Senior Buyer at Circuit Technology Inc – Anoka, Minnesota

Exempt / Salary

Job Summary

• Responsible for supporting manufacturing and production operations through purchasing and supplier development.
• Responsible for the purchase of materials, equipment, and supplies.
• Report key performance metrics and benchmarks monthly, which include Purchase Price Variances, Time Delivery Performance, Freight, Expedites, and Shortages.
• Serve as liaison between company and supplier regarding all changes in or problems with materials deliveries to meet production schedules. Work in conjunction with Program Management, Quality and Engineering to ensure issues are resolved and deliveries are satisfied.

Essential Functions (Duties and Responsibilities)

Note: Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. This job description does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment.

• Monitor department open purchase orders and maintain current planned delivery schedules per MRP requirements.
• Work with Buyers to opens and closes orders as needed to maintain inventory levels from the material planner workbench.
• Follow up on open POs, backorders, expedite delivery of orders, and communicate to the stakeholders the expected delivery date
• Identify and select the best suppliers to purchase raw materials, finished parts, equipment, tools, supplies, and services.
• Ensure that current vendor contract prices for purchased materials and use them to establish annual standard costs.
• Negotiate with suppliers for the best price and delivery of the required materials in the correct quantity and quality. Develop long-term supply agreements.
• Maintain current delivery lead-times in Sytleline at item level and Supplier Contracts for all items purchased from supplier and continue to work to reduce.
• Studies market trends, maintain relationships with vendors, and identifies new domestic and global suppliers to ensure continuous supply
• Monitor supplier on-time delivery and quality levels to develop plans for continuous improvement of overall supplier performance
• Ensure all POs are completed through finance in a timely manner. Resolve supplier payment disputes with finance and optimize payment terms and freight terms. Resolve NCR’s.
• Source new suppliers for cost savings, lead time reduction, and quality improvements to support manufacturing requirements. Adds new vendors to the AVL as necessary.
• Collaborate with Program Management, Engineering, and Quality during new product introduction (NPI) phases.
• Report key performance metrics and benchmarks on a monthly basis, including Purchase Price Variances, on-Time Delivery Performance, Expedites, Shortages and Vendor PCNs.
• Conducts supplier visits as needed, analyze on-time delivery performance and publishes results internally and to the vendor as required. Conducts supplier quarterly reviews in conjunction with quality and engineering.
• Resolve escalated issues related to supplier nonconformance, payment disputes, and delivery impacts.
• Other duties as deemed necessary

Measures of Performance

The Sr. Buyer of VIRTEX shall be deemed to be performing in an acceptable manner when the following have been accomplished:

• Procurement Data Management: Ensure that all procurement attributes, including lead times, Minimum Order Quantities (MOQ), safety stock, and vendor contract details, are consistently up-to-date and accurately reflected in Syteline and other relevant systems.
• PO Creation and Accuracy: All Purchase Orders (POs) must be accurately entered into the system, adhering to specifications, with any deviations clearly documented and accompanied by necessary customer-approved exceptions, where applicable.
• PO Scheduling and Execution: Ensure POs are created and scheduled to align with work order commitments, ensuring that delivery is on time, within budget, and meets all customer, company, and quality standards.
• PO Processing and Finance Coordination: Ensure that all POs are successfully completed and processed through finance with no discrepancies or delays, ensuring the smooth flow of purchasing activities.
• Reporting and Communication: Provide accurate and timely reports related to PO activities, ensuring stakeholders (including the Materials Manager, production, and finance teams) are updated with the status and potential issues of procurement.
• Policy Adherence and Enforcement: Ensure that company policies, as well as personnel policies, are consistently and fairly applied within the Purchasing department, maintaining compliance with all internal and external guidelines.
• Continuous Improvement: Proactively research and recommend measures to improve departmental efficiency, product quality, vendor relationships, and safety in collaboration with the Materials Manager and other key stakeholders.
• Task Management and Support: Ensure that all additional tasks and projects assigned by the Materials Manager or designated leadership are completed accurately, efficiently, and in a timely manner, with minimal supervision.
• Customer Service Excellence: Strive to minimize customer complaints by ensuring timely and accurate responses to customer inquiries, issues, and requests, maintaining a professional and proactive approach.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Maintain positive and productive internal relationships with departments such as Purchasing, Stockroom, Manufacturing, Shipping, and other VIRTEX divisions, ensuring seamless communication and collaboration for operational success.
• On-Time Delivery Commitment: Ensure that parts are procured and scheduled in a timely manner to meet VIRTEX’s manufacturing requirements and contribute to achieving the company’s quality objective of 90% on-time delivery.
• Vendor Management and Negotiation: Establish and maintain strong relationships with suppliers, negotiate favorable terms, and ensure that vendor performance aligns with VIRTEX’s needs in terms of cost, quality, and delivery.

Education & Qualification

• Bachelor’s degree

Work Experience – Technical knowledge

• 6 years of purchasing experience

Preferred Skills

• CPP, CPPM, CGPP, CPDW
• Purchasing experience within the Circuit Board Assembly/Fabrication industry, at least 3 years.

General Work Conditions

Physical Demand

• Must be able to sit at workstation for long periods
• Must be able to work under pressure to meet deadlines

Work Environment

• Fairly quiet cubicle setting

VIRTEX is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, religious creed, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, transgender, pregnancy, marital status, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability, protected Veteran Status, genetics or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. VIRTEX is an ITAR compliance employer, every employee must be US citizen or permanent resident (valid green card holder).