Summary of the Position:
Responsible for planning, purchasing, and expediting critical materials and components for the operation of the organization requiring extensive or specialized knowledge and experience. This position will manage a wide range of commodities as assigned which could include PCB’s, electromechanical and electronic components used in the manufacturing of PCBA’s and provide guidance to other buyers.
Main Responsibilities:
- Plans, purchases, and expedites material, equipment and services on a broad assignment basis usually involving important and critical items. Responsible for all purchasing/planning data in ERP system.
- Provide guidance and training to buyers consistent with procurement policies set by the Materials Manager.
- Performs an active role in the supplier selection and assessment process. Seeks new sources of supply, performs periodic performance evaluations; generates on-time delivery reports.
- Assess and evaluate suppliers and undertake performance reviews to ensure contract compliance and manage performance improvement activities.
- Ensure continuous supply of required goods and materials and communicate any supply problems which may pose a risk or impact on business operations.
- Research and evaluate areas of opportunity and reduce costs where possible.
- Drives continuous improvement with suppliers and within Purchasing practices and tool set.
- Maintain KPI metrics on performance and delivery.
- Solicit competitive quotations from qualified suppliers and prepare total cost analysis to determine best overall value including purchase price, freight terms, payments terms, quality of service and product specifications.
- Negotiate contracts, improved prices, and terms of business with suppliers and review opportunities to make business savings utilizing negotiation and procurement best practice tools and methods.
- Analyzes purchase price variances and assists in the development of standard product costs.
- Monitor savings against individual and departmental cost savings objectives.
- Contact suppliers to resolve price, quality, delivery, or invoice issues.
- Deliver briefs, updates, and reports as and when required.
- Develop ideas and strategies to improve operational efficiency, add value, aid business performance and work towards a strategy of continuous improvement.
- Must have knowledge of legal practices and compliance systems including ISO.
- Ensure compliance to company guidelines, purchasing policies and procedures.
Experience/Skills:
- 3+ years' experience purchasing electronics, electronics components, wiring harnesses, and PCB/PCBA.
- Degree in Business Administration, a related field, or equivalent experience.
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) experience.
- Experience working with MRP.
- Must have established negotiation, supplier relation and sourcing skills along with strong organizational skills.
- Must have leadership traits and communication skills to allow for effective training and guidance to buyers.
- Must have experience with handling long term agreements, KanBan and Just-In-Time (JIT) purchasing.
- Applies continuous improvement techniques and methods to internal processes and systems.
- Complies with all internal policies and procedures.
- Strong interpersonal skills. Ability to work successfully within teams and able to lead.
- Embraces personal challenge.
- Confident, rounded thinking.
- Engages interest and participation of others and has a collaborative approach to working with others.
- Proactively contributes to the team and able to lead others.
- Resilient, self-motivated, and able to work well under pressure.