Buyer

Actalent; Newport News (VA); On-site; USD 73,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision

401(k) Retirement Plan

Life Insurance

Disability insurance

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Transit benefits

Employee Assistance Program

Time Off

Job summary

Actalent is seeking a contract buyer in Newport News, VA to execute procurement for multiple active manufacturing programs. You will source quotes, issue POs in QuickBooks, and manage supplier activity from order release through receipt, maintaining open orders and recovery plans.

The role requires hands-on experience with catalog and custom parts, strong follow-through, and the ability to work without ERP support in a lean environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on buying or procurement experience in manufacturing, industrial, marine, defense, or construction environments.
• Comfort reading basic mechanical drawings to communicate requirements to fabrication suppliers.
• Experience in a lean, manual supply chain environment without ERP support.

Responsibilities

• Obtain competitive quotations from suppliers; identify alternatives for better terms.
• Prepare and issue purchase orders in QuickBooks against approved quotes.
• Procure catalog/COTS components and custom parts; read drawings for fabrication needs.

Skills

Procurement experience

Reading drawings

Lean environment

PO management

Excel BOMs

Vendor follow-up

Tools

QuickBooks

Job description

Overview: We are seeking an experienced contract buyer to support procurement execution across active manufacturing programs. The immediate need is for someone who can walk in with industrial or manufacturing purchasing experience and begin executing with minimal ramp time - sourcing quotes, writing purchase orders, following up with suppliers, and keeping open orders moving through to receipt. This person works directly under the Supply Chain Specialist, receiving priorities and procurement requirements from her and executing the buying workload. The right candidate is comfortable in a lean, manual supply chain environment, brings their own discipline and follow-through, and does not rely on a system to tell them what needs attention. Description:

• Obtain competitive quotations from both established and new suppliers as required; identify alternative or new sources when the existing supplier base does not cover the need or when better commercial terms are available.
• Prepare and issue purchase orders in QuickBooks against approved quotations and purchasing requests; confirm order acknowledgements and delivery commitments from suppliers.
• Buy both catalog/COTS components and custom fabricated parts - including sending engineering drawings to job shops for machined parts, back plates, door cutouts, and similar custom work. Must be comfortable reading basic mechanical drawings well enough to communicate requirements to fabrication suppliers and manage the quote and PO process for custom parts.
• Maintain active, ongoing follow-up on open purchase orders as a standing discipline - not just when deliveries are at risk. Supplier confirmation, mid-lead-time check-ins, delivery week confirmation, and proactive communication of slips before they affect production are expected practice. Releasing a PO is the beginning of the job, not the end of it.
• Identify at-risk deliveries early; develop and communicate recovery plans to the Supply Chain Specialist before shortages affect the production schedule.
• Reconcile open purchase orders in QuickBooks against the Excel BOM to maintain alignment on quantities, part numbers, revisions, and outstanding balances; AI-assisted tools automate much of the comparison work - the buyer owns validation and resolution of exceptions.
• Coordinate with the materials team and controller’s team on inbound shipment receipts, packing slip discrepancies, partial shipments, and PO closeout.
• Coordinate with suppliers on delivery schedule changes, discrepancies, shortages, damaged shipments, and returns; elevate commercial issues to the Supply Chain Specialist.
• Maintain accurate and current purchase order records in QuickBooks; ensure documentation is complete and audit-ready.
• Support open PO cleanup - identify and resolve aged, incomplete, or incorrectly coded purchase orders.
• Collect and file supplier documentation including order confirmations, certifications, and delivery records in accordance with ISO 9001 requirements.
• Participate in weekly procurement and production readiness coordination as required.

Qualifications:

• US Citizenship.
• 5+ years of hands-on buying or procurement experience in a manufacturing, industrial, marine, defense, or construction environment.
• Demonstrated experience buying both catalog/COTS components and custom fabricated parts from job shops; comfort reading basic mechanical drawings to communicate requirements to fabrication suppliers.
• Prior QuickBooks experience highly preferred - this is the primary purchasing system.
• Comfortable working in a lean, manual supply chain environment without ERP support; experience managing procurement from Excel-based BOMs is directly applicable.
• Comfortable managing a high volume of purchase orders across multiple active projects simultaneously.
• Ability to read and work from Bills of Material, engineering documentation, and purchase requisitions.
• Familiarity with electrical, electronic, or mechanical components and industrial supplier base is a significant advantage.
• Proactive follow-through discipline - owns open orders from release through receipt and doesn’t wait for problems to surface before acting.
• Disciplined in documentation and reconciliation - maintains alignment between purchasing records and BOM requirements without a system enforcing it.
• Direct communicator who can follow up with suppliers firmly and professionally.
• Works well in a small-company environment where support structure is limited and self-direction is expected.

Work Environment:

• Fast-paced, multi-project manufacturing environment; priorities shift based on production schedule.
• Small team - the contractor works closely with the Supply Chain Specialist and interacts regularly with production, engineering, warehouse, and controller staff.
• Physical presence in both office and warehouse/production floor environments.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Newport News, VA.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $35.00 - $40.00/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms.

If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Newport News,VA.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 30, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance:
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector:
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):
We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.