NPI Project Buyer

Carl Zeiss SMT; Dublin (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

ZEISS is seeking an NPI / Project Buyer to lead procurement for new product introductions and development projects. You will partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Planning, and Finance to ensure supplier, material, cost, and sourcing readiness aligned with project milestones.

The role focuses on RFQ management, supplier evaluations, and negotiations, ensuring production ramp readiness and supply risk mitigation.

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 experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, NPI purchasing, project buying, or supply chain.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems, preferably SAP.

Responsibilities

• 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.
• Manage RFQ activities, supplier evaluations, negotiations, and sourcing recommendations.
• Coordinate supplier readiness for prototypes, pilot builds, qualification, and production ramp.
• Identify long-lead, single-source, capacity, and supplier-related risks and develop mitigation plans.
• Review project BOMs and drive sourcing status for purchased components.
• Coordinate purchasing activities associated with ECO/PCO changes.

Skills

Procurement

Sourcing

NPI purchasing

Project management

Supplier readiness

Cost management

RFQ management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain or related

APICS/ASCM CPSM or similar

Tools

SAP ERP

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!

What's the role?

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?

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 elevate 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

• NPI Procurement: Own procurement activities from early development through production release.
• Project Management: Manage purchasing milestones, risks, deliverables, and dependencies against the overall NPI schedule.
• Supplier Readiness: Drive RFQs, supplier selection, lead-time alignment, capacity/readiness, and material availability.
• Cost Management: Develop should-cost/quote comparisons, negotiate pricing, identify cost-reduction opportunities, and track NPI material cost.
• BOM Management: Review BOMs for sourcing status, lead times, shortages, cost, and supply risk.
• Change Management: Coordinate purchasing implications of ECO/PCO/design changes and ensure suppliers transition correctly.
• Risk Management: Identify long-lead, single