Buyer II [C]

novanta; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 33,000 - 43,000; Full time

Job summary

Novanta in Irvine, CA is seeking a Buyer II contractor to manage sourcing and procurement of materials to support manufacturing operations, including creating and tracking purchase orders and ensuring on-time delivery.

This role collaborates with Operations, Engineering and Quality, analyzes procurement data to identify risks and opportunities, and maintains accurate records in ERP systems while supporting continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Experience in purchasing, procurement, or supply chain within a manufacturing environment.
• Knowledge of sourcing strategies, supplier management, and inventory control.
• Familiarity with ERP systems and procurement workflows.

Responsibilities

• Execute sourcing and procurement of materials, components, and services aligned to production needs.
• Manage purchase orders, including creation, tracking, expediting, and issue resolution.
• Plan and schedule material procurement to maintain inventory at target levels.
• Monitor supplier performance, including on-time delivery, quality, and responsiveness.
• Maintain accurate purchasing and inventory records within ERP systems.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Operations, Engineering, and Quality to support production and new product introductions.
• Analyze procurement data to identify risks, trends, and improvement opportunities.
• Support continuous improvement of procurement processes to enhance efficiency and reliability.

Skills

Analytical skills

Negotiation

Supplier management

Attention to detail

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

ERP systems

Procurement software

Job description

Build a career powered by innovations that matter! At Novanta, our innovations power technology products that are transforming healthcare and advanced manufacturing—improving productivity, enhancing people’s lives and redefining what’s possible. We create for our global customers engineered components and sub-systems that deliver extreme precision and performance for a range of mission-critical applications—from minimally invasive surgery to robotics to 3D metal printing.

Novanta is one global team with over 26 offices located in The Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Looking for a great place to work? You have found it with a culture that embraces teamwork, collaboration and empowerment. Come explore Novanta.

Summary

As a contractor in the Buyer II position, you will be responsible for executing procurement activities to ensure the timely and cost-effective sourcing of materials in support of manufacturing operations. This role manages purchase orders, supplier relationships, and inventory levels to align with production demand, while driving on-time delivery, quality, and cost performance. The Buyer II supports continuous improvement through data analysis, effective planning, and cross-functional collaboration.

Business Overview

Positioning Solutions is a product line within Novanta’s Precision Medicine business unit. It designs and manufactures high-precision motion and positioning components used in advanced medical and life sciences equipment. The team partners closely with customers to deliver highly accurate and reliable solutions for critical applications. The Buyer II supports this mission by ensuring materials are sourced and managed to meet production requirements, customer expectations, and business objectives.

This contractor role is supporting increased work volume. The contractor role is scheduled through year end 2026 with the potential for extension based on work volume needs.

Primary Responsibilities

• Execute sourcing and procurement of materials, components, and services aligned to production needs
• Manage purchase orders, including creation, tracking, expediting, and issue resolution
• Plan and schedule material procurement to maintain inventory at target levels
• Monitor supplier performance, including on-time delivery, quality, and responsiveness
• Maintain accurate purchasing and inventory records within ERP systems
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Operations, Engineering, and Quality to support production and new product introductions
• Analyze procurement data to identify risks, trends, and improvement opportunities
• Support continuous improvement of procurement processes to enhance efficiency and reliability

Required Experience, Education, Skills, Training and Competencies

Experience & Knowledge

• Experience in purchasing, procurement, or supply chain within a manufacturing environment
• Knowledge of sourcing strategies, supplier management, and inventory control
• Familiarity with ERP systems and procurement workflows

Skills & Competencies

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Effective negotiation and supplier management capabilities
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple demands in a dynamic environment
• Strong collaboration skills across cross-functional teams
• High attention to detail with the ability to adapt to changing business needs

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work in both office and manufacturing environments
• Occasional movement between production and operational areas

Travel Requirements

• Minimal travel; occasional supplier or cross-site support as needed

Compensation

• The contractor base pay for this position is $32.79 - $42.62 per year depending on the geographic market.

Novanta is proud to be an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action workplace. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, military and veteran status, disability, genetics, or any other category protected by federal law or Novanta policy.

Please call [phone] if you need a disability accommodation for any part of the employment process.