Associate Buyer/Planner

Position Summary

Plan, coordinate, and schedule production and inventory control of material required for manufacturing in accordance with customer requirements and product forecasts. Responsible for the procurement of materials, services, and supplies used in the manufacturing of medical products. Interface with individual suppliers and production floor in support of day-to-day operations. Supports day-to-day relationships with the assigned suppliers to achieve the company’s business objectives.

Principal Responsibilities

• Prepares requests for proposals, solicit quotations, and evaluate bids, in support of company objectives. Supports supplier selection process based on total cost of ownership including quality and delivery performance
• Develops relationships with assigned suppliers to optimize processes, supporting quality & delivery improvement, organizing key supplier meetings, and supplier performance.
• Place purchase orders for materials, establish priority to meet customer orders, and resolve shipping and billing concerns.
• Review and route requisitions and places initial purchase orders from approved requisitions
• Plan, monitor, and direct the purchase, receipt, and distribution of all materials required for the manufacture and shipment of products.
• Coordinates subcontracted materials and services
• Expedites/Defers to ensure product availability per the inventory plan
• Tracks and monitors purchase orders, keeping informed of any problems/delays and communicates any impacts/constraints to the production manager/supervisor or engineering discipline impacted by the change
• Communicate confirmed ship date to Customer Service for sales order acknowledgements
• Utilizes ERP to ensure material availability in support of the production schedule
• Initiate supplier set-up and collaborate with the DMO team for supplier approval
• Assists in supplier management including risk management, commodity strategy, inventory management, problem resolution, and claims management.
• Executes cost savings projects and initiatives as assigned
• Pricing, Logistics, Inventory (product lifecycle management, revisions, E&O cost)
• Support usage analysis and updates of the parameters for the Material Master (safety stock, lead-times, lot sizes, and other parameters used with MRP to manage demand, scheduling, etc.)
• Perform other related duties and responsibilities as required or assigned.

Education / Experience Requirements

• Associate’s Degree in a related field preferred or equivalent work experience.
• APICS coursework preferred.
• Minimum of 2 years of related business or manufacturing experience (Purchasing, Planning and Inventory Control, or Master Scheduling experience preferred)
• Proficiency in use of MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Proficient knowledge of ERP systems. SAP preferred.

Specialized Skills / Other Requirements

• Knowledge of Master Scheduling, Planning, and Purchasing practices and supplier management
• Ability to plan, organize, and manage multiple projects
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Able to interact with all functional areas
• Able to represent the company to suppliers
• Able to manage internal and external supplier relationships
• Keen understanding of a manufacturing environment
• Collaboration in a cross functional business team environment
• Must be able to analyze problems and develop improvement plans

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