Buyer (Assoc., Intermed., or Senior)

Ppl-Corporation; Allentown (Lehigh County); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

PPL Corporation seeks a Buyer to facilitate strategic procurement across multiple operating companies, optimize processes, and administer contracts. The role includes coordinating replenishment, bidding, supplier relations, and SOX-compliant controls.

It reports to the corporate office on a hybrid schedule from Allentown, PA, with responsibilities across capital, non-stock, and stock materials. The position offers opportunities at Associate, Intermediate, or Senior levels, with growth potential

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent; year-for-year experience may count
• Minimum two years of relevant experience with ERP, procurement, or work management systems, or equivalent in electric utility industry
• Senior level requires five years of supply chain experience with ERP/work management systems

Responsibilities

• Review client procurement requests for completeness and process into purchase orders
• Coordinate with planning on re-orders and perform replenishment procurement of stock material
• Recommend replenishment actions based on usage and min/max levels; oversee replenishment as needed
• Solicit bids via RFQ/RFP processes; evaluate bids and prepare formal written recommendations
• Coordinate and negotiate with suppliers, accounts payable, and internal stakeholders to resolve issues
• Coordinate logistics of material delivery to warehouse or job site with project manager/engineer
• Resolve invoice/payment issues with accounts payable and ensure schedules are not impacted
• Update pricing on blanket purchase orders as required
• Review material forecasts with Business Project Planners to ensure timely delivery
• Identify new sources of supply and maintain relationships with suppliers in line with standards of conduct
• Ensure procurements follow policies and SOX requirements
• Provide work management support for material and service requirements
• Support emergency/storm restoration as needed
• Participate in Supplier Relationship Management activities
• All other duties as assigned

Skills

ERP

Procurement

PowerBI

Excel

Analytical skills

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Tools

ERP systems

Work management systems

MS PowerBI

MS Excel

Job description

Company Summary Statement

As one of the largest investor-owned utility companies in the United States, PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), is committed to creating long-term, sustainable value for our 3.5 million customers, our shareowners and the communities we serve. Our high-performing regulated utilities — PPL Electric Utilities, Louisville Gas and Electric, Kentucky Utilities and Rhode Island Energy — provide an outstanding experience for our customers, consistently ranking among the best utilities in the nation. PPL’s companies are also addressing challenges head-on by investing in new infrastructure and technology that is creating a smarter, more reliable and resilient energy grid. We are committed to doing our part to advance a cleaner energy future and drive innovation that enables us to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 while maintaining energy reliability and affordability for the customers and communities we serve. PPL is a positive force in the cities and towns where we do business, providing support for programs and organizations that empower the success of future generations by helping to build and maintain strong, diverse communities today.

Overview

The purpose of this job is to facilitate the strategic procurement of materials and services in support of business lines throughout all PPL operating companies. This position will also support efforts to optimize process efficiencies and consistency in the consolidation of procurement functions. In addition, this position may administer contracts, drive continuous improvement initiatives with internal stakeholders, and help manage SOX compliance programs. This position supports a range of supply chain processes and systems designed to control costs and optimize operations for business lines throughout our service territories in Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. This position works independently with minimal supervision.

This position will report in office on a hybrid schedule and will be based out of PPL's corporate office located in Allentown, PA.

Responsibilities

The Buyer position may be hired at the Associate, Intermediate, or Senior level. The position responsibilities listed below reflect those of the Associate level. Additional/varying responsibilities may be included for other levels of the Buyer role.

• Review client procurement requests for completeness and process into purchase orders.
• Coordinate with the planning function on re‑orders of stock and non‑stock materials and perform replenishment procurement of stock material based on system generated replenishment reports.
• Recommend replenishment action based on usage, order quantities, and min/max levels; perform replenishment procurement of stock material based on system generated replenishment reports and oversee min/max levels as agreed.
• Solicit bids through formal request for quotations or request for proposal competitive processes, including evaluation and analysis of bids, and preparation of formal written recommendations, for procurement of critical materials and services.
• Coordinate and negotiate with suppliers, accounts payable, and internal stakeholders in resolving issues associated with specific purchases or projects, expediting orders, price discrepancies, warranty claims, and the return or cancellation of purchase orders.
• Coordinate the logistics (receiving, handling, inspecting, delivery etc.) of capital/project/non‑stock material in conjunction with the project manager/engineer, etc., delivered either to the site warehouse or job site.
• Coordinate with the accounts payable team in resolving issues associated with invoice and payment processing as they occur. Identify and resolve invoice holds and bottlenecks to ensure that work management schedules are not impacted. This includes direct interaction with internal business proponents across the company.
• Update pricing on blanket purchase orders as required.
• Review material forecasts with Business Project Planners to ensure that all required materials have been ordered and are scheduled to be delivered when required. Expedite orders as needed.
• Identify new sources of supply and establish/maintain professional relationships with suppliers/partners, based on the highest ethical business practices as set forth in the Standards of Conduct and Integrity and PPL's Supply Chain Policies.
• Ensure procurements follow all applicable company policies and adhere to SOX requirements.
• Provide work management support for material, service and other requirements as requested by internal business proponents.
• May be assigned an emergency and storm restoration role. This is a special assignment that comes into play during storms and other emergencies when the company needs to restore power or gas or respond to other issues affecting customer service. This role may necessitate the need to work after‑hours, outside of your normal schedule.
• Participates in Supplier Relationship Management activities and facilitates timely and relevant information between external suppliers and internal business proponents and leaders.
• All other duties and projects as assigned.

Qualifications

The Buyer position may be hired at the Associate, Intermediate, or Senior level. Level offered will be determined by the successful candidate's background, education & experience.

Required Experience:

Associate Level:

Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience on a year-for-year basis, is required.

Intermediate Level:

Education

Bachelor’s degree, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience on a year-for-year basis, is required.

Experience

A minimum of two years’ relevant experience experience, including experience with ERP, procurement, or work management systems, or equivalent relevant experience in the electric utility industry on a year-for-year basis is required.

Senior Level:

Education

Bachelor’s degree, or an equivalent combination of education and experience on a year-for-year basis, is required.

Experience

A minimum of five years’ supply chain experience, including experience with ERP, procurement, or work management systems, or equivalent relevant experience in the electric utility industry on a year-for-year basis is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

1. Experience with procurement and inventory preferred, as well as good working knowledge of Financial and Material systems, MS PowerBI, MS Excel, and other company systems.
2. Analytical and detail oriented; comfortable with various levels of ambiguity; basic financial analysis skills; good communication (written, oral and listening), time management, and people skills.
3. Lean and/or Six Sigma certification or equivalent program.
4. Experience using ERP, procurement, or work management systems.