Buyer / Supply Chain Specialist

NextGen RF Design; North Mankato (MN); On-site; USD 65,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

PTO

HSA

Paid holidays

Job summary

NextGen RF Design in North Mankato is seeking a Buyer / Supply Chain Specialist to support day-to-day purchasing, inventory readiness, and production coordination in a growing RF manufacturing environment.

The role emphasizes hands-on learning, with training to cover suppliers, ERP/MRP systems, and compliance while you develop across procurement, planning, and logistics.

This onsite position requires US work authorization and offers health insurance, PTO, and holiday benefits.

Qualifications

• Strong organization, attention to detail, and ability to manage changing priorities.
• Prior experience in purchasing, supply chain, inventory, or manufacturing preferred; electronic component purchasing is a plus.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and comfort with ERP/MRP systems.

Responsibilities

• Support day-to-day purchasing of electronic components, assemblies, and other production materials.
• Create and manage purchase orders and monitor open orders with suppliers.
• Develop supplier relationships and communicate shortages, pricing changes, obsolescence, and supply risks.
• Support sourcing and cost-reduction activities under Supply Chain leadership.
• Monitor material availability and purchasing requirements to identify shortages and long-lead risks.
• Coordinate with Production & Logistics to resolve material-related issues affecting purchasing or production.

Skills

Organization

Attention to detail

Purchasing

ERP/MRP systems

Education

Bachelor's degree

Associate degree

Tools

Excel

Job description

NextGen RF Design is seeking a highly organized, adaptable Buyer / Supply Chain Specialist to support purchasing and day-to-day supply-chain execution in a growing RF manufacturing environment. The role will initially focus on component and material purchasing while helping improve inventory accuracy, material readiness, and production coordination.

We are looking for an ambitious, motivated individual who is interested in building a career in supply chain and is willing to learn. Prior experience in every area listed below is not expected. We will provide training and hands-on experience to help the right person learn our products, systems, suppliers, and supply-chain processes.

The ideal candidate is proactive, detail-oriented, organized, and comfortable taking on a variety of responsibilities as the business grows. This role provides an opportunity to build broad experience across procurement, inventory, production planning, compliance, and other supply-chain activities.

LOCATION:

This is an onsite position at our North Mankato Facility. Remote work is not available.

WORK AUTHORIZATION:

Candidates must be currently authorized to work in the United States. NextGen RF Design does not provide visa sponsorship for this position.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Purchasing and Supplier Support

• Support day-to-day purchasing of electronic components, assemblies, and other production materials.
• Create and manage purchase orders, follow open orders, and work with suppliers to support cost, lead-time, and delivery needs.
• Develop strong supplier and distributor relationships and communicate shortages, pricing changes, obsolescence, and other supply risks.
• Support sourcing and cost-reduction activities under the direction of Supply Chain leadership.

Material Readiness and Inventory Support

• Monitor material availability and purchasing requirements to identify shortages, excess inventory, and long-lead risks.
• Support material-readiness reviews and production scheduling by helping determine when builds are material complete.
• Coordinate with Production & Logistics to understand inventory availability and resolve material-related issues affecting purchasing or production.
• Cross-train on inventory-control activities, including cycle counting and reconciliation, to provide backup support when needed.

Cross-Functional Supply Chain Support

• Work closely with Supply Chain, Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and Operations to keep material needs, priorities, and changes aligned.
• Support component lifecycle, alternate-source, approved vendor list, and obsolescence activities by gathering supplier, cost, lead-time, and availability information for review by Engineering and Quality.
• Participate in material and production planning discussions and communicate purchasing or supply-chain risks that could affect schedules.

Compliance and Development Support

• Support sourcing and documentation requirements such as country of origin, NDAA/TAA, traceability, counterfeit-part prevention, and other customer or defense supply-chain requirements.
• Maintain organized procurement and supplier records to support audit and compliance needs.
• Cross-train in related processes such as production scheduling, approved vendor list maintenance, ERP/PLM activities, and engineering change/configuration-management support as experience grows.
• Take on additional supply-chain and operational responsibilities based on business needs, individual strengths, interests, and professional growth.

Systems and Data Management

• Maintain accurate supplier, pricing, lead-time, part, and purchasing data in the ERP/MRP system.
• Maintain visibility into open orders, material availability, inventory status, and supply risks needed to support purchasing and production planning.
• Ensure purchasing activities align with current released Bills of Materials (BOMs), approved sources, and applicable engineering changes.
• Support ERP/PLM activities, including data validation, system cleanup, and maintenance of accurate supply-chain information.
• Support reporting and data analysis related to purchasing, inventory, supplier performance, and material readiness.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

• Strong organization, attention to detail, follow-through, and ability to manage changing priorities.
• Prior experience in purchasing, supply chain, inventory, manufacturing, or a related environment preferred; electronic component purchasing experience is a plus.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products, particularly Excel, and comfort working with ERP/MRP systems, data, and inventory information; willingness to learn new systems and processes.
• Strong communication and problem-solving skills with a collaborative, hands-on approach.
• Interest and ability to learn electronic components, BOMs, sourcing requirements, and regulated/defense supply-chain expectations.

JOB SNAPSHOT

Base Pay: Competitive salary and is commensurate with experience

Employment: Full-Time Salary

Benefits: Health Insurance, PTO, HSA, Paid holidays

Job Type: Supply Chain, Procurement, Operations

Education: Bachelor's degree, associate degree, or equivalent relevant experience

Experience: Entry Level to 3 years

Manages Others: No

Industry: Contract Manufacturing & Engineering

Required Travel: Limited; occasional supplier visits or industry events as needed