Category Buyer

Job Description

Responsible for the tactical and strategic approach toward managing their assigned category across NY and CT under the direction/guidance of the department head. The Category Buyer works with Strategic Sourcing and executes the plan related to the overall management of their assigned SKUs goods and services. The role is to focus on part cost, quality and delivery solution for the business units, ensuring consistency with company strategy, commitments and goals.

Responsibilities:

• Manages relationships with suppliers to ensure KPIs are achieved
• Takes ownership of assigned category and manages SKUs across NY and CT
• Drives supplier performance toward optimal delivery, quality and service
• Acts as a commodity owner for specific, assigned categories; executing strategy, aligning with Strategic Sourcing and key stakeholders as required
• Manages materials purchases through most efficient order management processes, through effective use of ERP system tools and parameters – Epicor and MIS
• Ongoing and regular planning reviews to ensure effective communication of demand, and timely receipt of materials.
• Drives continuous improvement efforts between suppliers and the organization to pursue best price, delivery, quality and service.
• Acts as a liaison between the supplier and organizational department functions to ensure that appropriate relationships are maintained, actions driven and issues resolved – finance, quality, program management and engineering, where purchasing owns the relationship with the supplier.
• Support sourcing activities as needed to identify, select and onboard qualified vendors to meet the needs of the business.
• Negotiates prices and contracts to achieve best value considering design, quality and delivery requirements.
• Recoup all costs associated with rejects/defects, expedites, or shortages.
• Assesses, manages, and mitigates risks; proactively identify and mitigate potential supply chain disruptions
• Supports engineering in ECN management of purchased goods, including changes that impact product or process. Purchasing is responsible for ensuring PO references the desired drawing revision and ensuring supplier produces to the desired revision.
• Supports operations requirements for materials – focus on optimizing inventory levels to ensure adequate availability without shortages while avoiding excess or obsolete materials. Expedites as needed to satisfy the needs of the organization’s production, while minimizing unfavorable price impacts. Coordinates with trade and traffic to track and manage freight forwarding, domestic inbound and local transportation as needed.
• Supports sales as needed through coordinating procurement of material for new product and variant launches effectively to ensure timely delivery to the customer; provides accurate feedback throughout the organization to best manage communication to the customer.
• Supports the organization’s leadership through generating and managing reports and dashboards, escalating and advising supply and commodity related issues, and contributing to or creating relevant presentations.
• Support market cost analysis/validation for new customer opportunity quoting.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree preferred
• Minimum of five (5) years experience in procurement, business, or related
• Excellent communication skills, verbal and written
• Proficient user of Microsoft Office products- Excel, Word, PowerPoint
• Proficient user of MRP and related systems – Epicor preferred
• Advanced negotiation skills
• Materials and manufacturing knowledge, machining, fabrication, molding, electrical commodities
• Team player - eager to contribute in matrix organization; drive and initiative to take ownership and support the needs of the business