Supply Chain Specialist (buyer)

Role Purpose:

Optimizes the use of company assets in the acquisition of goods and services.  Reviews market conditions and trends, formulating short- and long-term strategies to ensure quality and continuity of supply, while minimizing total cost by performing the following responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities:

• Directly procure raw materials and develop appropriate supplier base, by determining material requirements and develop rolling supplier schedules or Purchase Orders as appropriate.
• Consolidate requirements and develop most suitable method of purchase, such as, spot purchase orders, contracts, blanket orders, and suppliers stocking arrangements.
• Is able to issue purchase schedules to suppliers on a rolling basis and establish delivery priorities                             
• Is able to maintain close contact with suppliers and resolve any issues or conflicts
• Can prepare data to show supplier performance, issues, and improvement actions
• Evaluate/assess suppliers through various objective performance measurements including, on time delivery, service performance, and price performance.  Be aware of non-price considerations and certify as necessary.
• Provide Purchasing support for ordering maintenance, and expense items.
• Purchasing Department representative responsible for business systems.  Analyze and understand present purchasing system and ERP system.
• Analyze and maintain appropriate inventory levels and lead identification and action on slow moving and obsolete inventory.
• Work with QA Manager on all purchasing department issues relating to the ISO 9000 registration process, including processes, procedures, certification, PPAP’s, etc.
• Coordinate and communicate purchasing activities and issues across supporting functional groups within the organization.
• Some travel may be required – domestic & possible International
• All other duties as assigned 

Qualifications: 

To perform this job successfully an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent, or 2+ years of related Purchasing experience and/or training, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. 
• Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems
• Knowledge of Microsoft business suite products: Word, Power Point, Excel
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously with high attention to detail
• Ability to utilize logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems. 
• Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs and other techniques for maximizing effective manufacture of goods and services.
• Excellent internal and external relationship/communication skills.

Additional Information:

Language Skills: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and prepare presentation material. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public

Mathematical Skills: Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry

Reasoning Ability: Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.  Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

Other Skills and Abilities: Proficiency in the use of Excel, Word, Power Point and related software.

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee in order to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, talk, and hear.           
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, colour vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus   
• May occasionally be required to lift or move objects of up to 25 pounds      

Work environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  The noise level in this environment is usually moderate.

The position is office based but requiring a substantial amount of time on the shop of a traditional engineering facility.  This facility includes such processes as:  presses, metal forming machines, welding, painting, and warehousing and materials movement equipment