Sr Buyer/Planner

Purpose & Scope:

• Responsible for the planning, purchasing, and managing of raw material components to support the Master Production Scheduler’s building requirements of sub-assemblies and finished goods inventory in an accurate and timely manner with little supervision.
• Responsible for comprehensive inbound and outbound functions for APT.
• Monitor and report on supplier performance, determine safety stock, and monitor inventory levels of assigned components/materials.
• This position is accountable for managing materials inventory to meet our Customer Service objectives with the least amount of inventory and lowest possible costs.
• Manage relationships and interactions with global and regional Supply Chain teams as well as other local departments (Accounting, Quality Assurance, Quality Control, Engineering, Manufacturing Operations, and Technical Services).

Essential Job Responsibilities:

• Use SAP effectively in the development of sound purchasing schedules and the release of purchase orders in support of customer service and inventory targets. Manage items portfolio through purchase orders for assigned suppliers and materials.
• Create and maintain accuracy of system Master Data to ensure customer service and inventory costs are not impacted by data integrity problems.
• Review open orders, monitor vendor performance, and expedite shipments where necessary to keep operation running at peak efficiency. Proactively communicate supply/service issues (potential or actual) to all affected departments.
• Build strong relationships with our suppliers to better service our business. Maintain supplier performance KPIs (OTIF). Capture quantitative price breaks and create competitive bidding situations to ensure the best pricing. Obtain documentation from vendors to support adherence to relevant regulations and to support vendor qualifications and audits.
• Provide monthly 12-month rolling forecast reports to ensure material usage volumes are communicated with suppliers to secure adequate supplier capacity.
• Create, maintain, and follow Supply/Service Agreements with vendors. Negotiate lead times with suppliers and manage suppliers’ schedules accordingly.
• Represent Supply Chain and support new business proposals process, e.g., identify suppliers, solicit quotations for materials, services, and evaluate lead time and internal resources/storage requirements.
• Represent Norman site and support the Global Procurement Team cost reduction initiatives and standardization of procurement best practices across the Avara network.
• Manage new component implementation by performing material review and communicate the financial impact to stakeholders to minimize the disposition of obsolete and excess inventory.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Quantitative Dimensions:

• Manage yearly ~ $15 million inventory levels
• Identify and capture CA and CR activities (~ $500,000)

Organizational Context:

• Reports to the Director of Supply Chain
• No direct reports

Qualifications:

Required

• Minimum of 8 years’ experience in Supply Chain management (Planning/Procurement), or 5 years’ experience with APICS certification
• BA/BS degree
• Strong working knowledge of ERP systems
• Solid interpersonal communication skills to include verbal and written, active listening, critical thinking, persuasiveness, advising, and counseling skills
• Excellent Excel, Word, and PowerPoint skills
• Supply/Service Agreements negotiation exposure
• Must be able to gather and evaluate complex data to make effective decisions to accomplish work
• Must be able to read, write, and understand the English language

Preferred

• APICS (CPIM) certification
• Working knowledge of cGMPs and pharma industry procedures and regulations
• Strong working knowledge of SAP