Senior Buyer

Polymer Concepts Technologies•Orange, NJ

10d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Buyer supports day-to-day procurement, supplier coordination, purchasing transactions, and material availability for T&E Industries, Inc. The role works with Operations, production planning, Engineering, Quality, Finance, receiving, and customer-facing personnel to procure materials, components, supplies, and services accurately, promptly, cost-effectively, and in accordance with applicable requirements. The Senior Buyer exercises judgment in supplier communications, purchasing decisions within assigned authority, purchase-order follow-up, and issue resolution. The role supports manufacturing schedules, inventory objectives, customer commitments, and operational continuity, including the transfer and standardization of purchasing activities concentrated within site leadership. The position is full-time and performed in person in Orange, New Jersey. It reports to the General Manager. Work is primarily office-based, with periodic work in manufacturing, warehouse, and shipping/receiving areas.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
At least three years of experience in purchasing, procurement, production planning, supply chain, materials management, or a related manufacturing support function.
Experience in a manufacturing, engineered-products, industrial, or comparable technical production environment.
Experience using ERP/MRP systems to enter and manage purchase orders, review demand and material information, and maintain purchasing or inventory transactions.
Working knowledge of purchasing procedures, supplier follow-up, inventory control, and material-planning concepts.
Ability to organize competing priorities and communicate effectively with internal stakeholders and external suppliers.
Knowledge of procurement practices, supplier coordination, purchasing controls, and material-availability planning.
Ability to evaluate material requirements, inventory levels, supplier quotations, lead times, delivery risks, and production priorities.
Strong attention to detail and accuracy in purchase orders, supplier records, ERP/MRP transactions, and supporting documentation.
Ability to prioritize multiple open orders, vendor issues, and deadlines in a time-sensitive manufacturing environment.
Sound judgment in resolving routine purchasing issues and escalating matters outside assigned authority or involving significant business risk.
Effective written and verbal communication and ability to collaborate with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Finance, and customer-facing teams.
Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems, Microsoft Office, and related purchasing or business applications.
Professionalism, discretion, and adherence to ethical standards in supplier and business interactions.
Ability to work in office areas and periodically move through manufacturing, warehouse, and shipping/receiving areas as required.
Ability to operate a computer, keyboard, telephone, and standard office equipment and review purchasing documents and system information.
Ability to access operational work areas in accordance with applicable safety and personal protective equipment requirements.

Nice To Haves

Associate's or bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related discipline.
Experience using Global Shop or a comparable manufacturing ERP/MRP platform.
Experience with engineered-to-order or customer-specific manufacturing, technical components, or contract-driven purchasing environments.
Experience with supplier negotiations, sourcing comparisons, purchasing cost improvements, and supplier performance monitoring.
Experience supporting coordination between purchasing and production planning in a smaller, hands-on manufacturing operation.
Experience with export-controlled, customer-controlled, or contractually regulated purchasing requirements, when relevant to site activities.
APICS, CPSM, CSCP, CPIM, or comparable procurement/supply chain certification.

Responsibilities

Review approved purchase requisitions, material requirements, production schedules, inventory positions, and demand information to identify and prioritize procurement needs for manufacturing operations.
Prepare, enter, review, issue, and manage purchase orders in accordance with purchasing procedures, delegated approval limits, supplier terms, and business requirements.
Communicate with suppliers regarding quotations, pricing, specifications, availability, lead times, order acknowledgments, shipment status, expediting, shortages, and delivery commitments.
Obtain and evaluate supplier quotations and support sourcing recommendations based on total cost, quality, delivery, responsiveness, technical requirements, and approved-supplier criteria.
Monitor open purchase orders and identify and escalate late deliveries, supply constraints, pricing discrepancies, and risks to production schedules or customer commitments.
Coordinate with Operations and production planning on near-term priorities, material shortages, order changes, and required delivery dates; support purchasing responses without independently owning the master production schedule.
Maintain accurate purchasing, supplier, material, order-status, and transaction records in Global Shop and other applicable ERP/MRP or business systems, within assigned access and approval authority.
Work with receiving, Quality, and Finance to help resolve discrepancies involving quantities, specifications, supplier documentation, goods receipts, invoices, and purchase-order records.
Support inventory control through material-availability reviews, shortage follow-up, cycle-count or inventory-discrepancy resolution, and identification of excess or obsolete purchasing exposure.
Provide supplier cost, availability, and lead-time information to Engineering, Sales, and site leadership for product costing and customer quotations; customer pricing and commercial approval remain with designated personnel.
Support supplier performance tracking and corrective follow-up related to on-time delivery, quality, responsiveness, and recurring supply disruptions.
Identify opportunities to improve supplier terms, purchasing efficiency, cost controls, documentation, and continuity of supply, and participate in continuous-improvement efforts.
Maintain purchasing documentation and records in accordance with company policies, ethical standards, customer and contractual requirements, and applicable export-control or other regulatory obligations.
Help document standardized purchasing workflows, recurring supplier requirements, and critical purchasing knowledge to support coverage, cross-training, and business continuity.
Perform other related duties as assigned to meet business needs.