Senior Buyer
Job Description
Position Summary
The Senior Buyer is responsible for the strategic and tactical sourcing, procurement, and supplier management of aerospace manufactured components, raw materials (sheet, plate, bar, rod, wire, tubing, and chemicals), and outside processing services that support production, engineering, and customer delivery requirements. This multitasking role manages high-value supplier relationships, negotiates pricing, terms, and lead times, resolves supply chain issues, and ensures material availability while meeting cost, quality, and on-time delivery objectives.
The ideal candidate combines hands-on raw-material and commodity buying experience with the strategic sourcing skills needed to manage supplier performance, mitigate risk, and drive cost savings in a fast-paced, regulated aerospace manufacturing environment.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
• Procure aerospace components, assemblies, raw materials, and outside processing services in support of production schedules and customer requirements; quote, buy, and maintain assigned commodities at the best price consistent with quality and MRP requirements.
• Manage an assigned supplier portfolio, including commercial negotiations, on-time delivery, quality performance, capacity, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Review MRP-generated purchase recommendations and material requirements, and convert them into purchase orders while balancing inventory investment against customer demand.
• Negotiate pricing, long-term agreements (LTAs), lead times, payment terms, material lots, and cost reduction initiatives; identify and implement cost savings and cost-avoidance opportunities.
• Analyze supplier capacity, manufacturing constraints, and market conditions to proactively identify and mitigate supply chain risk; evaluate alternate materials and sources.
• Coordinate with Planning, Engineering, Manufacturing, Program Management, and Quality to resolve material shortages, clarify specifications, and expedite critical deliveries.
• Lead supplier recovery efforts and resolve delivery, quality, receiving, and invoice/accounting discrepancies within delegated authority.
• Select, evaluate, and qualify suppliers to meet AS9100/ISO-9001 quality standards and applicable government compliance requirements; support supplier audits and corrective action activities.
• Support new product introductions by sourcing qualified suppliers and ensuring material availability.
• Review engineering drawings, specifications, and Bills of Material to ensure procurement requirements are clearly understood.
• Monitor and report supplier performance through key performance indicators, including:• On-Time Delivery (OTD)
• Quality Performance (PPM)
• Lead Time Performance
• Cost Savings / Cost Avoidance
• Supplier Responsiveness
• Ensure all purchasing activities comply with AS9100, ITAR/EAR, FAR/DFARS, customer requirements, and company procurement policy and ethics.
• Maintain accurate supplier and purchasing data within the ERP system; maintain MRP messages and notify suppliers of changes in a timely manner.
• Serve as liaison between the company and suppliers to ensure suppliers have the tools, specifications, and drawings needed, and to resolve procurement issues.
• Mentor junior buyers and contribute to the development of purchasing best practices.
• Maintain an organized, clean, and safe work area in accordance with safety standards; perform other duties as assigned.
Requirements
Function: Purchasing
Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level