Procurement and Supply Chain Manager

On-systems; Letchworth; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company pension scheme

Healthcare benefits

25 days holiday

Cycle to work scheme

Wellbeing focused environment

Job summary

On-systems in Letchworth, UK, is seeking a capable purchasing and supply chain leader to manage the buying team within our electronics-focused operations.

You will align BOM demands with ERP/MRP, develop suppliers for aerospace, defence and marine work, and drive on-time delivery at target costs while coaching the team and improving processes.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading a purchasing or supply chain team.
• Experience managing suppliers, cost reviews and lead times.
• Aerospace, defence or high-mix/low-volume supply chain background.
• CIPS qualification or willingness to train.

Responsibilities

• Lead the purchasing team and set priorities against the build plan.
• Coach buyers on supplier handling and ERP discipline.
• Step in to place or chase orders when needed.
• Own the link between BOM/ERP demand and the build plan.
• Set rules for electronic components and subcontract processes.
• Maintain the approved supplier list and conduct supplier reviews.
• Identify and develop suppliers for low-volume aerospace work.

Skills

Purchasing management

Supply chain leadership

ERP/MRP

Supplier management

Expedite & shortages

AS9100/ISO9001

Aerospace/defence industry

PCB/magnetics procurement

Education

CIPS certification

Tools

Rambase ERP

Job description

On-systems designs and manufactures rugged, reliable power systems for harsh environments, predominantly aerospace, defence and marine. We are fair and customer focused, and we integrate closely with our partners’ engineering teams. Our colleagues work with a can-do attitude. Three words drive the business: Understand, Develop and Deliver.

We are a growing company with a strong order book and real opportunities for personal development. Products include custom and Mil-COTS AC-DC and DC-DC converters, UPS and battery management systems, inverters and integrated platform power solutions, built at our Letchworth site.

Role Summary

Working within Operations, you will manage the purchasing and supply chain team so that production is supplied on time, to the released BOM and at a cost the order can stand.

You will identify and develop suppliers to build a robust, reliable supply chain, and be the point of escalation for supply issues and their resolution. You will step in to buy only when the team needs cover or a decision sits above a buyer.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Team and function management

• Lead the purchasing team. Set priorities for the day and the week, allocate work against the build plan, and be the point of escalation when a shortage, a supplier or a quality issue needs a decision.
• Coach buyers on supplier handling, shortage calls and ERP discipline. Review their open orders and exceptions.
• Step in to place, amend or chase an order when a buyer is absent, a supplier needs a manager, or a decision is outside the buyer's authority. Hand the order back once it is under control.
• Hold a short team review of shortages, late orders and supplier issues. Record the action and the owner and follow it up.

Demand, shortages and purchase control

• Own the link between the released BOM, MRP or ERP demand and the build plan. Make sure the team buys against that demand, not an uncontrolled list or a private spreadsheet.
• Review the shortage position with Production and Projects. Decide what to expedite, split or re-date so a traveller is not waiting on a part that could have been moved.
• Set the rules for electronic components, magnetics, mechanical parts, PCB manufacture, cable and subcontract processes: price check, lead time, revision and certificate requirement before an order is sent.
• Keep the open-order book current in the ERP. Require a line to be closed or amended when the requirement changes, and make sure the requestor is told.

Suppliers and approved sources

• Identify and develop suppliers against quality, delivery, cost and the ability to support low-volume aerospace, defence and marine work, so the supply chain is robust and not dependent on a single weak source.
• Maintain the approved supplier list. Approve a new source only after the company assessment is complete, and remove or restrict a source when performance or a quality escape demands.
• Agree terms, lead times and call-off arrangements with key suppliers. Hold the supplier review and record actions.
• Set the rule on authorised distributors and the manufacturer.

Cost, obsolescence and risk

• Set the cost challenge for the team: price and lead time against the last buy and a target cost.
• Own the watch on obsolescence and allocation for long-lead and single-source parts. Decide on a last-time buy, an alternative or a redesign request before the line stops.
• Set the counterfeit-avoidance standard for electronic parts: traceable sources, certificates and quarantine of anything that does not match the purchase order.
• Flag export-control, ITAR-free and long-lead risks to the project team when a part choice will constrain the programme.

Goods in, traceability and quality

• Work and manage the Materials Manager to;
• Agree receiving rules with Stores and Quality so a delivery is booked to the purchase order, the revision and the lot or date code.
• Own the response to an incoming nonconformance. Make sure the batch is contained, the supplier is told, and the part is not returned to stock until the disposition is recorded.
• Ensure certificates, concessions and supplier corrective actions to stay with the order so a later audit can trace the part to the build.
• Maintain and develop the function to the AS9100 purchasing controls and the company procedure.

Planning and improvement

• Set stocking and kanban rules for parts that repeat and keep project-specific parts tied to the job so cash is not sitting in unused stock.
• Give Projects and Sales a reliable lead-time and shortage view before a commitment is made to a customer.
• Support Engineering on new-part introduction: availability, approved source, minimum order and the data library and ERP requirements.
• Improve the purchasing process — supplier scorecards, order templates, shortage routine — and train out.

Qualifications and Skills

• Proven experience managing a purchasing or supply chain team in electronics manufacturing, or a similar low-volume engineered product.
• Able to run a buying function from a BOM and an MRP or ERP demand, and to hold the team to purchase-order, revision and due-date control.
• Experience selecting and managing suppliers, including delivery, quality and cost reviews at manager level.
• Able to own a shortage and expedite routine with production and projects, and to decide what the team escalates.
• Working knowledge of traceability, certificates and incoming quality on electronic and mechanical parts.
• Able to coach buyers and to step in to place or chase an order when cover or a decision is needed.
• Clear written and spoken communication with suppliers, engineers and the shop floor.
• CIPS qualification, or willing to train. Support for a relevant qualification can be agreed.
• Experience of AS9100 or ISO 9001 purchasing controls.
• Aerospace, defence or marine supply chain experience.
• Familiarity with electronic-component obsolescence and counterfeit avoidance.
• Experience of PCB, magnetics or electromechanical subcontract buying.
• Use of an ERP such as Rambase, or a comparable MRP system.
• Experience introducing stocking rules or a supplier scorecard in a small team.

Full training will be provided on the company ERP, approved supplier process and AS9100 purchasing controls. There are opportunities to progress through the company and to gain an appreciation of other areas of the business. Higher-level qualifications can be supported through day release or other agreed arrangements.

Letchworth office, with time in stores, goods-in and on the shop floor as shortages and supplier issues require.

On-systems employee core values

• Team player, sharing in the greater good of the company.
• A positive colleague with a can-do attitude.
• Fair, helpful, respectful and approachable.
• Professional, with honesty and integrity.
• Proactive and organised, with a focus on the customer.
• Process driven, with clear and reliable communication.
• Committed to self-improvement.

What We Offer You

• Company pension scheme with up to 5% employer contribution.
• Employee Assistance Programme and healthcare.
• 25 days’ holiday (extending to unlimited, subject to approval), plus public holidays.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• A supportive and friendly working environment with a focus on wellbeing.

Other Information

Interviews will be held on site.

This role is not currently subject to baseline security checks. The successful candidate must be prepared to undergo such checks in line with business needs.

Equality and Inclusion

On-systems is committed to equality of opportunity for all and takes positive steps to remain an inclusive business. We will welcome and support you from your initial application to wherever your career takes you. Please get in touch if you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments to your application so that we can accommodate and support you in the process. If you want to work for a company where who you are is valued and respected, we would love to hear from you.