Customer-Specific Advanced Buyer (Industrial Machinery)

Kendall Howard; Croix Estates (MN); On-site; USD 70,000 - 88,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Supplemental insurance options

401(k) with company match

Paid Time Off

Paid holidays

Job summary

Kendall Howard seeks a Customer-Specific Advanced Buyer for our industrial machinery division. You will lead strategic procurement of specialized components and custom configurations for dedicated client accounts, managing the sourcing lifecycle to align with production schedules and cost targets.

The role is fully onsite at our Minnesota facility. Requirements include 3–5 years in advanced buying for capital equipment, strong ERP/Excel skills, and experience with NPI and supplier contracts.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of advanced buying within capital equipment or industrial machinery manufacturing.
• High proficiency in ERP systems (Infor Visual, Epicor) and advanced data analysis using Microsoft Excel.
• Strong reading of complex assembly blueprints, GD&T, and technical Bills of Materials.
• Experience with New Product Introduction (NPI) frameworks and product lifecycle management tools.
• Experience negotiating tooling ownership, development costs, and SLAs for custom parts.
• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Technology, or a relevant field.

Responsibilities

• Drive early-stage sourcing for custom machinery builds from design through production release.
• Execute total cost of ownership (TCO) and BOM analyses to meet profitability margins.
• Coordinate lead times for capital equipment components and long-lead assemblies.
• Collaborate with quality teams to oversee sample inspections and regulatory compliance.
• Serve as procurement liaison between internal engineering, sales, and external vendors.

Skills

ERP systems

Excel data analysis

Reading blueprints

NPI execution

Supplier relations

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Technology

Tools

Infor Visual

Epicor

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Customer-Specific Advanced Buyer (Industrial Machinery)

6 days ago Requisition ID: 1108

Salary Range: $70,118.00 To $87,648.00 Annually

Why Kendall Howard?

We’re a growing manufacturer serving the IT infrastructure field, with a no-nonsense attitude: stay humble, work hard, and take on challenges head-first. Around here, you won’t just “do your job” — you’ll be part of a team that builds, solves, and delivers products we’re proud to put our name on. The benefits and pay are solid, but the real perk is being part of something that matters alongside people who care just as much as you do.

We know benefits matter, and we’ve got you covered. Full-time employees enjoy:

• Supplemental insurance options
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Paid holidays

Position Overview

We are seeking a Customer-Specific Advanced Buyer for our industrial machinery manufacturing division. In this role, you will lead the strategic procurement of specialized components and custom configurations for dedicated client accounts. You will manage the entire sourcing lifecycle for high-engineered machinery projects, ensuring component availability aligns with production schedules while meeting custom performance specifications and strict cost targets.

Work Structure

• Fully Onsite: This position requires full-time physical presence at our manufacturing facility.

Key Responsibilities

• Project Procurement: Drive early-stage sourcing for custom machinery builds from initial engineering design through production release.
• Target Cost Management: Execute total cost of ownership (TCO) and Bill of Materials (BOM) analyses to ensure customized machine builds meet profitability margins.
• Milestone Alignment: Coordinate lead times for capital equipment components and long-lead assemblies to eliminate production assembly bottlenecks.
• Supplier Quality Validation: Collaborate with quality teams to oversee initial sample inspections and compliance standards specific to industrial machinery regulations.
• Account Coordination: Act as the technical procurement liaison between internal product engineering, sales account managers, and external specialized component vendors.

Qualifications & Skills

• Experience: 3–5 years of advanced buying or program procurement experience specifically within capital equipment or industrial machinery manufacturing.
• Analytics: High proficiency in ERP systems (Infor Visual, Epicor) and advanced data analysis using Microsoft Excel.
• Technical Knowledge: Strong understanding of assembly machinery components, heavy-duty parts, and automated system integrations.
• Engineering Literacy: Proficiency in reading complex multi-level assembly blueprints, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T), and technical Bills of Materials.
• NPI Execution: Demonstrated success working within New Product Introduction (NPI) frameworks and product lifecycle management tools.
• Supply Contract Expertise: Experience negotiating tooling ownership, development costs, and strict service-level agreements (SLAs) for custom machinery parts.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Technology, or a relevant business-technical field.

Kendall Howard provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, or disability. We are dedicated to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants with disabilities.