Senior Specialist, Procurement

Acron Aviation; Grand Rapids (MI); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Acron Aviation in Grand Rapids, MI seeks a Procurement Specialist to plan and procure direct materials for aerospace manufacturing. This role focuses on end-to-end purchasing, MRP-driven orders, supplier performance, inventory optimization, cost containment, and data analytics to ensure on-time delivery and compliance with quality specs.

You'll work with SAP MM, BOMs, and ERP data, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and drive continuous improvement through lean methods.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Operations, Engineering, or related field.
• 6+ years of purchasing experience in aerospace or regulated manufacturing.
• Expert-level SAP experience (MM required; PP and MRP experience preferred).
• Strong working knowledge of MRP, BOM structures, material master data, and procurement workflows.
• Proven experience managing direct material suppliers across metals, composites, electronics, machined parts, and assemblies.
• Demonstrated cost reduction, negotiation, and contract management skills.
• Strong analytical skills and fluency with Excel, Power BI, and similar tools.

Responsibilities

• Plan and execute direct material purchases based on MRP signals.
• Maintain SAP master data, purchasing info records, and vendor data.
• Manage supplier communications and performance with corrective actions.
• Identify cost reductions and negotiate pricing and terms.
• Monitor PPV and drive root cause actions to reduce variance.
• Support inventory optimization and DOS reduction.

Skills

Strong communication

Problem solving

Team collaboration

Deadline driven

Supply chain knowledge

Education

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

Tools

SAP

MRP

BOM structures

Power BI

Excel

Job description

About Acron Aviation (Avionics - Aftermarket):

Acron Aviation designs, engineers, and manufactures certified avionics systems that support safety-critical flight operations across commercial and military aviation. Our avionics portfolio includes surveillance, recorders, displays, and related systems developed in regulated environments and deployed on aircraft worldwide. Through our Aftermarket organization, we support operators, OEMs, and maintenance providers by delivering technical expertise, product support, reliability improvements, and lifecycle sustainment solutions that maximize system availability and customer value. This work requires close collaboration across engineering, operations, quality, and customer support teams to ensure safe, reliable, and effective in-service performance.

Position Summary

At Acron our ambition is to relentlessly reimagine and reshape the value chains by which we deliver results to our customers, suppliers, and internal/external stakeholder communities in pursuit of innovations to creating safer skies. Acron employees strive to achieve world-class results through our values of always putting our customers first, displaying ownership of our results, moving fast and speaking candidly. We currently seek a Procurement Specialist that thrives in complex cross functional environments and is highly skilled in the application of planning and purchasing fundamentals, continuous improvement, supplier engagement and team building processes to achieve our vision. This position is part of the Acron Avionics Business Unit and will be located in Grand Rapids, MI. This role requires the selected candidate to work on site during first shift hours.

We are seeking a dynamic, high-energy Procurement Specialist to plan and procure direct materials required to support aerospace manufacturing operations. This role manages end-to-end purchasing including MRP-driven order execution, PO change management, supplier performance management, inventory optimization, cost containment, and data analytics to ensure materials arrive on time and meet all quality and technical specifications. Candidates should bring deep expertise in ERP materials management tools, advanced analytical capabilities, and experience in a high-mix, high-complexity aerospace environment. Acron’s Suppliers our viewed as extensions of our internal factory which requires candidates to possess strong collaboration and communications to build sustainable business partnerships.

The ideal candidate is a transformational Procurement Specialist driven to reinforce cultures of excellence with demonstrated and sustained experience in Lean principles and continuous improvement methodologies. Acron seeks candidates who can influence and drive problem solving disciplines and operational excellence across the end-to-end value stream while maintaining accountability for delivering to the MRP and ensuring our plans are operating realities.

Key Responsibilities

• Material Planning & Procurement Execution
• Execute purchase orders for direct materials based on MRP signals, forecasting, and production requirements. Manage action/exception messages in ERP system
• Ensure supply continuity by proactively identifying shortages, expediting when necessary, and adjusting orders according to changing schedules

• Maintain accurate and complete SAP material master data, purchasing info records, and vendor data
• Supplier Relationship & Performance Management
• Manage daily communications with suppliers; drive on time delivery, corrective action requests, and regular performance reviews
• Participate in supplier selection, qualification, set-up in SAP and development activities in partnership with Quality and Supply Chain leadership
• Resolve supply chain constraints in collaboration with suppliers and internal teams
• Cost Management & Financial Performance
• Identify and execute cost reduction initiatives, including negotiation of pricing, payment terms, and long-term agreements
• Monitor and report Purchase Price Variance (PPV) and drive root cause corrective actions to reduce variance
• Support annual budgeting and standard cost updates using SAP and advanced analytics
• Inventory Optimization
• Manage inventory levels to strike the right balance between availability and efficiency; reduce Days of Supply (DOS) while preventing shortages
• Work closely with planning teams to continuously refine safety stock, lead times, and order quantities
• Data Analytics & Reporting
• Use SAP, Excel, Power BI, and other analytics tools to generate reports, dashboards, and insights for material planning, supplier performance, and cost metrics
• Leverage data to forecast supply risk, develop scenario models, and improve decision making
• Cross Functional Support
• Partner with Operations, Engineering, Quality, and Program Management to understand material requirements for both production and new programs
• Support Engineering Change Orders, material transitions, and end of life planning
• Participate in audits (internal and external) related to procurement and supply chain
• Continuous Improvement of the Planning System
• Follow and improve procurement standard work
• Lead or participate in kaizen events to reduce transactional procurement waste, improve lead time and quality, and increase plan reliability

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Operations, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 6+ years of purchasing experience in aerospace or another complex, regulated manufacturing environment.
• Expert-level SAP experience (MM required; PP and MRP experience strongly preferred).
• Strong working knowledge of MRP, BOM structures, material master data, and procurement workflows.
• Proven experience managing direct material suppliers, ideally including metals, composites, electronics, machined parts, and assemblies.
• Demonstrated cost reduction, negotiation, and contract management skills.
• Strong analytical skills and fluency with Excel (vlookups, pivot tables, Power Query), Power BI, and/or similar tools.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and problem solving abilities.
• Ability to thrive in a fast paced, deadline driven manufacturing environment.

Preferred Additional Skills

• Experience in aerospace organizations
• Knowledge of quality / regulatory requirements (AS9100, ITAR, DFARS, NADCAP, FAA)
• Familiarity with risk management, supplier scorecards, Should Cost analysis, and Lean/Six Sigma principles.
• Experience handling complex commodities, long supply chain lead times, and highly engineered components.
• Project management certification or equivalent (PMP, Lean Practitioner, CPIM, CSCP).
• Advanced SAP reporting capabilities (SAP BW, SAP Analytics Cloud).

Equal Opportunity Statement

Acron Aviation is proud to be an Affimative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to treating all employees and applicants with respect and dignity and to maintaining a workplace free from unlawful discrimination. All applicants will be considered for employment regardless of race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or other related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Additional Information

Acron Aviation maintains a drug-free workplace and conducts pre-employment substance abuse testing and background checks, where allowed by law. Acron Aviation is an E-Verify employer