Materials Buyer-Planner

inSync Staffing; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 77,000 - 81,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Health savings account

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Life insurance

Retirement plan

Job summary

inSync Staffing is seeking a Senior Materials Buyer/Planner for Madison, WI to oversee end-to-end material planning, procurement, supplier management, and inventory coordination in a manufacturing setting.

The role requires SAP/ERP experience and strong analytical abilities, with collaboration across departments to maintain material availability and minimize disruptions. This is a 6-month contract with a pay rate of $56.00–$59.00 per hour.

Qualifications

• 7–10+ years of experience in materials planning, procurement, or supply chain.

Responsibilities

• Material Planning & Inventory Management: Manage material planning and procurement activities to ensure continuous production support.

Skills

Analytical skills

Organizational skills

Critical thinking

Problem solving

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management or related field

Tools

SAP

ERP/MRP systems

Job description

Senior Materials Buyer/Planner

Location: Madison, WI
Pay Rate: $56.00–$59.00 per hour
Schedule: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM
Employment Type: 6-Month Contract

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Materials Buyer/Planner to oversee end-to-end material planning, procurement, supplier management, and inventory coordination within a manufacturing environment.

This position serves as the site subject matter expert (SME) for purchased materials, components, and services, ensuring uninterrupted material availability to support production and business operations.

The ideal candidate has extensive experience in supply chain planning, purchasing, SAP/ERP systems, supplier relationship management, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

Material Planning & Inventory Management

• Manage material planning and procurement activities to ensure continuous production support.

• Analyze production forecasts, MRP requirements, inventory levels, supplier lead times, and safety stock to develop purchasing strategies.

• Proactively identify material shortages, supply risks, and potential production disruptions.

• Develop recovery plans and coordinate corrective actions to maintain material availability.

• Maintain accurate SAP planning parameters, including lead times, minimum order quantities, order multiples, and safety stock levels.

• Lead material phase-in and phase-out planning for new products and engineering changes.

• Collaborate with Materials Management, SIOP, Operations, Engineering, Quality, and Warehouse teams to align material availability with production requirements.

Purchasing & Procurement

• Create, manage, and maintain purchase orders for assigned materials, components, and services.

• Ensure purchase orders reflect accurate pricing, quantities, delivery schedules, and commercial terms.

• Monitor open purchase orders and coordinate expediting, rescheduling, cancellations, and delivery adjustments.

• Maintain accurate purchasing records, supplier commitments, and procurement data within SAP.

• Ensure purchasing activities comply with established procurement policies and approval procedures.

• Resolve purchasing discrepancies involving pricing, receiving, supplier invoices, and three-way matching.

Supplier Management & Performance

• Serve as the primary operational contact for assigned suppliers.

• Communicate forecasts, demand changes, delivery expectations, and supplier performance requirements.

• Monitor supplier performance, delivery reliability, and material quality.

• Lead supplier performance reviews, corrective action plans, and recovery initiatives.

• Support supplier sourcing, qualification, onboarding, and development activities.

• Participate in RFQ/RFP processes, quotation evaluations, and supplier selection.

• Identify opportunities for dual sourcing, supplier consolidation, cost savings, and lead-time reductions.

Continuous Improvement & Leadership

• Serve as the first point of escalation for junior Buyer/Planners regarding supplier issues and material shortages.

• Mentor and provide guidance to junior materials planning and purchasing team members.

• Lead escalation and resolution efforts for critical supply disruptions.

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance supplier reliability, inventory performance, and operational efficiency.

• Identify opportunities to optimize procurement processes, inventory levels, and material flow.

• Communicate supply risks, pricing changes, and material cost impacts to Supply Chain leadership.

• Work independently to resolve complex materials management challenges.

Required Qualifications

• 7–10+ years of experience in materials planning, procurement, purchasing, inventory management, supply chain, or manufacturing operations.

• Experience managing material availability, purchasing activities, and supplier relationships in a manufacturing environment.

• Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems, preferably SAP.

• Experience analyzing forecasts, inventory requirements, supplier lead times, and production schedules.

• Strong analytical, organizational, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to manage competing priorities, resolve supply chain challenges, and work with minimal supervision.

• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across multiple departments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related field.

• Hands‑on experience with SAP purchasing, inventory, and material planning functions.

• Experience with supplier performance management, sourcing, and procurement process improvements.

• Knowledge of SIOP, MRP, inventory optimization, and manufacturing supply chain operations.

• Previous experience mentoring junior buyers or materials planners.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a highly experienced materials planning and procurement professional with a strong manufacturing background, advanced SAP/ERP knowledge, and demonstrated success managing supplier relationships, preventing material shortages, and improving supply chain performance. This individual should be proactive, analytical, and comfortable independently managing complex purchasing and material planning responsibilities.

Benefits (employee contribution):

• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Flexible spending accounts
• Life insurance
• Retirement plan

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

Rate of pay within the stated range will depend on the qualification of the applicant.