Contract Purchasing & Materials Planner

Tempo; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 62,000 - 79,000; Full time

Job summary

Tempo, based in San Diego, is seeking a Purchasing / Material Planner to turn quotes into purchase orders and keep the master tracker current across programs. You will work cross-functionally with engineering, manufacturing, quality, and finance to keep schedules and cost targets on track.

This is a 1099 independent contractor role; you will be responsible for your own taxes and benefits; no company-paid PTO or unemployment coverage. Occasional travel may be required.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in purchasing, procurement, supply chain, or materials planning (hardware or manufacturing environment preferred).
• Strong organizational skills and comfort owning a high volume of moving pieces across multiple programs at once.
• Proficiency with spreadsheets (Excel/Google Sheets); ERP or PLM system experience a plus.
• Clear written and verbal communication with suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Comfortable reading engineering drawings and BOMs.
• A proactive, detail-oriented approach — you catch problems before they become delays.
• Experience in energy, hardware, or industrial manufacturing.
• Familiarity with international shipping/logistics and customs documentation.
• Exposure to cost modeling or should-cost analysis.

Responsibilities

• RFQs to suppliers, collect quotes, support supplier selection.
• Place purchase orders and track through acknowledgments, pricing, lead times, terms.
• Follow up with suppliers to resolve discrepancies and keep POs moving.

Skills

RFQ/PO execution

Supply chain coordination

Excel/Sheets

Vendor communication

BOM reading

ERP/PLM exposure

Tools

ERP/PLM

Google Sheets

Excel

Job description

Tempo, based in San Diego, is seeking a Purchasing / Material Planner to turn quotes into purchase orders and keep the master tracker current across programs. You will work cross-functionally with engineering, manufacturing, quality, and finance to keep schedules and cost targets on track.

This is a 1099 independent contractor role; you will be responsible for your own taxes and benefits; no company-paid PTO or unemployment coverage. Occasional travel may be required.