Strategic Buyer for Operations

Red Seal Recruiting Ltd.

Pittsburgh (Allegheny County)

On-site

USD 65,000 - 73,000

Full time

4 days ago

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Job summary

Red Seal Recruiting Ltd. is seeking a Buyer to serve as the day-to-day procurement execution partner to plant and regional Operations, maintaining contract and purchasing compliance and ensuring material and service availability at the required cost, quality, and delivery performance.

The role executes procure-to-pay processes, supplier follow-through, shortage resolution, data integrity, and coordinated inventory actions, with a focus on delivering a reliable, low-friction operating model that

Qualifications

2+ years of relevant purchasing, materials, supply chain or manufacturing customer-service experience required.
Working proficiency with Excel and ERP purchasing processes; Microsoft Dynamics 365 experience preferred.
Ability to analyze supplier delivery, open orders, inventory and cost data, establish priorities, and communicate escalations effectively.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary purchasing execution partner for designated facilities and their Operations leadership; understand production schedules, constraints, working capital, and the effect of purchasing decisions on regional results.
Execute sourcing strategies, negotiated contracts, approved supplier lists, pricing, and specifications established by Global / Regional Category leadership. Escalate exceptions and market intelligence rather than independently altering strategic agreements.
Collaborate daily with Operations, Planning, Inventory, Quality, Finance/AP and Category Management; maintain clear escalation paths and documented decision rights.
Procure-to-pay discipline: Convert approved demand and requisitions into accurate, timely purchase orders; confirm price, terms, quantities, delivery dates, coding and approvals; monitor open orders through receipt, invoice resolution, and closure.
Contract and policy compliance: Use approved suppliers, negotiated terms, buying channels, and delegated authority; flag maverick spend, off-contract pricing, duplicate orders, and exceptions for resolution.
Supplier execution and escalation: Secure order acknowledgements, maintain realistic promise dates, expedite critical material, resolve shortages and discrepancies, and coordinate escalation and recovery plans before operations are impacted.
Inventory and working capital: Partner with Operations and Planning to review demand, lead times, safety stock, excess/obsolete inventory, open-PO exposure, and opportunities to lower inventory days on hand without jeopardizing service.
Supplier performance: Maintain supplier delivery and defect data, support corrective actions with Quality and Category Management, and implement focused scorecards for the top five suppliers by category as deployed.
Cost and P&L impact: Validate contracted pricing, identify leakage and cost-avoidance opportunities, quantify material cost drivers, and bring recurring issues or savings opportunities to Category leadership and regional management.
Data and systems: Maintain accurate supplier, item, pricing, lead-time and PO information in the ERP (including Microsoft D365 as applicable); support standardized workflows, reporting, and continuous improvement.
Customer service: Provide Operations with clear status, issue ownership, realistic recovery dates, and timely communication; reduce friction through standard processes rather than avoidable one-off transactions.