NPI Buyer III/ IV

Cascade Architectural & Engineering Supplies; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 64,000 - 118,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in defense and aerospace is seeking an NPI Buyer to join their San Diego team. This full-time position involves sourcing materials, negotiating with suppliers, and ensuring compliance with standards. Candidates should have at least five years of purchasing experience and a Bachelor's Degree, with opportunities for professional growth and advancement.

Benefits

Health insurance coverage

401K

Paid holidays and vacation

Qualifications

• Five (5) years of purchasing experience.
• Deep working knowledge with ERP systems, preferably using SAP.
• Hands on experience working as a Buyer in early-stage Engineering development projects.

Responsibilities

• Determine material requirements and schedule the ordering thereof.
• Negotiate and execute critical awards and manage price increase situations.
• Participate in supplier visits, audits, and performance management.

Skills

Purchasing and Procurement

Supplier Management

Negotiation

Cost Reduction

Strategic Sourcing

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Master’s Degree

Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM)

Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM)

Tools

SAP

PLM systems

Agile

Job description

Delivering mission-critical, electronic solutions that protect lives. Use your creativity and critical thinking to take our products from concept to customer.

At CAES, we engineer solutions for the world’s most critical missions. We serve customers in the defense and aerospace markets.

Seeking a career that offers challenging, diverse projects and opportunities? Looking for a position with a company that offers long-term professional advancement? Searching for a place that values a diverse, team-based environment? One that values YOU. Consider CAES.

The most important thing we build is TRUST

Overview

This full-time, onsite NPI Buyer position involves collaborating across multiple departments, planning, scheduling and monitoring the movement of materials through pre-production to early production life cycle to determine required material purchases. Scope includes obtaining materials using engineering and production schedules to maintain inventory at planned levels such as just-in-time purchases and use of economic order quantities. Will be resolving discrepancies, ensuring material standards are met and non-conformances or variances are approved and/or minimized, gathering quotations, examining bids and making awards, evaluating Supplier reliability and developing new supply sources where competition doesn’t currently exist. Requires an ability to build positive relationships with key Suppliers while leveraging these relationships to improve Supplier quality, costs, service, and preserve Department of Defense (DOD) certification.

This position will act as a lead for our Defense Systems business area located in San Diego, CA.

Responsibilities

1. Determine material requirements and schedule the ordering thereof; source, negotiate and execute awards for direct material, indirect material and capital equipment at the best value to the organization and on a timely basis to support production schedule.
2. Monitor the addition of new internal and external requirements and work to ensure timely release of purchase requisition to provide program support. Evaluate current programs to verify that they are being fully supported by evaluating ERP signals, EML and quality issues.
3. Flag production impacts and escalate resolution through appropriate support and management personnel; communicate program impact to appropriate departments.
4. Obtain oral and/or written quotations from Suppliers; document competitive bidding.
5. Expedite purchase orders if necessary; notify department of the expected delivery date and follow up on back orders.
6. Negotiate and execute critical, complex, high-value awards; manage price increase situations and cost improvement initiatives with the team; drive all elements of the procurement process with Suppliers resulting in the best value for CAES.
7. Interface with external suppliers and internal clients including Value Stream, Manufacturing and Engineering.
8. Produce material status reports for program reviews and performance base payments as required by program management.
9. Negotiate and execute purchase orders and/or contracts; follow-up and expedite late and pending orders; resolve receiving discrepancies; coordinate Return to Vendor (RTV) and reconcile finance issues (incorrect invoices).
10. Search out alternate Suppliers to establish competition and to help.
11. Meet with Suppliers seeking to establish relationship with the firm; review materials presented and recommend whether the vendor deserves further consideration.
12. Participate in supplier visits, audits, and performance management conference calls when necessary; in collaboration with the Commodity Managers and Quality Assurance. Provide feedback to support the Supplier Report Card, in order to elevate or maintain corporate expectations of supplier’s excellence in delivery.
13. Populate an up-to-date system on pricing and Suppliers to ensure immediate and accurate access to information in the ERP system.
14. Participate in safety training and actively comply with safety policies and practices.
15. Participate in Lean/Six Sigma activities in own work area as well as events for other areas to enhance cross-functional problem solving. Improve and maintain 5S in your area; make suggestions for improvements.
16. Support and address KPI matrix and report outs.

Qualifications

Minimum:

• Five (5) years of purchasing experience.
• Bachelor’s Degree.
• Purchasing and Procurement experience
• Deep working knowledge with ERP systems, preferably using SAP
• Experience working with vendors spanning commodities such as Electronics, PWB, and Machined parts
• Working knowledge of PLM systems such as Agile and being able to analyze BOM structures

Preferred:

• Cost reduction, strategic sourcing and/or total cost of ownership experience in a manufacturing environment. Master’s Degree
• Hands on experience working as a Buyer in early-stage Engineering development project and/or Product transfers into Pilot Manufacturing
• Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM)
• Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM)
• The Institute for Supply Management (ISM)

Salary Range: $64,173 - $117,537 annually (San Diego).

Employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Applicable pay within the posted range may vary based on factors including, but not limited to, geographical location, job function of the position, education, and experience of the successful candidate. CAES provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, 401K, paid holidays and vacation.