NPI Buyer/Planner I/II/III

Crane Aerospace & Electronics; California (MO); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Crane Aerospace & Electronics in the United States is seeking an NPI Buyer Planner I/II/III to manage the purchase of components for New Product Introductions and to serve as the logistics link between Value Streams, Supervisors, Marketing, Master Scheduler, and Purchasing.

The role requires coordinating with suppliers, monitoring supplier performance, and driving cost efficiency while ensuring on-time delivery for production needs.

Qualifications

• Plan material requirements through coordination with manufacturing, engineering, and suppliers for NPI.
• Communicate priorities and schedule changes daily to suppliers and internal teams.
• Establish and maintain positive supplier relationships to improve quality, delivery, and cost.
• Own inventory action plans to maintain optimal levels and inventory turns for NPI components.
• Use push and pull replenishment to improve turns and avoid part shortages.

Responsibilities

• Perform MRP planning with manufacturing, engineering, and suppliers to support NPI programs.
• Notify internal teams of priorities and schedule changes to support evolving NPI needs.
• Negotiate with suppliers to improve delivery and cost while maintaining quality.

Job description

Job Summary

The NPI Buyer Planner I/II or III is responsible for managing all aspects of purchasing components from suppliers in order to assure timely delivery of parts to support production needs. In addition, the NPI Buyer Planner is the communication and logistics link between Value Streams, Supervisors, Marketing, Master Scheduler, and Purchasing.

About Crane

Crane Aerospace & Electronics supplies critical systems and components to the aerospace and defense markets. You'll find Crane Aerospace & Electronics in some of the toughest environments: from engines to landing gear; from satellites to medical implants and from missiles to unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Every 1.2 seconds, product built at our Crane Aerospace & Electronics Burbank facility is stopping aircraft - delivering passengers and military personnel safely to their destination. Home to our Landing & Cabin Systems team, Crane A&E's brake control systems and premium cabin actuation solutions are flying on tens of thousands of aircraft throughout the world. You'll join a business with a long track record of engineering excellence, set in the wonderful town of Burbank filled with great community atmosphere, schools, weather and no shortage of entertainment.

Start the next chapter of your career with Crane Aerospace & Electronics!

Essential Functions

• Perform material requirements planning through high interaction and coordination with manufacturing personnel, engineering, and external suppliers to support New Product Introduction (NPI) programs.
• Communicate priorities and schedule changes daily to Outside Processing Suppliers and internal teams to support evolving NPI requirements.
• Establish and maintain positive working relationships with suppliers; analyze and resolve common supplier issues in collaboration with Leadership, Procurement Specialists, and other Buyers to improve quality, delivery, and cost.
• Own and drive inventory action plans to maintain optimal inventory levels and achieve inventory turns goals for key NPI components.
• Proficiently utilize both push and pull-based replenishment systems to improve inventory turns and prevent part shortages.
• Monitor supplier orders to ensure timely shipment and delivery, supporting NPI development builds.
• Manage tactical supplier relationships, including negotiating blanket purchase orders, pursuing cost reduction initiatives, and improving supplier quality and delivery to meet product mix and program needs.
• Obtain and evaluate quotes from suppliers for production material and Outside Processing operations, supporting new product requirements.
• Collaborate with sourcing teams to ensure best procurement practices, leverage low-cost region sourcing, and support supplier assessment and management.
• Publish daily shortage reports and communicate current delivery information from suppliers to relevant stakeholders.
• Resolve invoice discrepancies promptly and manage supplier quality through the Non-Conforming Report (NCR) process, minimizing production impact by addressing discrepant materials with Manufacturing Engineering, Procurement Quality, Supervisors, and Suppliers.
• Work closely with suppliers and Procurement Quality Engineers to resolve Corrective Action Requests (CARs) generated from NCRs.
• Obtain Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) and process return transactions in the ERP system; follow Debit Memo process for supplier rework of discrepant materials.
• Facilitate and participate in cross-functional projects, "Just Do It" (JDIs), Kaizen events, and process improvement initiatives across the site, demonstrating measurable business impact.
• Coordinate NPI/Operations efforts within the solution, supporting Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) for new NPI programs, determining priorities, removing roadblocks, addressing engineering issues, and ensuring timely completion of actions.
• Drive and assist in the transition of products from development to production, tracking and reporting progress of development builds to engineering and NPI teams.
• Provide feedback on design for manufacturability and support the operational lead requirements for each NPI program.
• Maintain and report on critical NPI metrics, including On-Time Delivery (OTD), milestone achievement, and task/action item completion.
• Create and maintain program documentation, coordinating with manufacturing, quality, contract manufacturing, and engineering to execute cell requirements, resource needs, and tool/test equipment readiness.
• Ensure completion of product readiness checklists and support Production Readiness Reviews.
• Attend and contribute to program meetings, including Production/Critical Design Reviews (PDRs/CDRs), Phase Gate Reviews, Program Reviews, and Vertical Reviews.
• Report program status related to material, cost, and delivery to Site Leader and Solution Leader, serving as the primary liaison bet