Senior Buyer
About the role
Join the Materials Management team at Boston Scientific in Arden Hills, MN as a Senior Buyer within the Purchasing department. Boston Scientific is a global medical device manufacturer delivering millions of medical solutions annually. Arden Hills produces sterilized finished goods and sub-assemblies that support the broader plant network, creating a dynamic, high-complexity environment for Materials Management.
Responsibilities
Own material availability for assigned commodities, suppliers, and product families; proactively identify supply constraints, assess business impact, develop mitigation plans, and escalate risks with clear options and recommendations.
Manage supplier relationships to drive delivery, quality, responsiveness, and accountability; resolve supplier-related issues through root-cause analysis, corrective action, and cross-functional engagement with Global Sourcing, Quality, Engineering, and Manufacturing.
Generate, adjust, and expedite purchase orders based on MRP, authorized spend, production priorities, repair requirements, and field service needs; track open orders, communicate constraints, and ensure timely follow-through on supplier commitments.
Manage moderate- to high-complexity commodities and expense items to balance service, inventory investment, safety stock, and total cost; identify and disposition expired, excess, and obsolete materials in alignment with business and compliance requirements.
Partner with Production Planning, Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, Finance, and Global Sourcing to align material availability with committed build plans, repair demand, OEM parts, tooling, services, and field service material requirements.
Evaluate and manage offline MRP planning where required to support dual-site manufacturing, supply continuity, and business integration needs; identify, challenge, and reduce out-of-system planning practices with the ultimate goal of integrating material plans, purchasing actions, supplier commitments, and escalation decisions into system-driven MRP and approved systems of record.
Analyze key supply chain metrics, including supplier delivery performance, forecast alignment, inventory DIOH, service level, backorders, and EE&O exposure; identify improvement opportunities and support process adherence across purchasing and planning workflows.
Leverage data analytics and planning tools to improve visibility, accuracy, and efficiency in purchasing workflows; support adoption of digital capabilities, including Kinaxis Rapid Response and emerging analytics or AI-enabled solutions where applicable.
Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Operations, Industrial Engineering, or related field.
Minimum of 5 years' of experience in purchasing, supply chain, inventory management, materials management, or production planning.
Demonstrated experience managing high-complexity commodities, critical suppliers, or supply-constrained product families.
Experience operating in a highly regulated manufacturing environment.
Advanced ERP/MRP experience with the ability to interpret demand, supply, inventory, and purchasing signals.
Advanced Excel and Microsoft Office proficiency, including the ability to manipulate, analyze, and compare complex data sources.
Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to clearly communicate risks, tradeoffs, recommendations, and business impacts to all levels of the organization and external suppliers.
Proven ability to influence cross-functional partners, lead through ambiguity, and drive accountability without direct authority.
Ability to travel 25-50% of the time to our partner Acquisition site in Carlsbad, CA.
Qualifications
Strong ERP/MRP experience with the ability to interpret demand, supply, inventory, and purchasing signals.
Advanced Excel and Microsoft Office proficiency, including the ability to manipulate, analyze, and compare complex data sources.
Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to clearly communicate risks, tradeoffs, recommendations, and business impacts to all levels of the organization and external suppliers.
Proven ability to influence cross-functional partners, lead through ambiguity, and drive accountability without direct authority.
Ability to travel 25-50% of the time to our partner Acquisition site in Carlsbad, CA.
Skills
ERP/MRP experience.
Advanced Excel and Microsoft Office proficiency.
Verbal and written communication skills.
Influence cross-functional partners.
Lead through ambiguity.
Drive accountability without direct authority.
Travel 25-50% of the time to our partner Acquisition site in Carlsbad, CA.
Benefits
At Boston Scientific, we provide a comprehensive benefits package that includes:
Health insurance coverage.
Retirement savings plans.
Flexible spending accounts.
Employee assistance programs.
Professional development opportunities.
Pay
The anticipated compensation for this role ranges from $71,500 to $135,800 annually, depending on experience and qualifications.
Schedule
This role follows a hybrid work model requiring employees to be in our local office at least three days per week. Boston Scientific will not offer sponsorship or take over sponsorship of an employment visa for this position at this time. This role requires 25-50% travel to our partner Acquisition site in Carlsbad, CA.