Global Spare Parts Planner / Buyer (m/f/d)

Advantest; Böblingen; On-site; EUR 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Advantest in Böblingen, Germany, seeks a Global Spare Parts Planner / Buyer (m/f/d) to ensure parts availability at optimal cost. You will manage end-to-end demand planning, procurement, inventory, and supplier performance across a global spare parts network.

The role requires a degree in a related field, experience in demand and supply planning, procurement, and proficiency with Excel, Oracle or SAP, and Power BI.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, or related field.
• Experience in demand planning, supply planning, procurement, materials management or logistics.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to interpret forecasts and KPIs.
• Experience managing purchase orders, shortages, and global supply continuity.
• Proficiency in Excel, ERP systems (Oracle, SAP) and Power BI; fluent in English.

Responsibilities

• Manage demand and supply planning for assigned product families to ensure material availability worldwide.
• Create, monitor, and expedite purchase orders with external suppliers and contract manufacturers.
• Drive supplier performance management, including lead time adherence and shortage resolution.
• Manage critical material shortages and allocations to minimize customer impact.
• Maintain inventory health and replenishment strategies balancing service levels and forecast accuracy.
• Support global logistics and material movements, including transfers and regional inventory optimization.
• Ensure data quality and process compliance in ERP systems (item setups, planning parameters, supplier records).
• Develop insights and drive continuous improvement through forecasting reviews and reporting.

Skills

Analytical thinking

English fluency

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Tools

Excel

SAP

Oracle

Power BI

Job description

Global Spare Parts Planner / Buyer (m/f/d)

#8897

Job Description

Overall Mission: Ensure the right spare parts are available at the right time, in the right quantity, and at the optimal cost by managing end-to-end demand planning, procurement, inventory, supplier performance, and supply chain execution. Act as the central interface between Field Service, Operations, Engineering, Logistics, and suppliers to maintain service continuity, support business growth, and drive continuous improvement across the global spare parts network.

• Manage demand and supply planning for assigned product families, ensuring material availability to support customer requirements and service commitments worldwide.
• Create, monitor, and expedite purchase orders with external suppliers and contract manufacturers to meet delivery targets and inventory objectives.
• Drive supplier performance management, including lead time adherence, shortage resolution, recovery plans, and participation in supplier business reviews.
• Manage critical material shortages and allocations, coordinating with Operations, Engineering, Field Service, and suppliers to minimize customer impact.
• Maintain inventory health and replenishment strategies, balancing service levels, excess stock, aging inventory, and forecast accuracy.
• Support global logistics and material movements, including transfers, repair flows, ODS/customer kits, stock reallocations, and regional inventory optimization.
• Ensure data quality and process compliance in ERP systems by maintaining item setups, planning parameters, supplier records, purchase orders, and reporting accuracy.
• Develop operational insights and drive continuous improvement through forecasting reviews, planning analytics, allocation transparency, reporting, and process automation initiatives.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration, Engineering, Logistics, or a related field.
• Experience in demand planning, supply planning, procurement, materials management, inventory control, manufacturing, or supply chain operations.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret forecasts, inventory trends, supplier commitments, and operational KPIs to support business decisions.
• Experience managing purchase orders, material shortages, supplier deliveries, inventory optimization, and supply continuity in a global environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, ERP systems (e.g., Oracle, SAP), and reporting tools such as Power BI; fluent in English and willing to work in an international and cross-functional environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in spare parts planning, service supply chain management, repair operations, reverse logistics, or aftermarket support.
• Knowledge of forecasting methodologies, inventory planning, replenishment strategies, installed base planning, and supply chain analytics.
• Experience working with contract manufacturers, external suppliers, and global logistics networks.
• Familiarity with semiconductor, electronics manufacturing, automated test equipment, or high-tech industrial environments.
• Experience with process improvement initiatives, data automation, Lean principles, or supply chain optimization projects

All Locations

Field of Activity

Field Service

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This Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or on any other basis prohibited by law. Information on race, gender and national origin will only be used for statistical and record keeping purposes, and will not be used in making any employment decisions. All information provided will be kept separate from your expression of interest. Providing this information is strictly voluntary, and you will not be subjected to any adverse action or treatment if you choose not to provide this information. If you do not choose to answer these questions, we ask that you select "Decline to Identify" for each question. Thank you for your voluntary cooperation.