Buyer - Fasteners and Consumables

At Slate, we’re building safe, reliable vehicles that people can afford, personalize and love—and doing it here in the USA as part of our commitment to reindustrialization. The spirit of DIY and customization runs throughout every element of a Slate, because people should have control over how their trucks look, feel, and represent them.

About the role

The Buyer – Fasteners and Consumables is responsible for the end-to-end procurement of industrial fasteners and MRO consumables, ensuring on-time delivery, competitive pricing, and supply continuity. This position partners closely with engineering, operations, finance, and maintenance to manage purchase orders, execute RFQ processes, administer supplier agreements, and drive spend analytics across the fastener and consumables categories.

Responsibilities

• Fasteners & Consumables Procurement
  • Source, quote, and manage purchase orders for industrial fasteners including bolts, screws, nuts, washers, rivets, and specialty hardware to specification
  • Manage MRO (Maintenance, Repair & Operations) consumables categories including cutting tools, adhesives, sealants, lubricants, abrasives, and PPE
  • Interpret engineering drawings and part specifications to ensure correct fastener grade, thread form, drive type, finish, and material (e.g., SAE, metric, stainless, zinc-plated)
  • Negotiate pricing and supply agreements with fastener distributors and VMI (Vendor Managed Inventory) providers to reduce unit cost and ensure stock availability
  • Monitor consumption trends for high-velocity consumables and collaborate with production and maintenance teams to right-size inventory and reduce waste
  • Conduct spend analysis on fastener and consumable categories to identify consolidation opportunities and benchmark pricing against market standards
  • Support standardization initiatives by working with engineering to reduce fastener variety across platforms, driving economies of scale
• Purchase Order Management
  • Issue, update, and manage purchase orders in accordance with approved requisitions and procurement policies
  • Monitor PO status, delivery schedules, and supplier acknowledgments to ensure on-time fulfillment for pre-production parts
  • Maintain accurate PO records and ensure proper documentation throughout the order lifecycle
  • Support change management tracking during design phases, coordinating PO updates and revisions as engineering changes occur
  • Manage PO updates for raw material adjustments per contracts with suppliers
• Contract & Agreement Management
  • Administer NDA processes with suppliers and prospective vendors, coordinating with legal as required
  • Track NDA execution status and maintain an up-to-date repository of signed agreements
  • Ensure NDA coverage is in place prior to sharing proprietary specifications or pricing information
  • Support management and tracking of General Terms & Conditions (GTCs), Purchased Part Agreements (PPAs), and other supplier contracts
  • Monitor contract compliance and proactively flag agreements at risk of falling behind on key milestones or obligations
  • Assist in managing the contract lifecycle from initiation through execution, renewal, or close-out
• RFQ Management
  • Prepare and distribute Requests for Quotation (RFQs) to qualified suppliers
  • Track and follow up on outstanding RFQ responses to ensure timely returns
  • Organize and summarize quote responses to support supplier selection and negotiation
  • Maintain RFQ log with status updates, due dates, and awarded outcomes
• Spend Analysis, Reporting & Budget Management
  • Conduct spend analysis across categories, suppliers, and business units on a monthly basis
  • Develop and maintain purchasing dashboards and reports to support management decision-making
  • Identify cost reduction opportunities and savings trends through data analysis
  • Assist in preparing period-end procurement reports and KPI summaries
  • Partner with finance to serve as the team’s primary point of contact for budget tracking and cash flow management
  • Maintain visibility into team spend to help identify opportunities to offset cost impacts and plan for future savings
• Data Analytics & Tools Collaboration
  • Partner with internal data analytics resources to leverage tools and dashboards that improve team efficiency and procurement visibility
  • Contribute to the development and adoption of analytical workflows that support faster, data-driven purchasing decisions
  • Share insights and reporting outputs across the team to build collective knowledge and process consistency

Requirements

• Education & Experience
  • Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, or related field preferred
  • 2–4 years of experience in purchasing, procurement, or supply chain operations; experience in fastener or MRO category management is a plus
  • Experience in a manufacturing or automotive environment strongly preferred
• Skills & Competencies
  • Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, or similar)
  • Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel for data analysis, pivot tables, and reporting
  • Intermediate+ skills in using AI tools
  • Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills for cross-functional and supplier interaction
  • Detail-oriented with a high degree of accuracy in data entry and documentation
  • Demonstrated knowledge of industrial fastener standards (SAE, metric, ASTM grades) and MRO consumable categories; experience with VMI programs and distributor management is a plus

Pay

Annual Base Pay Range: $67,000 - $84,000 USD

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability insurance
• Vacation and 401k
• Eligibility to participate in the equity program and/or a discretionary annual incentive program, subject to the rules governing such programs

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis. We are unable to offer visa sponsorship at this time.

Why join Slate?

At Slate, we’re fueled by grit, determination, and attention to detail. The start-up spirit of ingenuity and resourcefulness moves our business forward. Team Slate fosters a culture of excellence, innovation, and mutual respect, and is motivated by shared principles:

• Safety First
• Delight Customers
• One Team
• Relentless Improvement
• Fast, Frugal, and Scrappy
• Respectful Collaboration
• Positive Legacy