Buyer Planner

Elephas; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Elephas, a Madison, WI based biotechnology start-up, seeks a motivated Buyer Planner to manage material planning and procurement to support research, production and operations across R&D, Engineering and Lab Services.

You will analyze demand, create POs, coordinate with vendors, manage safety stock, and ensure on-time deliveries in a fast-paced startup environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Operations, or related field.
• 2+ years in materials planning, buying, or procurement (life sciences, biotech, or manufacturing environment preferred).
• Working knowledge of MRP/ERP systems.
• Solid understanding of inventory management, including safety stock, reorder points, and lead time.
• Strong Excel skills; able to work with data for planning decisions.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills for vendor interactions.
• Highly organized with attention to detail and follow-through.
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, collaborative start-up environment.

Responsibilities

• Analyze demand forecasts, production/project schedules, and current inventory to determine material requirements across departments.
• Convert planned requirements into purchase orders and work orders promptly.
• Create, enter, and issue purchase orders with approved vendors; communicate pricing, lead times, and terms.
• Build and maintain strong vendor relationships; resolve delivery, quality, or invoicing issues and monitor performance.
• Set and adjust safety stock levels based on lead times, demand variability, and supplier reliability.
• Follow up on and manage open purchase orders to ensure on-time delivery and accurate status.
• Communicate proactively with internal teams about delays or back-ordered shipments.
• Proactively identify and resolve shortages, and expedite orders to prevent disruption to lab or production schedules.
• Enter and release work orders based on production and project schedules.
• Generate staging lists, coordinating with lab, warehouse, and operations for material availability.
• Collaborate with accounting to identify and correct invoice discrepancies.
• May perform other duties as required.

Skills

Vendor relationship management

Analytical decision-making

Time management

Communication

Negotiation

Attention to detail

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain/Business/Operations

APICS/ASCM certification (plus)

Tools

MRP/ERP systems

Excel

Job description

Elephas, a Madison, WI based biotechnology start-up company, is seeking a highly motivated Buyer Planner to join our team. Applicants should be comfortable in a fast-paced and collaborative environment. This position is responsible for planning and procuring materials to support the company's research, production and operational needs. This includes entering and managing purchase orders, coordinating with vendors, issuing workorders and staging lists, and maintaining safety stock levels to meet site quality and production requirements. This role supports departments including Operations, R&D, Engineering, and Lab Services.

Job Duties/Essential Functions

• Analyze demand forecasts, production/project schedules, and current inventory to determine material requirements across departments
• Convert planned requirements or requisitions into purchase orders and work orders in a timely manner
• Create, enter, and issue purchase orders with approved vendors, and communicate directly with vendors on pricing, lead times, order status, and terms
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with key suppliers; resolve delivery, quality, or invoicing issues and monitor vendor performance, escalating recurring issues as needed
• Set and adjust safety stock levels based on lead times, demand variability, and supplier reliability
• Follow up on and manage open purchase orders to ensure on-time delivery and accurate order status
• Communicate proactively with internal teams to address delayed or back-ordered shipments
• Proactively identify and resolve potential material shortages, and expedite orders as needed to prevent disruption to lab or production schedules
• Enter and release work orders based on production and project schedules
• Generate and issue staging lists, coordinating with lab, warehouse, and operations personnel to confirm material availability and staging accuracy
• Collaborate with the accounting team to identify and correct invoice discrepancies
• May perform other duties as required

Competencies

• Very high attention to detail
• Analytical and data-driven decision-making
• Vendor relationship management
• Time management and ability to prioritize competing demands across multiple departments
• Problem-solving under pressure (shortages, delays, quality issues)
• Cross-functional collaboration in a start-up setting.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Operations, or related field
• 2+ years of experience in materials planning, buying, or procurement (life sciences, biotech, or manufacturing environment preferred)
• Working knowledge of MRP/ERP systems
• Solid understanding of inventory management principles, including safety stock, reorder points, and lead time management
• Strong Excel skills; comfortable working with data to inform planning decisions
• Strong communication and negotiation skills for vendor interactions
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail and follow-through
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, collaborative start-up environment

Certifications/Specializations

• APICS/ASCM certification a plus