Senior Buyer & Materials Planner

HBCUNetwork; Charlottesville (VA); On-site; USD 72,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Afton Scientific in Charlottesville, VA is seeking a Senior Buyer Planner to lead procurement, planning, and management of raw materials and packaging for manufacturing operations and projects. You will drive supplier relationships, forecasting, inventory strategy, and risk mitigation to keep production running smoothly.

This role requires experience in purchasing, inventory management, and ERP systems, with strong negotiation and communication skills, and a proactive approach to problem-solving

Qualifications

• Associate or bachelor’s degree; or 5+ years of experience in purchasing, material planning, and/or vendor management.
• Experience with inventory management.
• Experience procuring materials.
• Proficiency with SAP or another ERP system.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel).
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong communication, problem-solving, and negotiation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Obtain competitive quotes and procure materials for manufacturing and projects.
• Serve as primary contact for assigned suppliers and manage relationships.
• Monitor open purchase orders, delivery performance, and critical material orders.
• Manage raw material, in-transit, and consignment inventory with accurate MRP data.
• Coordinate material availability to support production schedules; minimize shortages/excess inventory.
• Perform production and project material planning and assist with forecast planning.
• Create and maintain material allocations and pick lists.
• Define and maintain inventory policies (safety stock, reorder points, lot sizes).
• Identify supply risks and develop mitigation plans.
• Participate in internal and external audits as required.
• Support Supplier Qualification Program.
• Author/review supply chain and quality docs (SOPs, specs, supplier audits).
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to improve supply chain efficiency and cost.

Skills

Procurement

Vendor management

SAP

ERP system

Microsoft Excel

Negotiation

Communication

Organizational skills

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain

Associate degree

Tools

SAP/ERP

Microsoft Office

Job description

Afton Scientific in Charlottesville, VA is seeking a Senior Buyer Planner to lead procurement, planning, and management of raw materials and packaging for manufacturing operations and projects. You will drive supplier relationships, forecasting, inventory strategy, and risk mitigation to keep production running smoothly.

This role requires experience in purchasing, inventory management, and ERP systems, with strong negotiation and communication skills, and a proactive approach to problem-solving