NPI Project Buyer

Carl Zeiss X-ray Microscopy, Inc.; Dublin (CA); On-site; USD 77,000 - 96,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Vision

Dental

401k Matching

Employee Assistance Programs

Vacation and sick pay

Job summary

ZEISS is seeking a NPI / Project Buyer to lead procurement for New Product Introductions and product development, coordinating with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Planning, and Finance to ensure supplier readiness and on-time launch.

You will manage RFQs, supplier selection, and cost negotiations, while tracking risks and milestones across multiple regions and time zones. A strong background in SAP/ERP and cross-functional teamwork is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Operations, or related field.
• APICS/ASCM, CPSM, or project-management certification is a plus.
• Typically 5+ years of procurement, strategic sourcing, NPI purchasing, project buying, or supply chain experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead procurement activities for assigned NPI and product-development projects from concept through production readiness.
• Represent Procurement within cross-functional project teams and integrate purchasing deliverables into the project plan.
• Drive sourcing and material readiness against NPI milestones and production launch requirements.
• Maintain visibility of procurement status, open issues, risks, and critical-path items.
• Manage RFQ activities, supplier evaluations, negotiations, and sourcing recommendations.

Skills

Procurement lead

RFQ management

Supplier evaluation

Cost reduction

Cross-functional

NPI purchasing

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Operations, or related field

APICS/ASCM CPSM or project-management certification

Tools

SAP

SAP MDG

KMAT/configurable products

ERP/MRP systems

Job description

About Us

How many companies can say they’ve been in business for over 179 years?! Here at ZEISS, we certainly can! As the pioneers of science, ZEISS handles the everchanging environments in a fast-paced world, meeting it with cutting edge of technologies and continuous advancements. ZEISS believes that innovation and technology are the key to a sustainable future and solutions for global change.

We have a diverse range of portfolios throughout the ZEISS family in segments like, Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, Consumer Markets and Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology. We are a global company with over 42,000 employees and have over 4,000 in the US and Canada alone! Make a difference, come join the team!

Role Summary

The NPI / Project Buyer is responsible for leading procurement activities for New Product Introduction (NPI), product development, and other cross-functional projects from early development through production release. This role serves as the primary procurement interface within the project team and is responsible for ensuring supplier, material, cost, and sourcing readiness in alignment with project milestones. The NPI / Project Buyer works closely with Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Planning, Operations, Finance, and suppliers to proactively identify and resolve procurement risks that could impact product launch, cost, quality, or schedule. Sound Interesting?

Key Responsibilities

Sound Interesting? Here’s what you’ll do:

• NPI & Project Procurement Lead procurement activities for assigned NPI and product-development projects from concept/prototype through production readiness.
• Represent Procurement within cross-functional project teams and ensure purchasing deliverables are integrated into the overall project plan.
• Drive sourcing and material readiness against NPI milestones and production launch requirements.
• Maintain visibility of procurement status, open issues, risks, and critical-path items.
• Supplier & Sourcing Management Manage RFQ activities, supplier evaluations, negotiations, and sourcing recommendations.
• Partner with Strategic Sourcing and Engineering to select suppliers based on cost, quality, capability, lead time, capacity, and supply risk.
• Coordinate supplier readiness for prototypes, pilot builds, qualification, and production ramp.
• Identify long-lead, single-source, capacity, and supplier-related risks and develop appropriate mitigation plans.
• BOM & Material Readiness Review project BOMs and drive sourcing status for purchased components.
• Identify and escalation material shortages, long lead-time items, and sourcing gaps that could impact project schedules.
• Coordinate purchasing activities associated with engineering changes, including ECO/PCO implementation.
• Support accurate material master, purchasing, and sourcing information within SAP/ERP systems.
• Cost Management Obtain and evaluate supplier quotations and negotiate commercial terms.
• Track purchased-material cost against project targets.
• Partner with Engineering and suppliers to identify design-to-cost, value-engineering, and cost-reduction opportunities.
• Provide procurement input for forecasting, business cases, and project cost reviews.
• Production Transition Ensure procurement and supplier readiness before transition from NPI into sustaining production.
• Coordinate handoff of suppliers, pricing, lead times, purchasing information, and open risks to operational procurement/planning teams.
• Support stabilization activities during initial production ramp.

Sound Interesting? Here’s what you’ll do:

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Operations, or related field.
• APICS/ASCM, CPSM, or project-management certification is a plus.

Experience

• Typically 5+ years of experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, NPI purchasing, project buying, or supply chain.
• Experience supporting new product introduction and product-development projects in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience working with engineering BOMs, drawings/specifications, ECOs/engineering changes, and prototype-to-production transitions.
• Experience managing suppliers through development, qualification, ramp-up, and production readiness.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems, preferably SAP.

Core Skills / Competencies

• Own procurement activities from early development through production release.
• Manage purchasing milestones, risks, deliverables, and dependencies against the overall NPI schedule.
• Drive RFQs, supplier selection, lead-time alignment, capacity/readiness, and material availability.
• Develop should-cost/quote comparisons, negotiate pricing, identify cost-reduction opportunities, and track NPI material cost.
• Review BOMs for sourcing status, lead times, shortages, cost, and supply risk.
• Coordinate purchasing implications of ECO/PCO/design changes and ensure suppliers transition correctly.
• Identify long-lead, single-source, capacity, quality, obsolescence, and supply-continuity risks early in the project.
• Work closely with Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Planning, Quality, Operations, Finance, and suppliers.
• Ensure purchasing and supplier readiness before handoff from NPI/project phase into sustaining production.
• Comfortable working across suppliers and manufacturing teams in multiple regions/time zones.
• Strong ownership and accountability.
• Operate with incomplete information during early NPI phases.
• Excellent follow-through and attention to detail.
• Challenge suppliers and internal stakeholders professionally.
• Strong communication and escalation skills.
• Manage several projects/priorities simultaneously.
• Proactive purchasing mindset.
• Understand interdependencies between Engineering, Procurement, Planning, Manufacturing, Quality, and Finance Systems / Technical Requirements.
• Knowledge of SAP / ERP / MRP BOM and material-master structures.
• Purchase orders, purchase requisitions, RFQ and sourcing processes.
• Supplier lead-time management.
• Inventory and demand planning fundamentals.
• Excel/data analysis.
• Experience with SAP MDG, KMAT/configurable products, or complex capital-equipment manufacturing would be especially valuable for XRM.

Benefits

ZEISS also offers robust benefits, including medical plans, retirement savings plan and paid time off. We have amazing benefits to support you as an employee at ZEISS!

• Medical
• Vision
• Dental
• 401k Matching
• Employee Assistance Programs
• Vacation and sick pay

The list goes on! The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of requirements, duties, or responsibilities. The Company reserves the right to interpret, amend, or otherwise modify, in whole or in part, any job description at any time, at its sole discretion.

Compensation

The annual pay range for this position is $77,000 – $96,000. The pay offered for this role may be influenced by factors such as job location, scope of role, qualifications, education, experience, & complexity/specialization/scarcity of talent.

This position is also eligible for a performance bonus or sales commissions.

Equal Employment Opportunity

ZEISS provides Equal Employment Opportunity without unlawful regard to an Applicants race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender, marital status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military or veteran status, citizen status, sexual orientation, pregnancy (includes childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical condition), genetic predisposition, carrier status, gender expression or identity, including transgender identity, or any other class or characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law of the employee (or the people with whom the employee associates, including relatives and friends).

Diversity is a part of ZEISS. We look forward to receiving your application regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion, philosophy of life, disability, age, sexual orientation or identity.

Your ZEISS Recruiting Team

Jo Anne Mittelman