Buyer

Coastal Machine & Supply, Inc.; Carencro (LA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Coastal Machine & Supply, Inc. in Carencro, Louisiana is hiring its first dedicated Buyer to own end-to-end procurement of raw materials and outside processing. You will analyze what we buy, decide where to buy it, negotiate costs, and be accountable for results.

You will build a supplier base, manage large-diameter and long-lead materials, ensure certifications and traceability, and drive cost reductions across released orders.

Qualifications

• Three or more years of purchasing experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Working proficiency in an ERP or MRP system.
• Verifiable track record of supplier negotiation and cost reduction.
• Disciplined procurement documentation and records.

Responsibilities

• Own material and outside processing procurement end-to-end, including heat treat, NDT, plating, coating, and finishing.
• Manage cost performance by negotiating and capturing differences between quotes and actual costs.
• Build and maintain an approved supplier list and qualify new sources for large-diameter and long-lead material.
• Ensure purchase orders carry required certifications, traceability, testing, and regulatory requirements.
• Monitor open orders and ensure on-time delivery, communicating issues early.
• Drive supplier performance and corrective actions when needed.

Skills

Purchasing experience

ERP/MRP proficiency

Supplier negotiation

Procurement documentation

U.S. Person status

Tools

ProShop ERP

Job description

About Coastal Machine & Supply

Coastal Machine & Supply is an AS9100-certified, DDTC-registered precision contract manufacturer specializing in large, complex turning and 5-axis milling. We build parts for the Defense, Space, and Oil & Gas industries — the kind of work where the material is expensive, the tolerances are tight, and the delivery date matters.

The Role

We are hiring our first dedicated Buyer.

Today, purchasing at Coastal is handled across several functions. We are consolidating it into one seat, and the person who takes it will own it — raw material, outside processing, supplier relationships, and the cost performance that comes with them. This is not a role where you execute purchase orders someone else negotiated. You will analyze what we buy, decide where to buy it, negotiate what we pay for it, and be accountable for the result.

If you are a buyer who has spent your career executing inside someone else's process, this is a chance to build one.

What You'll Own

Material and outside processing procurement. End-to-end responsibility from released order to delivered, conforming material. Bar, plate, forgings, and castings, plus the outside processing that goes with them — heat treat, NDT, plating, coating, and specialty finishing.

Cost performance. Every released order is an opportunity to resource or renegotiate. You will own the difference between what a job was quoted at and what it actually cost to buy, and you will feed what you learn back into how we quote.

The supply base. You will build and own our approved supplier list, develop sources for large-diameter and long-lead material, qualify new suppliers, track supplier performance, and drive corrective action when performance slips.

Purchase order compliance. Our customers flow requirements down to us, and we flow them down to our suppliers. You will make sure every purchase order carries what it needs — certifications, traceability, testing, and regulatory requirements — before it goes out, not after.

Delivery. You will know where every open order stands and escape a problem before it becomes a late shipment.

What We're Looking For

• Three or more years of purchasing experience in a manufacturing environment, with direct responsibility for raw material and/or outside processing
• Working proficiency in an ERP or MRP system
• A verifiable track record of supplier negotiation and documented cost reduction
• Real discipline around procurement documentation and records
• U.S. Person status, required for access to export-controlled information

We do not require a degree. We care about whether you can buy metal, manage suppliers, and hold a commitment.

What Will Set You Apart

• Purchasing experience in an AS9100, ISO 9001, or other regulated quality environment
• Experience buying large-diameter bar, plate, forgings, or castings, including mill-direct sourcing
• Experience buying outside processing, including accredited special-processing sources
• Familiarity with mill test reports and material traceability requirements
• Aerospace, defense, space, or oil & gas background
• CPSM, CPP, or equivalent certification
• ProShop or comparable manufacturing ERP experience

Why This Role

You will be the purchasing function, not a slice of it. You will have genuine authority over source selection and negotiation, direct access to the leadership team, and the opportunity to build a supply base rather than inherit one. Coastal is growing, and the person who builds this function well will have the first opportunity at what it becomes.