Purchasing Specialist

Connexion Systems + Engineering; Fitchburg (MA); On-site; USD 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Connexion Systems & Engineering Inc. in Fitchburg, MA is seeking a Purchasing Specialist to obtain the best quality, service, and value through bidding, negotiation, and supplier management.

This temp-to-perm onsite role runs Monday–Friday, 8am–5pm, with a pay rate of 40–51 USD per hour. You will identify suppliers, prepare RFQs, negotiate terms, manage supplier performance, and drive continuous improvement across procurement processes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration or related field.
• Six or more years of increasingly responsible experience in purchasing.
• CPM/CPIM or APICS certification desired.
• LEAN/Six Sigma training helpful but not required.

Responsibilities

• Identifies and recommends suppliers by researching parts, equipment, and services.
• Prepares statements of work for procurement items.
• Develops bidders lists and RFQ/RFP documents.
• Negotiates price, delivery, quality and terms with suppliers.

Skills

Negotiation

Supplier management

Procurement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration

CPM/CPIM or APICS

Tools

MRP systems

Job description

Job Title: Purchasing Specialist Pay Rate: $40-$51/hr. some flex Location: Fitchburg, MA Duration: Temp to Perm Shift: M-F 8am-5pm (100% onsite)

POSITION SUMMARY:

Obtains the best quality, service, and value for products and services through effective bidding, negotiation, and supplier management. Identifies manufacturing needs, identifies and selects suppliers, negotiates contracts, and arranges delivery. Purchases critical, complex and/or high dollar parts, equipment, services, and materials. Reviews key supplier metrics, hosts quarterly business reviews, travels to suppliers when needed, drives supplier improvement activities to improve the key metrics of quality, delivery, competitiveness, and customer service.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Identifies and recommends suppliers by investigating potential suppliers, researching parts, equipment, machinery, services, and materials availability.
• Prepares statements of work for items proposed for procurement.
• Develops potential bidders lists and formal requests for quotation or proposal.
• Performs Supplier risk assessments for near and long-term capacity
• Conducts supplier site visits and evaluates them as to production capability, performance, delivery, and other key business criteria.
• May support or lead supplier certification surveys as part of a technical and/or quality team.
• Evaluates proposals from potential suppliers.
• Selects suppliers for a variety of highly complex or technical materials, supplies or services and negotiates price, delivery, quality and service.
• Develops alternate sources of supply by identifying and researching prospective suppliers.
• Negotiates final terms and conditions of purchase, awards and administers the procurement contract to conclusion.
• Maintains accurate lead times for assigned area.
• Issues purchase orders and agreements that accurately reflect price, schedule, terms, and conditions as negotiated with suppliers.
• May include orders with international suppliers and/or subcontractors involving import/export trade.
• Monitors and evaluates supplier performance.
• Determines and implements corrective actions to resolve impending supplier failure to fulfill contractual agreements that may delay production or delivery.
• Resolves shipment quality discrepancies by mediating supplier/manufacturing issues.
• Facilitates inspections, substitutions, and standardization by arranging and participating in conferences between suppliers and company personnel.
• Negotiates and settles damage claims, rejections, losses, return of materials, over-shipments, cancellations, and engineering changes with suppliers.
• Monitors and evaluates supplier's ability to meet all company and government or commercial procurement requirements and ensure that the pertinent technical and quality issues receive adequate attention to assure compliance.
• Prepares complex reports and analyses by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing information and trends.
• Applies continuous improvement techniques and methods to internal processes and systems.
• Develops, coordinates, and implements improvement initiatives with key suppliers.
• Recommends actions by analyzing and interpreting data and making comparative analyses.
• Analyzes proposed changes in methods and materials.
• May lead or be assigned to a special project team.
• Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops, reviewing trade publications, establishing networks, and/or participating in professional associations.
• Complies with federal, state, and aerospace industry regulations; ensures adherence to requirements and advises management on needed actions.
• Complies with Government/Commercial Practices Manual (GPM/CPM) policies and procedures.
• May provide leadership to others in department.
• Acts as prime contact on high level projects.
• Establishes goals and objectives required to complete projects.
• Trains and mentors less experienced employees.
• Shares specialized knowledge with others.
• Represent company on high-level projects.
• Contributes to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.
• Work assignments may include cross-functional or project team responsibilities (e.g., continuous improvement).

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree (BA) in Business Administration, or related field, and experience which has provided both theoretical and practical knowledge in the field.
• Demonstrated ability to perform the essential functions of the job typically acquired through six or more years of increasingly responsible related experience.
• Certificate in Purchasing Management CPM/CPIM or APICS desired but not required.
• Training in LEAN, SixSigma quality, Greenbelt helpful but not required.
• Experience working in an MRP environment desired
• Thorough knowledge of purchasing and negotiating methods, principles, and concepts.
• Knowledge of industry practices, general business operations, and policies.
• Knowledge of legal and regulatory requirements related to procurement.
• Ability to effectively assess and implement continuous improvement principles and techniques.
• Proficient with standard business application software and specialized purchasing and/or materials systems (e.g., electronic data interface (EDI) or manufacturing resource planning (MRP) systems).
• Ability to work on a variety of problems of diverse scope and complexity where analysis and evaluation of various outcomes require tradeoffs.
• Ability to solve a wide range of difficult problems in imaginative and practical ways and evaluate alternative solutions that may require coordination across multiple teams.
• Ability to establish goals and objectives to complete projects.
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret policies and recommend changes to procedures.
• Ability to effectively communicate and present information to suppliers, team members, team leaders, and top management.
• Ability to respond to significant inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to negotiate effectively to obtain best prices and terms on products, materials, and services.
• Ability to effectively demonstrate team member competencies and participate in goal setting, performance feedback, and self-development activities.