Senior Buyer, Contract Manufacturing

John Paul Mitchell Systems•Santa Clarita, CA

6d•$75,000 - $85,000

About The Position

The Senior Buyer, Contract Manufacturing is responsible for end-to-end purchase order execution and supply activities across assigned contract manufacturers. The role coordinates day-to-day work with internal partners and external manufacturing contacts to ensure purchase orders, production requirements, delivery commitments, inventory movements, and issue resolution are handled accurately and on time. As a senior individual contributor, this position establishes follow-up priorities, monitors execution, provides operational leadership, and escalates risks to Procurement leadership. It has no direct reports or formal performance-management authority unless separately assigned. The position also analyzes purchasing and supplier data, maintains accurate supplier and purchasing records, supports product and production-related initiatives, and provides workflow guidance and process support to buyers and cross-functional partners.

Requirements

Working knowledge of purchasing, inventory control, MRP, production planning, and contract-manufacturing supply processes.
Ability to coordinate internal and external parties, establish clear ownership and deadlines, and drive follow-through without formal authority.
Strong purchase order management, supplier relationship management, escalation, and issue-resolution skills.
Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills, including the ability to assess risk and make structured operational decisions.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and production dependencies in a fast-paced environment.
Clear written and verbal communication, including concise status reporting and escalation of risks, decisions, and required actions.
Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint; experience using an ERP/MRP system.
Ability to work independently with general direction and exercise sound judgment within established policies and approval levels.
High school diploma or GED required.
Minimum 5 years of purchasing, procurement, supply chain, inventory planning, or buyer experience.
Demonstrated experience coordinating complex work across suppliers and cross-functional stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Experience managing purchase orders and supply execution with contract manufacturers or third-party production partners.
Experience in beauty, personal care, cosmetics, consumer products, health and wellness, or another regulated manufacturing environment.
Experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 or a comparable ERP system.
Experience with supplier scorecards, open-order reporting, inventory analysis, PPV or cost analysis, and corrective-action follow-up.
Ability to read and interpret bills of material, specifications, drawings, forecasts, production schedules, and quality or regulatory documentation.
Familiarity with cGMP, FDA, Prop 65, quality-system, or related industry requirements as they apply to purchasing execution.
Associate or bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Operations, Finance, or a related field.
Experience in manufacturing and contract manufacturing.

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end purchase order execution for assigned contract manufacturers, including creation, confirmation, changes, production tracking, shipment coordination, receipt, and closure.
Coordinate internal stakeholders and external contract-manufacturer contacts to support PO requirements, production schedules, component readiness, documentation, and delivery commitments.
Set priorities, owners, and due dates for open-order actions; monitor completion and escalate missed commitments or unresolved risks.
Maintain accurate open-order reporting, including production status, material constraints, delivery dates, quantity changes, and business-impact notes.
Review MRP recommendations, forecasts, inventory positions, safety stock requirements, and open supply to identify risks and recommend purchasing actions.
Partner with Planning, Quality, R&D, Product Development, Regulatory, Receiving, Finance, and other functions to resolve production, release, shipment, invoice-matching, or receipt constraints.
Monitor contract-manufacturer and supplier performance; document service gaps and coordinate corrective follow-up.
Serve as the first operational escalation point for assigned contract manufacturers, resolving routine issues and escalating material supply, quality, commercial, or continuity risks to Procurement leadership.
Validate PO pricing, quantities, ship-to locations, payment terms, lead times, and supporting documentation.
Coordinate PO changes, cancellations, substitutions, transfers, returns, credits, and reconciliation of order, shipment, receipt, and invoice discrepancies.
Support commercialization, reformulation, artwork, BOM, and technology-transfer activities by tracking purchasing deliverables, dependencies, and readiness dates.
Analyze purchasing data, supplier performance, lead times, inventory exposure, and cost impacts; prepare recommendations and updates for Procurement leadership.
Maintain supplier, item, pricing, lead-time, and PO data in D365 and related purchasing reports.
Provide day-to-day guidance, process support, and training to buyers or cross-functional partners; contribute to SOPs and continuous-improvement initiatives.
Perform other related responsibilities as assigned.