Buyer Planner – Electrical Manufacturing

Position Overview

We are hiring an experienced Buyer Planner to manage material planning and purchasing activities for an electrical manufacturing operation. This position owns the flow of materials supporting production—from MRP planning and purchase orders through receiving, inventory, assembly, and shipment.

What You'll Do

• Material Planning & Purchasing

• Use ERP/MRP systems to review demand, calculate material requirements, and create and manage planned orders and purchase orders

• Plan and procure materials according to production schedules and customer delivery requirements

• Manage purchasing activities for electrical and electromechanical components, including:

  • Wires and cables

  • Energy meters

  • Circuit breakers

  • Bus bars

  • Contactors

  • Transformers

  • Cable assemblies

  • Switchgear components

• Monitor purchase orders from placement through receipt, put-away, picking, assembly, and shipment

• Maintain accurate planning information, including lead times, safety stock, minimum order quantities (MOQs), and reorder points

• Monitor inventory and material availability to prevent shortages while limiting excess inventory

• Expedite critical materials when necessary to protect production schedules

• Identify risks involving long-lead, single-source, and sole-source components

• Execute established supplier pricing and purchasing agreements

• Production & Cross-Functional Support

• Take ownership of material planning and availability for assigned production lines

• Work closely with production scheduling, engineering, quality, logistics, receiving, sales, and program management

• Support new product introductions (NPIs), engineering change orders (ECOs), and bill of materials (BOM) accuracy

• Carefully coordinate with Quality Engineering on supplier corrective action requests (SCARs), non-conforming material (NCM) disposition, and first-article inspections (FAIs)

• Track inbound shipments and resolve receiving or delivery discrepancies

• Provide material availability and supply-risk information for customer delivery escalations

• Participate in Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning (SIOP) and production-readiness reviews

• Supplier & Inventory Management

• Maintain supplier relationships and monitor performance using on-time delivery (SOTD), quality PPM, and lead-time compliance

• Source and support qualification of suppliers based on engineering requirements, lead times, and supply needs

• Execute spot buys and blanket purchase orders for standard and custom materials

• Identify and address supplier and material risks before they affect production

• Support supplier development and continuous improvement activities

• Reporting & Process Improvement

• Track supply chain metrics including:

  • Purchase Price Variance (PPV)

  • Supplier On-Time Delivery (SOTD)

  • Inventories Turns

  • Material Shortages

• Support cost-reduction efforts, including supplier consolidation, value engineering, and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) analysis

• Improve purchasing, planning, and material-flow processes

• Promote accurate and consistent ERP system utilization and data integrity

• Participate in Lean/Six Sigma and kaizen initiatives related to supply chain and material flow

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of buyer/planner experience in a manufacturing or assembly environment

• Demonstrated experience performing both buying and material planning functions

• Experience procuring electrical, electronic, electromechanical, or industrial components, including items such as wires, cables, energy meters, breakers, switchgear components, or similar products

• Strong working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems, such as SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Epicor, Infor, or similar platforms

• Ability to use ERP/MRP systems to understand demand, plan requirements, manage inventory, and support production schedules

• Understanding of material flow from purchase order through receipt, put-away, picking, assembly, and shipping

• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, BOMs, and technical specifications

• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables, VLOOKUP, and supply/demand modeling

• Strong organizational, communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills

• Able to manage multiple priorities in a deadline-driven manufacturing environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Operations Management, Engineering, or a related field

• Experience in power distribution, electrical switchgear, UPS, or critical power industries

• Familiarity with PDCs, STS units, RPPs, panelboards, or MV/LV switchgear assemblies

• APICS CPIM or CSCP certification or ISM C.P.M./CPSM certification

• Experience with Lean/Six Sigma and continuous improvement

• Knowledge of UL, ANSI, IEC, NEMA, and NEC standards relevant to power distribution equipment

• Experience with supplier development and international sourcing involving Asia, Mexico, or Europe

• Familiarity with customs and import compliance for electrical components