Position Description

Position Title: Buyer

Department: Purchasing

Reports To: Director of Purchasing

FSLA Status: Exempt

A Buyer purchases materials, equipment, supplies and services of a specialized or complex nature in accordance with prescribed purchasing regulations and procedures. Responsible for reviewing and analyzing purchase requisitions, investigating and developing sources of materials, preparing bid specifications, issuing bid requests and reviewing quotations. This position will interface with all levels of plant personnel as needed to ensure product quality and successfully schedule production.

Essential Functions:

• Plan and manage inventory levels to support production requirements while achieving working capital and inventory reduction targets.
• Review, approve, and process purchase requisitions in alignment with demand forecasts and production schedules.
• Source, evaluate, and onboard suppliers; obtain pricing, availability, lead times, and technical information.
• Lead competitive bidding processes (RFQ/RFP), analyze quotations, and recommend award decisions based on total cost of ownership.
• Develop and maintain accurate item master and planning data (e.g., safety stock, lead times, EOQ, MOQ).
• Monitor material availability and proactively communicate supply risks or constraints to stakeholders.
• Manage engineering change notices (ECNs) and supplier/customer change requests, ensuring proper rescheduling and implementation.
• Support cost reduction and continuous improvement initiatives, including value engineering and supplier-driven innovation.
• Execute and manage returns of nonconforming materials (NCM) and excess/obsolete inventory.
• Administer supplier performance metrics and scorecards; conduct quarterly business reviews with key suppliers.
• Ensure supplied components meet validation, regulatory, and internal product change approval requirements.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate supplier risk; develop contingency and continuity plans to protect production and delivery commitments.
• Lead and/or participate in supplier corrective action and problem resolution processes.
• Conduct make-versus-buy analyses for assigned commodities.
• Support new product development (NPD) initiatives through early supplier involvement and sourcing strategy alignment.
• Ensure compliance with company procurement policies, quality standards, and ethical sourcing guidelines.
• Other job responsibilities as assigned.

Required skills / characteristics:

• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, supply chain operations, and associated risks.
• Proactive, solution-oriented mindset with the ability to anticipate and mitigate supply disruptions.
• Customer-focused approach with commitment to meeting internal and external stakeholder expectations.
• Effective communication skills with the ability to influence and collaborate across all organizational levels.
• Strong negotiation skills with the ability to balance cost, quality, service, and long-term supplier partnerships.
• Conflict resolution skills with the ability to facilitate balanced, data-driven solutions.
• Demonstrated experience in supplier evaluation, qualification, and performance management.
• Experience with outsourcing and insourcing strategies.
• Proven ability to identify and develop new supply sources.
• Working knowledge of new product development and product change management processes.
• High ethical standards, integrity, and accountability.
• Team-oriented with the ability to work effectively across functional boundaries.

Education & Experience:

Physical Requirements:

The person in this position normally works in an office environment and must be able to remain stationary majority of the day behind a desk utilizing a PC and telephone. The position requires periodic trips into the plant and occasionally moving up to 30 pounds.

Disclaimer – This position description is subject to change at any time.

Innove Inc. is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Innove, Inc. believes that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical to our success as a global company, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.