Direct Materials Buyer and Production Planner in Vernal, Utah at Blue Northern Constructors Inc

About Blue Northern Construction

Blue Northern Constructors is a Vernal, Utah oilfield construction and services company purpose-built for the demands of upstream and midstream operators. We build it, we maintain it, and when it's time, we take it back to dirt. We're not a contractor that learned the oilfield from a desk. We live in the Uintah Basin. Our crews run on reliability, clear communication, and the kind of work ethic that keeps operators picking up the phone. Safety isn't a slogan on the trailer — it's how we run every job. No excuses. No surprise invoices. No theater. If your operation runs on tight timelines and tighter margins, we're built for that fight. This position also supports Coyote Tanks Inc.’s direct materials and production planning needs.

We are growing fast, and our people are the reason. This role exists to make sure as we scale, we stay a place where skilled, motivated people want to build their careers.

Position Summary

The Direct Materials Buyer and Production and Planner supports Coyote Tanks Inc. (CTI) and Blue Northern Construction (BNC) by sourcing direct materials and building executable production schedules. This experienced individual contributor translates approved demand into material requirements, purchase orders, work orders, and daily and weekly site plans. The role balances cost, specification compliance, supplier reliability, plant capacity, and customer delivery commitments.

Reporting directly to the Director of Supply Chain, this role independently executes assigned sourcing and planning activities within approved authority. It works with the CTI and BNC General Manager, Plant Managers, production supervisors, Engineering, Quality, Finance, Logistics, and customer-facing teams. The Director approves sourcing strategy, strategic agreements, cross-site priorities, and material changes to customer commitments; Plant Managers own production execution, staffing, and shop-floor supervision. This position has no direct reports.

Key Performance Indicators

The combined role is measured on assigned CTI/BNC procurement and planning results. Targets and definitions are agreed with the Director of Supply Chain after baseline review.

• Supplier on-time delivery: Track assigned suppliers against confirmed dates and escalate late or at-risk orders.
• Material readiness: Track shortages, kit readiness, and production interruptions attributable to unavailable materials.
• Documented cost improvement: Report savings and avoidance against baselines validated with the Director and Finance.
• Supplier quality and purchase-order accuracy: Reduce repeat nonconformances and errors in specifications, quantities, pricing, and dates.
• Schedule adherence and site on-time completion: Compare planned with actual starts and completions against approved dates.
• Work-order release accuracy: Release complete work orders only after approved drawings, routings, capacity, and material checks.
• Capacity visibility and past-due recovery: Maintain work-center loading, constraints, recovery owners, and forecast completion dates.
• ERP/MRP data quality: Resolve assigned planning and purchasing exceptions through authorized workflows.
• Supplier review and VMI support: Provide accurate supplier performance inputs and follow up on assigned actions and approved direct-material consumables.

*Must be 18 years or older to apply*

Key Responsibilities

Direct Materials Sourcing and Procurement

• Source steel, fabricated components, electrical items, other BOM materials, and direct-material consumables for assigned CTI/BNC requirements; verify drawings, grades, specifications, and certifications with Engineering and Quality.
• Issue RFQs, compare supplier offers on technical compliance, total cost, capacity, lead time, freight, and quality, and document sourcing decisions and required approvals.
• Negotiate assigned pricing, quantities, terms, and delivery schedules within delegated authority; elevate strategic agreements, exceptions, and supplier selection decisions to the Director of Supply Chain.
• Create, release, and maintain accurate purchase orders in the ERP after required approvals, including current specifications, quantities, pricing, need dates, and approved terms.
• Collect supplier onboarding information and coordinate qualification and vendor master requests with authorized owners; Finance and authorized owners validate banking and payment changes.
• Coordinate common CTI/BNC requirements to improve availability and cost without changing approved technical or quality requirements.

Supplier Performance and Supply Continuity

• Confirm acknowledgments, monitor open orders, expedite at-risk deliveries, and maintain shortage and recovery records with supplier commitments, owners, and dates.
• Track supplier delivery, quality, capacity, responsiveness, pricing validity, and agreement terms; prepare scorecards and lead or support assigned supplier reviews as directed by the Director.
• Document supplier review decisions and corrective actions, assign owners and due dates, and escalate unresolved commercial, quality, or capacity issues to the Director.
• Support alternate-source qualification and long-lead protections with Engineering, Quality, and Logistics; do not bypass supplier approval or technical controls.
• Support approved direct-material consumables VMI through purchasing data, forward demand, supplier follow-up, and exception escalation. Logistics owns site stocking, counts, transactions, and reconciliation.

Production Scheduling and Work-Order Execution

• Translate approved customer and plant priorities into daily and weekly production schedules for CTI/BNC, considering work-center capacity, labor, material readiness, and manufacturing dependencies.
• Sequence jobs and release work orders with current drawings, BOMs, routings, quantities, and required dates after verifying release criteria and material or kit readiness.
• Review schedules and priorities with the General Manager, Plant Managers, and supervisors; communicate approved changes and handoffs. Supervisors direct shop-floor work and confirm actual execution.
• Track work in process, completions, past-due orders, and schedule variance; maintain recovery actions and realistic forecasts.
• Escalate changes that exceed capacity, shift approved cross-company priorities, or affect a customer commitment to the Director and General Manager before changing the approved plan.

Capacity and Constraint Visibility

• Maintain current work-center loading, labor calendars, shift assumptions, and available-versus-committed capacity for CTI/BNC in approved planning systems.
• Identify bottlenecks, equipment downtime, staffing gaps, material delays, and competing priorities early; develop feasible sequencing and recovery options with Plant Managers.
• Estimate the schedule effect of engineering changes, rework, and planned maintenance; update forecasts after required approval.
• Provide the Director and General Manager a weekly outlook on backlog, capacity, completions, constraints, and delivery risk.

Material Readiness and Cross-Functional Coordination

• Review MRP exceptions and planned material needs against the production schedule; connect purchase-order commitments to work-order need dates and escalate gaps promptly.
• Coordinate receipt status, kit requirements, staging dates, inventory discrepancies, and material issue timing with Logistics and Warehouse, which own inventory accuracy, kitting execution, and transactions.
• Provide approved BOMs, quantities, sequence, and need dates for kits; confirm material and certification readiness before releasing work orders.
• Coordinate nonconforming material, substitutions, holds, and drawing changes with Engineering and Quality before changing purchasing or production records.
• Share approved schedule changes and supply recovery commitments with affected plant, logistics, finance, and customer-facing stakeholders.

ERP Systems, Reporting and Improvement

• Keep purchase orders, supplier and item data, planned dates, work-order status, quantities, and approved changes current in the ERP through authorized workflows.
• Investigate assigned MRP exceptions and routing, lead-time, inventory, or calendar errors; route master-data changes to responsible owners and validate corrected reports.
• Report monthly procurement and planning measures, including supplier delivery, cost, shortages, schedule adherence, capacity, quality, and order accuracy.
• Investigate schedule misses and recurring purchasing or planning errors; recommend practical corrective actions and track follow-through.
• Support testing of approved ERP/MRP changes under IT and Director controls; verify purchasing and site planning reports before adoption.

Physical Demands

The physical demands and work environment described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the position. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Working Conditions

• Work is performed in both office and manufacturing environments, with exposure to noise, varying temperatures, and moving equipment.
• No regular travel is required.
• Site and supplier visits may involve walking through manufacturing and warehouse areas and following applicable safety requirements.
• Availability for urgent supplier or production support as business needs require.

Benefits

Offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package:

• Medical, dental and vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match
• Paid time off (PTO)
• Life and disability Insurance

Benefits may vary based on employment classification and hours worked.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Coyote Tanks Inc. / Blue Northern Constructors is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Required

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, operations, business, engineering, or a related field, or equivalent manufacturing experience.
• At least five years of direct-material procurement or sourcing experience in manufacturing or fabrication, with demonstrated ability to execute core buying responsibilities independently upon hire.
• Experience building daily and weekly production schedules and releasing or maintaining work orders in an ERP/MRP system.
• Experience sourcing technical materials against drawings, BOMs, specifications, certifications, and production requirements.
• Ability to assess work-center capacity, labor and material readiness, and the effect of constraints on delivery dates.

Skills and Competencies

• Experience with RFQs, supplier comparisons, negotiations, purchase orders, supplier delivery follow-up, and shortage recovery.
• Working knowledge of routings, work-center calendars, production lead times, MRP exceptions, inventory signals, and shop-floor progress reporting.
• Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems, spreadsheets, purchasing records, and planning reports.
• Ability to coordinate effectively with plant leadership, Procurement, Engineering, Quality, Finance, and Logistics.
• Strong analytical judgment, organization, communication, negotiation, and issue-resolution skills.

Preferred

Industry Experience

• Experience with tank manufacturing, construction fabrication, make-to-order or engineered-to-order production.
• Familiarity with steel mills and service centers, electrical components, long-lead materials, and supplier certification requirements.
• Experience coordinating constrained work centers, material kits, supplier reviews, and direct-material consumables VMI.

Preferred Credentials

• CPSM, CSCP, CPIM, or a comparable supply chain credential.