Buyer/Planner

TECHSTAFF of AZ; Mesa (AZ); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

TECHSTAFF of AZ client in Mesa, AZ seeks a Buyer/Planner to coordinate purchasing, material availability, inventory management, and production planning to support on-time delivery.

The ideal candidate will combine hands-on supply chain experience with supplier relationships, production scheduling, and strong ERP/MRP knowledge to optimize material flow and manufacturing efficiency. Experience with metals and tooling preferred; strong lead-time capacity planning is required.

Qualifications

• Five+ years in purchasing, materials management, or production planning.
• Experience in manufacturing environments (precision machining or metal fabrication preferred).
• Knowledge of metals (aluminum, stainless steel) and industrial alloys.
• Familiarity with tooling, machining, outside processing, and lead times.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems (Epicor, SAP) and strong Excel skills.
• Strong negotiation, organizational, and cross-departmental communication.

Responsibilities

• Manage purchasing for raw materials, tooling, components, and outside processing services.
• Develop production and material plans based on demand, capacity, and supplier lead times.
• Prepare, issue, and track purchase orders while monitoring pricing, delivery schedules, and quality.
• Maintain inventory levels and identify opportunities to reduce excess inventory and carrying costs.
• Coordinate with production, engineering, and quality teams to resolve material availability issues.
• Monitor supplier performance and drive cost, quality, and delivery improvements.
• Utilise ERP/MRP to manage material requirements, POs, and production planning.
• Support new product introductions and changing production requirements by coordinating material sourcing and supplier schedules.
• Identify potential supply chain risks and communicate issues that could affect production or commitments.

Skills

Supplier management

Negotiation

Production planning

Inventory control

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Epicor ERP

SAP ERP

Excel

Job description

Our client is an established precision manufacturing company in Mesa, Arizona, specializing in high-quality machined components, tooling, and metal manufacturing processes for demanding industrial markets.

The Buyer/Planner will play an important role in coordinating purchasing, material availability, inventory management, and production planning to support on-time delivery and efficient manufacturing operations.

This position is ideal for a hands-on supply chain professional who understands manufacturing environments, builds strong supplier relationships, and can balance competing priorities while improving material flow and production efficiency.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage purchasing activities for raw materials, tooling, components, and outside processing services.
• Develop and maintain production and material plans based on customer demand, manufacturing capacity, and supplier lead times.
• Prepare, issue, and track purchase orders while monitoring supplier pricing, delivery schedules, and quality performance.
• Maintain appropriate inventory levels and identify opportunities to reduce excess inventory, material shortages, and carrying costs.
• Coordinate with production, engineering, and quality teams to resolve material availability issues and scheduling conflicts.
• Monitor supplier performance and support continuous improvement initiatives related to cost, quality, and delivery.
• Utilize ERP/MRP systems to manage material requirements, purchase orders, and production planning activities.
• Support new product introductions and changing production requirements by coordinating material sourcing and supplier schedules.
• Identify potential supply chain risks and proactively communicate issues that could affect production or customer commitments.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Five or more years of experience in purchasing, materials management, production planning, or a related manufacturing supply chain role.
• Experience working in a manufacturing environment, preferably precision machining, metal fabrication, metal stamping, or a similar industry.
• Working knowledge of raw materials, particularly metals such as aluminum, stainless steel, and other industrial alloys.
• Familiarity with tooling, machining processes, outside processing, and manufacturing lead times.
• Experience using ERP/MRP systems such as Epicor, SAP, or comparable platforms.Strong Microsoft Excel skills and the ability to analyze inventory, purchasing, and planning information.
• Demonstrated negotiation skills and the ability to develop productive supplier relationships.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and communicate effectively across departments.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate combines purchasing experience with a solid understanding of production planning and material requirements in a manufacturing setting. They are proactive, detail-oriented, and comfortable working directly with production teams to resolve issues before they disrupt operations.

A candidate who can balance day-to-day purchasing responsibilities with longer-term improvements in inventory control, supplier performance, and production planning will be especially well suited to this opportunity.

• Manufacturing experience (CNC or metals fabrication)
• Purchasing (Raw materials, metals, tooling)
• Production Planning (production schedules, material requirements, lead times, and how to prevent shortages that stop production)
• ERP/MRP (Epicor- manage purchase orders, inventory, work orders, and material requirements)
• Supplier Management (Can negotiate pricing, manage vendors, resolve delivery problems, and hold suppliers accountable)