Buyer Planner

The Experienced Planner / Buyer position is responsible for the planning, scheduling, procurement and expediting of raw materials and finished goods in support of the manufacturing organization. Utilize best procurement practices, including managing the supplier, to ensure optimal pricing, while meeting the department’s goals for cost reduction, quality improvement, on-time delivery, inventory management and lead time reduction.

Responsibilities

• Maintain complete ownership of the procurement process to include creating requisitions and ensuring on-time delivery of required materials including, but not limited to, ordering, expediting, and returns.
• Plan material needs for production and facility.
• Analyze/adjust inventory levels as required to coincide with changing customer demand, lead time changes and other initiatives.
• Utilize Materials Requirements Planning System and other planning tools or develop tools as required.
• Work closely with Quality and Manufacturing to monitor and correct all supplier non-conformance issues.
• Interface with vendors with respect to price negotiation, availability of materials, delivery time and supplier visits.
• Develop and execute vendor supply agreements.
• Ensure that all purchase orders are clearly defined, entered and updated, in an accurate and timely matter. • Proactively plan future raw material requirements taking into account New Product Launch timing and upcoming product mix changes
• Continuously work to improve delivery, quality and service of suppliers.
• Ensure that problems relating to delivery, quality, service or pricing are promptly conveyed to the vendor and resolved in a timely manner.
• Research and establish contacts with potential new vendors to develop additional or new sources for raw materials.
• MRO procurement.
• Provide input into the Business Planning Cycle by providing annual volume, pricing and trend forecasts.
• Adhere to and promote the environmental, health & safety policies of AFL.

Personal Qualities

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to build strong business partnerships
• Self-starter with good time management skills and capable of thriving with limited supervision
• Results-oriented, capable of meeting goals in a challenging environment
• Self-confidence and integrity
• Problem solver with strong analytical skills

Qualifications

• 2 -5 years’ experience in material planning and purchasing, preferably in the telecommunications industry
• Solid understanding of materials operations, materials planning and inventory control in a lean manufacturing environment
• International buying/purchasing experience desired
• Production scheduling experience desired
• Intermediate or higher user of MS Office