Senior Buyer

Summary: The senior buyer leads and mentors a team of buyers and partners with the VP, Supply Chain on sourcing logistics, new program development, and other projects as required. Duties and Responsibilities: Assist with negotiating favorable terms and volume discounts with suppliers. Process requisitions and purchase orders for the procurement department. Expediting and managing back orders. Credit card reconciliation and coding. Perform competitive supplier evaluation and selection by negotiating supply agreements where appropriate that include discount structures and payment terms. Continually help to improve purchasing methods to drive down internal and external spending. Review and analyzes client solicitations received by the company and provides recommendations to VP, Supply Chain. Serve as point of contact and interacts with customers, subcontractors and management regarding contract requirements and issues resolutions. Ensure that raw materials, component parts, and outsourced parts are available for order fulfillment and production (both internally and at contract processors) to meet customer delivery schedules and delivery customer service levels at the lowest total cost. Receive and evaluate proposals from potential suppliers, develops negotiation plans and, with management approval, completes negotiations. Qualify and approve vendors and coordinates the authorization of purchase orders. Reviews contractual terms and conditions offered to and requested by suppliers to ensure the company’s best interests are protected. Resolve sub-par quality or delivery timing in an expedient manner. Develop and maintains competitive sources for materials, supplies and services. Coordinate source selection decisions with other company requirements as required. Develop and maintain good supplier relations by adhering to high standards of business ethics and fair dealing. Coordinate engineering, manufacturing, and quality control requirements with suppliers. Perform cost/price analyses to advise management of potential savings and establish negotiation goals. Consistently adheres to AS9100 and ISO quality standards. Working under general supervision, performs the wide range of assignments using mature judgment and expertise to develop solutions to specified problems. Monitor vendor performance and processes credit applications. Perform other duties as assigned. Education and Work Experience: Bachelor’s degree preferred. Ten or more years of experience in an equivalent position. American Purchasing Society Certifications – CPP, CPPM, or CPM desirable Knowledge of GlobalShop or other MRP/ERP systems. Experience working within an ISO quality plan a plus. Familiar with ISO 9000 and other quality systems, knowledge with AS9100D a plus. Or equivalent combination of education and experience. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: List of needed knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully accomplish the duties and responsibilities of the job. Perform day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork. Work in a high energy, high volume, rapidly changing environment. Can multitask and manage multiple large to small projects in a cross functional environment. Take personal responsibility for the quality and timeliness of work and achieves results. Achieve thoroughness and accuracy when accomplishing a task through concern for all the areas involved. Clear and effective communication skills in both written and spoken forms. Understand how to use the computers, including such tasks as turning the computer on and off, locating and opening files, navigate to websites, perform searches, and download files. Knowledge of computer applications including email, databases, word-processing program and spreadsheets (such as Microsoft Office). Provide excellent service to internal and external customers. Ensure that decisions are made based on policies, rules and organizational directives to solve emerging problems. Proven negotiation skills and ability to explain products to an audiences. Develop customer relationships and maintains those relationships. Analyze and diagnose problems and works independently to solve them. Able to manage own time, priorities, and resources to achieve goals. Work collaboratively and build strategic relations with colleagues, coworkers, and contractors. Work effectively with different levels of management, team members and customers. Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods. Knowledge of strategic supply-chain activities such as supply planning, sourcing, contracts and supplier performance management. Ability to earn trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and contribute to a culture of inclusion. Work Conditions: Environment Type: Indoor. Production and office environment. Temperature controlled, unless products and/or equipment is located outdoors. Exposure Types: Dirt, dust, grease and/or oil Noisy environment Work Hours: Standard work schedule, overtime may be necessary for meeting deadlines and emergent conditions. Travel Requirements: This position may involve travel up to 10% of the time. Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Light work that includes moving objects up to 20 pounds. Picking, pinching, typing or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with whole hand or arm as in handling. Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Repeating motions that may include the wrists, hands and/or fingers. AIT Safety - AIT enforces a safety culture whereby all employees have the responsibility for continuously developing and maintaining a safe work environment. As appropriate, each employee is responsible for completing all training requirements. All employees that work in or enter the production environment are required to wear personal protective equipment. AIT Quality - It is our policy to provide quality products and services that meet customer expectations and delivery requirements. Accordingly, each employee must conform to the AIT Quality Policy and carry out job activities in compliance with applicable AIT Quality System documents and customer contracts. Each employee must read and understand his/her Quality Management and Customer Satisfaction responsibilities. AIT Procedure Compliance - Each employee must read, understand, and implement the general and specific operational, safety, quality, and environmental requirements of all plans, procedures, and policies pertaining to his/her job. Security Clearance Statement - This position may require a government security clearance; you must be a US Citizen for consideration. ITAR Requirements - To conform to U.S. Government commercial space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3), applicants for employment at AIT must be a U.S. citizen or national, lawfully admitted for permanent residence into the U.S. (i.e. current green card holder), or lawfully admitted as a refugee or granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. § 1157-1158. Equal Employment Opportunity - AIT is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to attracting, retaining, and developing a highly qualified, diverse, and dedicated work force. AIT hires and promotes people based on their qualifications, performance, and abilities. We support the establishment and maintenance of a workplace that nurtures trust, equality, and teamwork, in which all employees recognize and appreciate the diversity of individual team members. We provide all qualified applicants for employment and employees with equal opportunities for hire, promotion, and other terms and conditions of employment, regardless of their race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin/ethnicity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local law.#ZR Affirmative Action and Disability Accommodation - Applicants wishing to view a copy of AIT’ s Affirmative Action Plans, or applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the application and/or interview process, please contact us at askhr@aint.com.