Strategic Equipment Buyer & Planner

Socket.dev; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Intuitive Surgical is seeking a Manufacturing Equipment Buyer/Planner to plan, procure, and support lifecycle for materials and spare parts enabling uninterrupted production of manufacturing line equipment. You will work with Engineering, Maintenance, and Sourcing to translate requirements into timely purchasing actions and manage obsolescence and supply risk.

The role emphasizes direct materials buying, spare parts strategy, ECO support, and lifecycle planning to ensure equipment uptime and

Qualifications

• Manufacturing-focused procurement experience.
• Spare parts lifecycle planning and stocking strategies.
• Administration and organization to support timely execution of core responsibilities and sourcing events.
• Technical ability to interpret equipment drawings, data sheets, BOMs, and specs.
• Cross-functional collaboration with Engineering, Manufacturing, Maintenance, Finance, Quality, and Sourcing.
• Execution with ownership of delivery performance and spares availability.
• Analytical, data-driven decision making under operational pressure.
• Process discipline across requisition-to-PO cycle time and documentation.

Responsibilities

• Plan, buy, and manage direct materials and spare parts to support equipment and test systems, ensuring continuity and minimal disruption.
• Partner with Engineering, Maintenance, and Production to define specifications, drawings, acceptance criteria, and documentation for materials and spares.
• Own spare parts strategy including criticality assessment, stocking levels, lead-time risk mitigation, and lifecycle planning.
• Support ECOs, deviations, and qualification builds by assessing procurement impacts.
• Execute sourcing events (RFI/RFQ/RFP) for equipment materials and spares, evaluating total cost of ownership and long-term supportability.
• Negotiate and administer supplier terms—pricing, payment terms, incoterms, warranties, service agreements, and after-sales support.
• Collaborate with Sourcing and Category Management on supplier governance and QBRs; monitor OTIF, lead times, and corrective actions.
• Convert approved requisitions into POs; manage acknowledgements, expediting, changes, cancellations, deliveries.
• Coordinate logistics and site-readiness: packaging, freight, customs, rigging, utilities, safety.
• Track procurement against project schedules and installations; report risks and recovery actions to stakeholders.
• Manage end-of-life and obsolescence by coordinating with Engineering to identify alternatives.
• Serve as liaison to execute RCE process; ensure compliance with company procedures.
• Prepare and maintain technical, financial, and contractual documentation for audits.

Skills

Manufacturing-Focused Procurement

Spare Parts Lifecycle

Administration & Organization

Technical Acumen

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

Execution & Reliability

Analytical Decision-Making

Process Discipline

Education

Bachelor's degree in supply chain

Purchasing/Materials management training

Experience in regulated environments

Equipment data interpretation training

ERP/Purchasing systems experience (SAP, Coupa, Agile, NEPTUNE)

Negotiation & supplier management training

Strong business communication

Tools

SAP

SAP Fiori

Coupa

NEPTUNE

Excel

Agile

Job description

Intuitive Surgical is seeking a Manufacturing Equipment Buyer/Planner to plan, procure, and support lifecycle for materials and spare parts enabling uninterrupted production of manufacturing line equipment. You will work with Engineering, Maintenance, and Sourcing to translate requirements into timely purchasing actions and manage obsolescence and supply risk.

The role emphasizes direct materials buying, spare parts strategy, ECO support, and lifecycle planning to ensure equipment uptime and