Buyer I

Job Summary:
The primary responsibilities for this position will be to manage all assigned supplier relationships to
support business requirements including new product introduction and product obsolescence
requirements. The Buyer ensures that materials are purchased at a reasonable cost, within budget, and
delivered on time for production. They liaise with suppliers and negotiate contracts while maintaining
good relationships to secure favorable pricing and terms. They also monitor supplier performance and
quality, ensuring that the goods meet the required specifications. The Buyer also maintains an accurate
inventory record and evaluates suppliers based on performance and financial stability. They keep up-to-date
with market trends and identify opportunities to reduce costs and improve the supply chain process.
Strong analytical skills, attention to detail, excellent communication, and negotiation skills are vital for
success in this job.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Responsible for procurement of goods, equipment, and/or services for assigned suppliers/commodities/items and expediting when needed to ensure backorders for purchased items are fulfilled as quickly as possible and production lines are not shut down due to purchased item shortages.
• Responsible for communicating orders, follow-up, forecasts, changes, and issues with supplier.
• Responsible for actively participating in the qualification process of new suppliers and products, including identifying new and/or alternate sources to meet requirements as needed
• Responsible for maintaining relationships with suppliers.
• Responsible for maintaining accurate Purchase Order data based upon supplier delivery confirmations.
• Responsible for maintaining accurate Supplier contact data.
• Responsible for maintaining accurate Item data, including lead times, pricing, price breaks, sourcing assignments, planning parameters, etc.
• Responsible for communicating product availability data to Sales & Marketing.
• Responsible for coordinating with Supply Chain Management regarding the analysis of Supplier Scorecard data and resourcing activities as needed, initiating and monitoring improvement plans triggered by supplier performance data.
• Responsible for analyzing requirements driven through the ERP system to confirm accuracy and highlight fluctuations that warrant investigation.
• Responsible for coordinating with New Product Launch Teams regarding launch activities as needed, including sourcing options, costs, etc. for new items to influence product specifications to achieve the best supplier selection, quality, cost, and lead time.
• Responsible for collaborating with Senior Supply Chain Management in defining inventory plans for purchased items and project when inventory will either exceed or fall short to the plan in order to take action to resolve the issue with minimal impact to customer order fulfillment or production schedules.
• Responsible for negotiating the lowest possible cost of goods and/or services while maintaining quality and service standards as well as approved inventory levels.
• Responsible for management of the Change Order Process for all activities related to purchasing to minimize impacts to customer order fulfillment, inventory plan attainment, and production schedules.
• Responsible for coordinating with QA, Engineering, and supplier to ensure timely resolution of NCRs and CAPAs, serving as the liaison between Starrett and supplier.
• Responsible for coordinating with Receiving to resolve issues with the supplier deliveries.
• Responsible for coordinating with A/P to resolve issues with the supplier invoices.
• All Other Essential Duties as directed.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration or equivalent business experience.
• Minimum of one (1) year of sourcing/procurement experience for the relative commodity groups in a high volume and high mix manufacturing environment with domestic and international suppliers and customers.
• Additional related experience of one (1) to three (3) years of Supply Chain in at least one of the following areas: Planning, Master Scheduling, Inventory Management, Item Master Data Management is a plus.
• Ability to read and understand prints and specifications related to purchased items.
• Knowledge of the applicable manufacturing technologies and processes.
• Knowledge of ERP systems (preferably Oracle or SAP) and fundamentals of Purchasing, Planning, and Inventory processes is required.
• Advanced proficiency of Microsoft Office applications, especially Excel.
• Strong analytical, problem solving, and decision making skills.
• Oral and written communication skills.
• Critical thinking skills
• Problem solving skills
• Mathematic skills
• Computer skills
• Technical expertise

Education Requirements:

• Minimum 2 Year / Associate Degree in Business Administration/Supply Chain Management
• Preferred 4 Year / Bachelors Degree in Business Administration/Supply Chain Management

Years of Experience:

• Minimum 2 years of experience