Buyer

About the role

The Buyer plays a key role in sourcing, purchasing, and tracking materials, tools, components, and ground support equipment to support aircraft delivery schedules. This role ensures that parts are available on time, inventory records remain accurate, and material shortages are proactively managed through close coordination with internal teams and external suppliers.

Responsibilities

• Adhere to all general work requirements and company procedures related to purchasing and materials management.
• Locate and initiate the purchase of materials, tools, components, and ground support equipment by communicating with internal stakeholders and external suppliers.
• Expedite and monitor the status of external and internal parts orders and purchase orders through regular communication with suppliers and inter-company operations.
• Identify and schedule critical paths for material availability and assign priorities to ensure on-time delivery.
• Attend cross-functional meetings to represent the purchasing department and provide updates on material status and priorities.
• Interface with supervisors, managers, and other departments to address and resolve critical material issues and shortages.
• Maintain and update a shortage report to track open orders and communicate status and risks to management.
• Create and issue internal orders and related documentation to meet parts and materials requirements for various projects.
• Provide information and support to adjust discrepant orders, resolve exception messages, and cancel line items not received or returned to stock as needed.
• Create new part numbers for site-specific parts and submit part number requests to internal suppliers for setup and tracking.
• Maintain accurate inventory transaction records using computerized inventory systems and manual filing systems.
• Determine priority items and ensure that high-priority parts are delivered on time and remain readily accessible to internal customers.
• Order and reorder materials, tools, and ground support equipment in alignment with aircraft delivery schedules and project timelines.
• Identify alternate and superseded part numbers to ensure continuity of supply and minimize delays.
• Collaborate with sales teams, internal stakeholders, and other departments to support project requirements and customer commitments.

Essential Skills

• 0–3 years of experience in an aviation or material/parts environment, or other demonstrated equivalent experience.
• Planning and organizational skills necessary to prioritize and coordinate workload in a multiple-project setting.
• Interpersonal skills necessary to develop and maintain effective working relationships with sales teams, internal stakeholders, and other departments.
• Experience with purchase orders, materials tracking, and purchasing processes.
• Ability to maintain accurate inventory records using computerized inventory systems and manual filing systems.
• Strong communication skills to effectively interact with suppliers, inter-company operations, and internal teams.
• Ability to identify critical paths and assign priorities to ensure timely delivery of parts and materials.
• Capability to analyze and resolve discrepant orders and exception messages.
• Basic understanding of procurement and inventory planning principles.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• 1 year of experience in inventory planning and procurement (preferred).
• APICS certification (preferred).
• Experience working in an aviation-focused or similar technical environment.
• Familiarity with SAP or similar enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.
• Ability to identify alternate and superseded part numbers to support continuity of supply.
• Experience supporting multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
• Comfort working in roles that may begin as project-based with potential for extension or conversion.

Work Environment

This role is primarily onsite, providing close collaboration with operations, supply chain, and other internal teams. There is potential for a work-from-home option depending on business needs and performance. The position supports project-based work, typically ranging from 3 to 6 months, with strong potential for ongoing assignments or conversion to a longer-term role as the organization continues to grow. The environment is fast-paced and project-driven, with a strong focus on meeting aircraft delivery schedules and maintaining accurate, technology-driven inventory and procurement processes.

Pay

The pay range for this position is $20.00 - $30.00/hr. Individual compensation offered within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Benefits

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: Medical, dental & vision; Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital; 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available; Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents); Short and long-term disability; Health Spending Account (HSA); Transportation benefits; Employee Assistance Program; Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave).

Schedule & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Wichita, KS. This is a fully onsite position in Wichita, KS.