Purchasing Assistant
About the role
As a Purchasing Assistant at Advantech, you will play a key role in sourcing, negotiating prices, and establishing payment terms and contracts for electronic and electrical products, components, and packaging materials. This role is essential in maintaining optimal inventory levels, ensuring seamless production operations, and supporting continuous supply chain efficiency. You will assess procurement needs, track product qualifications, and conduct supplier evaluations based on quality, delivery performance, and compliance with company requirements.
Responsibilities
- Supports sourcing, price negotiations, and the initiation of payment terms and contracts for electronic and electrical products, parts, components, and packaging materials.
- Reviews existing stocking lines for optimal inventory levels to maintain production operations without interruption.
- Responsible for maintaining the purchasing databases, updating accurate and timely purchase costs, deviations, and commission cost revisions.
- Coordinates with vendors and internal teams to support purchasing activities and resolve routine purchasing issues as needed.
- Analyzes the needs and obtains status for product qualifications, performs supplier evaluations, selection, management, and monitoring of supplier quality, delivery, reliability, technical support, and conformance to requirements.
- Assists and supports purchasing management to implement corporate initiatives and projects.
- Evaluates historical purchasing trends, sales records, pricing, and product quality to determine purchasing value and opportunities for improvement.
- Identifies, negotiates, and implements cost avoidance and reduction opportunities through material cost reductions and process improvements.
- Performs and completes any other tasks/projects as assigned.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree (B.A./B.S.) or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience
- Minimum of one (1) year of experience in purchasing, procurement, supply chain, or material planning
- Experience with Materials Requirements Planning (MRP) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems
- Familiarity with computer hardware and software
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook
- Strong organizational, time management, and interpersonal skills
- Ability to manage multiple projects, shifting priorities, and deadlines while maintaining accuracy and quality
- Strong problem-solving and analytical skills
- Strong communication and teamwork skills with the ability to work effectively with internal teams and external suppliers
- Detail-oriented, proactive, and able to work independently while supporting team objectives
Preferred Qualifications
- Prior experience with SAP or other enterprise procurement systems
- Professional proficiency in Mandarin Chinese is preferred for communication with Mandarin-speaking suppliers and business partners
- Experience working with electronic and electrical products, components, computer hardware, or packaging materials
- Experience with supplier evaluation, sourcing, price negotiation, or cost-reduction initiatives
- Experience working in a technology, manufacturing, industrial automation, or supply chain environment
- Experience supporting cross-functional teams and global suppliers
Benefits
- Competitive salary ($60,000–72,000)
- Generous benefits package including medical, dental, vision, long-term disability, and life insurance
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- 401(k) with company match
- Education & personal development reimbursement program
- Generous vacation and paid holidays package
- Company events and lunches
- Work from home program – once eligible
- Referral Bonus
About Advantech
Founded in 1983, Advantech is a leader in providing trusted innovative embedded and automation products and solutions. Advantech offers comprehensive system integration, hardware, software, customer-centric design services, and global logistics support; all backed by industry-leading front and back-office e-business solutions. Advantech has always been an innovator in the development and manufacture of high-quality, high-performance computing platforms. We cooperate closely with our partners to help provide complete solutions for a wide array of applications across a diverse range of industries. To realize our corporate vision of Enabling an Intelligent Planet, Advantech will continue collaborating and partnering for Smart city & IoT Solutions.
Advantech is an authorized alliance partner of both Intel® and Microsoft®. In 2018 and 2019, Interbrand recognized Advantech as the #5 best Taiwan Global Brand.
Work Authorization
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations (ITAR), applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.