Associate Buyer - Procurement

creative werks (CW) partners with Top 100 food brands to bring their products to market through our design, co-packing and manufacturing services. The Associate Buyer will be responsible for ensuring the arrival of just-in-time materials, analyzing purchasing data and collaborating with internal departments to provide best in class support to our clients. The ideal candidate will have strong analytical capabilities, a keen eye for detail and the ability to build and maintain positive supplier relationships in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. Your contributions will directly impact our ability to deliver high-quality products to our clients, efficiently and cost effectively. 

Responsibilities of the Position:

• Responsible for placing, pivoting and managing purchase orders with external vendors for assigned clients
• Aid in the purchasing of client supplied, turnkey directed, and turnkey full items; expedite deliveries when required
• Analyze weekly client schedules and raw material inventory using Syteline MRP to determine risk and raw material requirements
• Collaborate with the scheduling team and client managers to ensure alignment and best in class support for our clients
• Actively participate in both internal and recurring client calls
• Address packaging quality concerns directly with vendors to determine root cause; work with vendors to obtain replacement product and reimbursement
• Other duties as assigned by management

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Possesses strong attention to detail helping to place purchase orders, adjustments to volumes and dates and ensure on-time delivery, aligning with CW’s purchasing strategy and client requirements
• Fosters a self-starter approach showing curiosity, critical thinking, problem-solving and solutioning new challenges to prevent product line shutdowns or other delays
• Demonstrated abilities being able to manage multiple projects supporting planning, delegation, assessments and progress toward goals, outcomes and client success
• Ability to thrive and collaborate in a dynamically growing environment with changing circumstances, direction, and strategy
• Sound verbal and written and written communication skills with ability to develop new and on-going relationships with both vendors and clients
• Industry experiences using MS Office (Excel) and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) tools such as Epicor, Oracle, SAP and/or Syteline preferred but not required

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business Management or related discipline; 2-4 years of purchasing, sourcing, buying, project management or similar experience in a manufacturing environment in lieu of degree

Working Conditions:

• Ability to travel between 5-10% to visit local vendors in the Midwest
• Eligible for hybrid work schedule of up to 2 days work from home per week
• Operate in an open concept office setting and warehouse environment with temperatures ranging from 55 – 80 degrees
• This position may require travel to the other CW facility in Bartlett, IL for training/meetings and/or education

Physical Conditions:

• Operate standard office equipment
• Reach with hands and arms
• Lift up to 25 pounds

Benefits of Werking for CW:

• Fun, creative, and inviting atmosphere – plus the perk of working with cool food brands!
• Comprehensive health and wellness benefits
• 401K and company match
• Hybrid work eligible after 90 days/onboarding complete (max 2 days per week)
• Paid Time Off
• On-site gym
• Audible Subscription
• Continuous learning and development opportunities

The approved annualized base compensation range for this role is established at $50,000 - $65,000. Final offer amounts will be determined based on candidate skills, qualifications, experience and domain expertise.