Senior Buyer

About the role

Rite-Hite is seeking a Senior Buyer to join our team out of our Dubuque location. This role involves leading strategic sourcing and supplier management initiatives while ensuring the timely procurement of materials that keep our manufacturing operations running smoothly.

Responsibilities

• Support and promote a culture of safety.
• Follow all Company and OSHA safety policies and procedures.
• Proper use of required personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Report hazards, near misses and incidents promptly.
• Develop and execute supplier strategies aligned with cost, capacity, quality, and service objectives, ensuring mid-term supply continuity and operational stability.
• Led supplier negotiations, long-term agreements, and pricing strategies to optimize total cost of ownership while supporting cost savings and avoidance initiatives across the business.
• Drive supplier performance management through scorecards, performance reviews, and corrective action plans to improve delivery, quality, and reliability.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate supply chain risks, including capacity constraints, single-source dependencies, and material availability issues, ensuring proactive continuity planning.
• Analyze part consumption patterns, demand variability, and supply conditions to define and influence inventory strategies, including safety stock, service levels, and inventory turns.
• Partner cross-functionally with Operations, Engineering, Quality, and Finance to align sourcing strategies with production schedules, capacity constraints, and new product development (NPD) requirements.
• Monitor demand, capacity, and market trends to proactively recommend sourcing, planning, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to Buyer/Planner roles, ensuring effective purchase order management, issue resolution, and adherence to procurement best practices.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of procurement, planning, and ERP/MRP processes, including automation, data accuracy, and process efficiency enhancements.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Supply Chain, Business, Operations Management, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in purchasing, procurement, or supply chain within a manufacturing environment.

Qualifications

• Strong strategic sourcing and supplier negotiation skills.
• Proven ability to analyze data and balance cost, service, and risk.
• Working knowledge of MRP/ERP systems (JD Edwards preferred).
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Strong communication, influence, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Skills

• Experience supporting complex or configurable manufactured products.
• Experience leading cost reduction or value engineering initiatives.
• Experience using supply chain tools (e.g. Supplier EDI, Spendonomics, Procurable).
• Experience with ERP systems (e.g., Oracle, JD Edwards) preferred.
• Experience mentoring or leading others in a non-direct supervisory capacity.
• Strong financial acumen and understanding of total cost of ownership.

Benefits

At Rite-Hite, we offer comprehensive health and well-being benefits, financial security, and time off. We also provide a supportive work environment and opportunities for professional growth.