Position Summary
The Buyer/Planner is responsible for planning, sourcing, and procuring materials required to support production schedules and customer delivery commitments. This role serves as a critical link between suppliers, operations, finance, and customer-facing teams to ensure materials are available when needed, inventory levels are optimized, and costs are managed effectively.
The ideal candidate is highly analytical, detail-oriented, and skilled in supplier management, procurement, inventory planning, and cost control. This position plays a key role in maintaining supply continuity, improving supplier performance, and supporting overall business objectives.
Key Responsibilities
Material Planning & Procurement
- Plan and procure raw materials, components, and finished goods based on MRP recommendations, forecasts, and customer demand.
- Review and analyze MRP outputs, validate system data, and execute purchasing actions aligned with business requirements.
- Monitor and manage inventory levels to support production schedules while minimizing excess and obsolete inventory.
- Align material requirements with supplier lead times and proactively identify potential supply constraints and risks.
- Create, maintain, and modify purchase orders, including delivery date changes, quantity adjustments, and supplier confirmations.
- Expedite or defer orders as necessary to support production schedules and customer commitments.
- Resolve supply chain issues including shortages, late deliveries, quality concerns, logistics disruptions, and lead-time variances.
- Provide accurate material status updates and communicate readiness to internal stakeholders, including Operations, Sales, and Account Management teams.
- Maintain accurate ERP and planning system data, including pricing, lead times, order status, planned dates, and item master information.
Cost Management, Negotiation & Compliance
- Manage procurement costs, including unit pricing, landed cost calculations, and cost change tracking.
- Negotiate pricing, lead times, freight terms, Incoterms, minimum order quantities (MOQs), and supplier agreements.
- Review and negotiate supplier terms and conditions, including payment terms, warranty provisions, return policies, and service expectations.
- Validate supplier quotations and pricing accuracy while supporting Finance with cost updates and standard costing activities.
- Analyze total cost of ownership, including logistics expenses, duties, tariffs, and other landed cost considerations.
- Support sourcing initiatives through competitive bidding, supplier benchmarking, and market analysis.
Supplier Relationship Management
- Identify, evaluate, and source suppliers based on quality, delivery performance, service, capacity, and cost competitiveness.
- Develop and maintain strong supplier relationships to ensure long-term performance and reliability.
- Monitor supplier performance using key metrics such as on-time delivery, quality, responsiveness, and overall service levels.
- Collaborate with suppliers on continuous improvement initiatives focused on cost reduction, lead-time improvement, and operational efficiency.
- Support supplier corrective actions and performance improvement plans when necessary.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with Production, Quality, Logistics, Finance, Engineering, Sales, and Customer Service teams to support business requirements.
- Assist Finance with cost rollups, vendor invoicing discrepancies, cost variance analysis, and supplier-related financial issues.
- Coordinate freight activities and support Incoterm compliance with logistics providers and suppliers.
- Participate in supply chain improvement initiatives that enhance service levels, reduce costs, and improve operational performance.
Required Qualifications
- All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, age, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, or military or veteran status. We consider all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with state and local laws, including the California Fair Chance Act, City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, and San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.