Job Title:  Senior Buyer

Job Purpose

The Senior Buyer is responsible for executing and coordinating end‑to‑end procurement activities to ensure uninterrupted material availability in a fast‑paced manufacturing environment. This role serves as a senior individual contributor focused on supplier performance, operational execution, and data‑driven decision making. The Senior Buyer plays a critical role in supporting cost, delivery, quality, inventory optimization, and analytics, while working closely with cross‑functional stakeholders and external suppliers, including contract manufacturers. This position does not have formal supervisory responsibility and is primarily execution‑ and analytics‑focused.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Procurement & Supplier Management

• Lead RFQs and negotiations, including pricing, commercial terms, lead times, MOQs, and supply commitments.
• Manage ongoing supplier performance related to on‑time delivery, quality, responsiveness, and cost.
• Support alternate sourcing, dual‑source qualifications, and outsourcing initiatives to mitigate supply risk.
• Resolve supplier quality, delivery, or commercial issues, including returns, replacements, and corrective actions.
• Participate in purchasing strategies that balance cost, service level, inventory, and risk.

Contract Manufacturer (CM) Purchasing Management

• Manage purchasing activities related to contract manufacturers, ensuring alignment between internal demand plans and CM material requirements.
• Coordinate pricing, lead times, MOQ agreements, and component availability for CM‑managed BOMs.
• Monitor CM inventory exposure, excess risk, and constrained materials, and proactively recommend mitigation actions.
• Support contract negotiations and commercial alignment with CMs in collaboration with sourcing, engineering, and finance.
• Ensure visibility and accuracy of CM material commitments, open orders, and inventory positions.

Operational Execution

• Create, release, and maintain purchase orders in the ERP system with accurate pricing, dates, and part data.
• Monitor ERP/MRP exceptions and take action to prevent shortages, production disruptions, or missed customer commitments.
• Expedite late, constrained, or high‑priority materials in support of production schedules.
• Maintain accurate supplier data, purchasing records, and contract terms.
• Support standard cost reviews and periodic cost updates as required.

Data Analysis, Reporting & Analytics

• Analyze demand forecasts, historical consumption, lead‑time trends, pricing history, and supplier performance data to support purchasing decisions.
• Develop, maintain, and automate analytical tools using Excel, Power Query, and Power BI to improve visibility into supply, inventory exposure, and supplier performance.
• Create dashboards and reports to track KPIs such as supplier OTD, lead‑time accuracy, open order health, inventory compliance, and excess/obsolete risk.
• Perform data cleansing, transformation, and modeling to improve data accuracy and reporting reliability.
• Identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities related to cost reduction, lead‑time optimization, MOQ alignment, and inventory strategy.
• Translate complex data into clear, actionable insights for supply chain and operations stakeholders.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with planning, production, engineering, quality, and warehouse teams to align material supply with operational requirements.
• Partner with commodity management and sourcing teams on supplier strategies, negotiations, and performance reviews.
• Provide clear material availability, risk, and constraint updates to planning and customer service teams.
• Support complex purchasing issues, escalations, and special projects as required.

Continuous Improvement

• Recommend and implement improvements in purchasing processes, analytics, and ERP data accuracy.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives focused on automation, standardization, and data‑driven execution.
• Support the evolution of purchasing dashboards, reporting tools, and workflows to improve efficiency and decision quality.

Qualifications

• 5–8 years of procurement experience in a manufacturing environment (electronics/electrical experience preferred).
• Bachelor’s degree or college diploma in Supply Chain, Business, or a related field preferred.
• SCMP, CPIM, CPM, APP, or similar certification considered an asset.
• Advanced analytical skills with strong proficiency in Excel, Power Query, and Power BI.
• Experience working with ERP/MRP systems (SAP preferred).
• Strong negotiation, problem‑solving, and prioritization skills.
• Ability to work independently in a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong communication, organizational, and detail‑oriented execution skills.

Core Competencies

• Data‑driven decision making
• Supplier and contract manufacturer management
• Operational execution and urgency
• Continuous improvement mindset
• Strong cross‑functional collaboration

General Job Requirements