Buyer

Essential Functions:

• Optimize material flow and delivery using MRP, internal planning, and forecasting tools.
• Effectively build strong supply chain and vendor relationships.
• Professionally negotiate price, manage quality, and ensure on-time delivery
• Evaluate vendor quotes and services to determine the most valuable suppliers.
• Proactive response to engineering changes to minimize obsolescence and shortages.
• Coordinate and resolve issues regarding existing and new products. Interact with operations, engineering, and sales to ensure all requirements are being met.
• Escalate item availability issues to leadership and engineering, proactively providing substitute recommendations, either by leveraging the vendor or by personal technical experience, for engineering approval.
• Ensure vendor pricing and lead times are confirmed and updated on regular cadence.
• Identify opportunities to improve tactical and cumbersome departmental processes in an effort to create more time for strategic initiatives and supplier development.
• Expedite urgent supplied parts as necessary and communicate timelines and issues to leadership when necessary.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Remain abreast of supplier offerings, strengths and weaknesses, competitors, evolving opportunities, and communicate potential changes or improvements to management that increase company profitability and value.
• Rely on extensive experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. A wide degree of creativity and latitude is required.
• Conduct training with less experienced staff.
• Comply with Quality Management System requirements in accordance with ISO9001.
• Ensure compliance in all safety, health, and environmental regulations, policies and procedures for a goal of zero incidents and injuries; Assist in delivering required training to ensure that all coworkers have the necessary skills to perform their jobs properly and safely.
• Communicate consistently on all activities to appropriate individuals (internal & external).
• Maintain ongoing communication and adhere to all Companywide policies to eliminate and/or reduce exposure to liability.
• Special projects or work as assigned.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Qualifications Guidelines

Experience/Training/Education:

Required: 1-3 years MRP purchasing experience or equal amount of experience within a technical or engineering role.

Desired: 3 or more years MRP purchasing experience; Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Position requires knowledge and understanding of purchasing and supply chain execution, preferably in heavy equipment manufacturing. Ability to collect, analyze, and draw conclusions from company data while maintaining confidentiality.
• Commodity and mechanical knowledge in steel fabrication, electrical and hardware. Hydraulic and steel background is also beneficial.
• Professional interaction with vendors and service providers while performing supplier reviews, price negotiations, and expedites.
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Excel), experience with one or more ERP systems (ideally Epicor E9-E10) and ability to quickly learn new systems.

Physical and Environmental Elements:

This is primarily an office classification with low/moderate noise levels and controlled temperature conditions. Occasional short durations of time may be spent in shop floor environment, offsite in various environments, and some travel may be required (less than 15%).

Special Requirements/Certification:

APICS certification encouraged but not required