Kitting Buyer

Aston Carter; United States; Hybrid; USD 52,000 - 61,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision

401(k) Retirement Plan

Life Insurance

Disability coverage

Health Spending Account

Transportation benefits

Employee Assistance Program

Time Off / PTO

Job summary

The Kitting Buyer role at Aston Carter in Dearborn, MI, focuses on sourcing goods, materials, and services for kitting and service parts, while driving cost reductions and supplier collaboration.

You will manage supplier relationships, analyze costs, and work with SAP/ERP to ensure on-time delivery, quality, and continuous improvement in purchasing processes within an automotive environment.

Qualifications

• 3-6 years of automotive purchasing experience focusing on parts sourcing.
• Experience with SAP/ERP for purchasing and supplier data.
• Strong Excel skills and data analysis ability.
• Proven negotiation and RFQ experience.
• Ability to manage high-value, high-volume purchasing decks.

Responsibilities

• Purchase goods and services to meet cost, quality, and delivery targets.
• Interface with suppliers and internal teams on procurement processes.
• Monitor supply risk and advise on mitigations and opportunities.
• Lead cost reduction initiatives and supplier negotiations.
• Produce weekly status updates for stakeholders.
• Expedite parts delivery to restore vehicle availability.

Skills

Automotive purchasing

Supplier management

Excel skills

SAP

Negotiation

Cost analysis

Vendor relationships

Market analysis

Tools

SAP

ERP systems

Job description

Job Title: Kitting Buyer

Job Description

The Kitting Buyer plays a key role in supporting the service parts division by purchasing goods, materials, components, and services that meet defined cost, quality, and delivery targets. This position focuses on kitting-related procurement activities, supplier relationship management, and cost analysis, while partnering closely with internal teams to ensure timely availability of parts and continuous improvement in purchasing processes. The role requires a strategic, analytical, and solution-oriented professional who can manage complex, high-volume, high-cost purchasing decks in an automotive environment.

Responsibilities

• Purchase goods, materials, components, and services in line with specified cost, quality, and delivery targets, with a focus on kitting and service parts.
• Support the purchasing function and other relevant departments by communicating supply issues that may impact business operations.
• Act as an interface between suppliers and internal departments on purchasing processes, new projects, and ongoing activities.
• Monitor and advise on issues that present risk or opportunity to the organization, including supply constraints and cost changes.
• Track market trends, competitor strategies, and supplier developments to inform purchasing strategies.
• Provide cost analysis on new and existing parts and lead cost reduction activities where feasible.
• Collaborate closely with colleagues in the procurement function to identify and implement continuous improvement and business process enhancements.
• Negotiate contracts, pricing, and terms of business with suppliers, leveraging negotiation and procurement best practices to achieve savings.
• Build, maintain, and manage strong supplier relationships while ensuring consistent and clear communication.
• Conduct research to identify new components and potential suppliers that meet quality, cost, and delivery requirements.
• Compile and maintain data related to supplier performance to enable evaluation and informed sourcing decisions.
• Contact suppliers to resolve price discrepancies, quality concerns, delivery delays, and invoice issues.
• Resolve supplier shortages and past-due situations to minimize impact on operations and customer service.
• Update and maintain commodity strategies to align with business objectives and market conditions.
• Work with cost estimating teams to develop cost estimates for savings negotiations and to mitigate supplier price uplift requests.
• Produce weekly reports, charts, and status updates on open assignments and projects for stakeholders.
• Perform market tests, analyze supplier responses, and award sourcing of parts based on objective evaluation.
• Review open vehicles off road (VOR) and backorders on a weekly basis and expedite parts delivery to restore vehicle availability.

Essential Skills

• 3-6 years of automotive purchasing or buyer experience, with direct responsibility for sourcing parts and managing supplier relationships.
• Proven automotive purchasing experience, ideally in a service parts or similar environment.
• Intermediate Excel skills with the ability to pass a skills test at 80% or higher, including data analysis and reporting.
• Experience working with SAP or other ERP systems for purchasing, order management, and supplier data.
• Strong negotiation skills with experience handling RFQs, pricing discussions, and contract terms.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complicated purchasing decks involving high volume and high cost components.
• Strategic planning and decision-making skills applied to sourcing strategies and supplier selection.
• Motivated, self-starter mindset with the ability to work independently and take initiative.
• Solution-oriented approach with a focus on resolving supply, cost, and quality issues efficiently.
• Effective communication skills for collaborating with internal teams and external suppliers.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Kitting experience in a purchasing or supply chain context is highly desirable.
• Experience in supplier relationship management and performance evaluation.
• Background in conducting market tests and analyzing supplier proposals or quotes.
• Familiarity with cost estimating processes and methodologies for parts and components.
• Ability to interpret market trends and competitor strategies to inform purchasing decisions.
• Strong analytical skills for cost analysis, savings identification, and reporting.
• Organizational skills to manage multiple projects, open assignments, and weekly reporting requirements.

Work Environment

This is a full-time role with a standard schedule of 40 hours per week, typically 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break. The dress code is business casual. The work environment emphasizes collaboration, shared goals, and acting for the common good, with a culture focused on everyone working together for the overall success and positive outcomes of the organization. Employees are encouraged to bring a sense of belonging, support one another, and contribute to a culture where people have the freedom to move and pursue their dreams. Work is primarily performed in an office setting using standard business technologies, including Excel, SAP/ERP systems, and reporting tools.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Dearborn, MI.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $38.00 - $44.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefitsavailable for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a hybrid position in Dearborn,MI.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 28, 2026.

About Aston Carter

Aston Carter provides world-class corporate talent solutions to thousands of clients across the globe. Specialized in accounting, finance, human resources, talent acquisition, procurement, supply chain and selective administrative professions, we extend the capabilities of industry-leading companies. We draw on our deep recruiting expertise and expansive network to meet the evolving needs of our clients and talent community with agility and excellence. With offices across the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe, Aston Carter serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing Platinum Award winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.