Rail Materials Buyer — Operations & Supply Chain

Transco - A Marmon Rail Company; Waterloo (IA); On-site; USD 55,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k) with company match

Life and disability insurance

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

Transco Rail Services, part of Marmon Rail and Berkshire Hathaway, is seeking a Materials Buyer in Waterloo, IA. The role supports site operations by ensuring timely procurement of materials to keep production moving.

You will plan, purchase, and track material needs, maintain supplier relationships, and work with inventory and production teams to optimize stock and delivery performance. Strong Excel and ERP/MRP experience required.

Qualifications

• 2-4 years of purchasing, procurement, or supply chain experience in a manufacturing, industrial, or operations environment.
• Experience creating and managing purchase orders through ERP/MRP systems.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to monitor inventory requirements and support demand planning activities.
• Experience communicating with suppliers and resolving delivery or quality issues.
• Strong Microsoft Excel and reporting skills.
• Excellent organizational and time-management abilities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining high accuracy and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Create and issue purchase orders to approved suppliers based on system demand.
• Maintain accurate purchase order information, pricing, and delivery dates within ERP/MRP systems.
• Coordinate material availability with site Materials Management and production teams.
• Monitor supplier delivery performance and address shortages or delivery concerns.
• Work with the Expediting team to resolve supplier issues and improve on-time delivery.
• Support inventory optimization by utilizing existing stock and reducing excess inventory.
• Challenge supplier lead times, cost increases, and delivery commitments when appropriate.
• Escalate supplier quality, cost, and delivery concerns to Category Management.
• Participate in cost savings and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Generate daily, weekly, and monthly purchasing and inventory related reports.
• Assist with procurement audits and annual physical inventory activities.
• Support resolution of supplier discrepancies, return authorizations, and data integrity issues.

Skills

Analytical skills

Excel

Reporting

Supplier communication

Time management

Attention to detail

Education

Associate's degree or equivalent experience

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain or related field

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

Job description

Transco Rail Services, part of Marmon Rail and Berkshire Hathaway, is seeking a Materials Buyer in Waterloo, IA. The role supports site operations by ensuring timely procurement of materials to keep production moving.

You will plan, purchase, and track material needs, maintain supplier relationships, and work with inventory and production teams to optimize stock and delivery performance. Strong Excel and ERP/MRP experience required.