Buyer Planner

As a family-owned and operated company, we feel a special obligation to the employees who comprise our Taco family. We are committed to offering employees access to the tools necessary to live long and productive lives. We strive to instill in all of our employees: a positive mental attitude that helps us to be a leader in the industry, a commitment to building strong relationships both inside and outside the organization, a desire to learn, grow, and contribute to moving our strategy forward, and a need to create and innovate.

About the Role

The Buyer/Planner is responsible for driving all planning requirements for various product lines, and the sourcing and procurement of materials, goods, and services to ensure operational and customer needs are met. They achieve target levels of finished goods and work-in-process inventory in accordance with company goals and objectives and are responsible for on-time delivery, production schedule attainment, inventory dollars, past due dollars, and job closure performance metrics for assigned product lines. They develop an understanding of the goods they procure and the economic indicators that impact them. The Buyer/Planner represents planning and purchasing and supports project teams for all related issues, implementing strategies and solutions to improve cost levels, stabilize sources of supply, and ensure high quality of services.

Measures of success:

• Deliver target cost savings/cost reduction
• 95% or better on-time delivery of goods purchased
• Maintain target inventory levels for past due PO lines

Responsibilities

• Produces a production schedule and plans all material requirements for various product lines predicated on sales forecast, customer orders, and minimum acceptable on-hand finished goods inventory.
• Serves as the main point of contact for assigned product lines, collaborating daily with production and scheduling the production workload.
• Reviews in-process production jobs to achieve the monthly production schedule/build plan targets. Expedites and prioritizes job schedule as needed.
• Monitors customer ship-complete sales orders to ensure jobs are completed on time for sales orders to ship on time. Coordinates with others in the organization as needed.
• Tracks on-time delivery percentage, past-due sales orders dollars, and finished goods inventory levels for assigned product lines.
• Ensures job orders for assigned product lines are maintained accurately within the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, including accurate dates and proper job closing.
• Advises department supervisors of changing priorities and company personnel of extensions and/or estimated completion dates.
• Participates in the cycle count program and works with various departments to address the root cause of material inventory inaccuracies and adjustments.
• Works with production personnel, Industrial Engineering, and Product Engineering to ensure Bill of Material structure accuracy and proper consumption of material to maintain inventory accuracy.
• Maintains the Material Requirements Planning (MRP) parts database requirements, such as production lot multiples, lot sizes, lead time, MOQ, and other buyer/planner-related fields for each assigned product line.
• Drives sourcing activities to procure goods and services to meet demand planning and/or customer requirements.
• Establishes and maintains relationships with suppliers and occasionally looks for alternative sourcing to ensure competitive pricing and supply continuity.
• Works with suppliers to process exception messages by expediting or deferring purchase orders and obtaining product/service information such as price, availability, and delivery schedule.
• Identifies issues and problem-solves through data analysis of supplier spend, quality, and delivery metrics. Develops plans to resolve issues.
• Utilizes the SourceDay supplier platform daily to ensure proper communication with suppliers and due dates, ship dates, and delivery dates are maintained.
• Provides efficient and consistent communication to stakeholders on the progress of sourcing engagements.
• Participates in teams and projects such as continuous improvement projects and company initiatives.
• Is active in the monthly Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process.
• Collaborates with finance, operations, and engineering teams for procurement-related activities.
• Ensures procurement practices adhere to company guidelines.
• Communicates effectively with co-workers, customers, and suppliers in a professional manner both written and verbally.
• Performs other duties as requested by supervisor.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, or Operations; significant applicable experience may be accepted in lieu of a degree.
• 3+ years of experience in procurement and/or supply chain, preferably in a manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience in using ERP systems.
• Excellent Microsoft Office skills.
• Ability to read and interpret documents, such as procedures, datasheets, drawings/prints, and Bill of Materials (BOMs).
• Strong negotiation skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to drive performance improvements in Supply Chain.
• Collaborative approach to improving business performance.
• Travel up to 15% of time to client/rep groups, conferences, etc.

Preferred Qualifications

• Association for Supply Chain Management (formerly APICS) certification.
• Knowledge of Six Sigma, Lean manufacturing, and 5S.

Work Environment

This position works primarily in an office environment using computers and technology. Verbal and auditory capability are required. Occasional exposure in production plant where large equipment and noise are prevalent. Safety gear is required in these areas. This position may work from home up to 2X/week if performance is in good standing.

This position has no direct reports.

Benefits

With nearly 1,000 people working at Taco worldwide, each with their own story, you will discover a sense of community and diverse, intelligent colleagues who help us innovate, create, and explore. Taco employees benefit from a company that:

• Provides competitive salaries and benefits.
• Offers tuition reimbursement, career development, and on-site training programs in our learning center.
• Believes in sharing profits with its employees.
• Is mindful about family, health, and well-being.
• Fosters conditions that allow people and communities to reach their full potential.
• Embraces and celebrates diversity.