as incorrect parts, short shipments, quality holds, returns, and credits in coordination with Receiving and Quality.
Maintain accurate order, date, supplier, and purchasing-note records.
Perform other duties as assigned.