Junior Buyer

Summary - Job Responsibilities - Activities: The Junior Buyer supports day-to-day procurement activities to ensure materials, components, supplies, and services are available when needed at the right cost, quality, and delivery terms. Working under the guidance of senior purchasing staff, this role prepares and maintains purchase orders, communicates with suppliers, monitors delivery performance, resolves routine supply issues, and keeps purchasing data accurate. The Junior Buyer collaborates with Planning, Operations, Engineering, Quality, Finance, and other internal teams to support production and business requirements. Functions: • Create, issue, and maintain purchase orders in accordance with approved requisitions, specifications, pricing, and company procedures. • Review purchase order acknowledgments and follow up with suppliers to confirm pricing, quantities, and delivery dates. • Monitor open orders and expedite, reschedule, or communicate changes to support production and operational priorities. • Request and evaluate supplier quotations, prepare basic bid comparisons, and support sourcing and negotiation activities. • Maintain accurate supplier, item, lead-time, pricing, and delivery information in the ERP or purchasing system. • Coordinate with suppliers and internal teams to resolve routine shortages, late deliveries, invoice discrepancies, quality concerns, and documentation issues. • Track supplier performance and assist with supplier reviews, corrective actions, and continuous-improvement initiatives. • Support inventory objectives by reviewing demand, order quantities, lead times, and excess or obsolete material risks. • Identify cost-saving, risk-reduction, and process-improvement opportunities and escalate recommendations to senior purchasing staff. • Maintain organized purchasing records and follow applicable quality, regulatory, contractual, and company requirements. • Perform additional procurement and supply-chain duties as assigned. Education - Experience: • Associate degree in business, supply chain, operations, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience. • Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, business administration, engineering, or a related discipline preferred. • Up to two years of experience in purchasing, materials, planning, inventory, customer service, or a related business function; internships and cooperative education experience are welcome. • Experience in a manufacturing, distribution, or regulated environment preferred. • Exposure to ERP or MRP systems and purchasing fundamentals preferred. • Strong attention to detail, organization, follow-through, and ability to manage multiple priorities. • Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with suppliers and cross-functional teams. • Basic analytical and problem-solving skills, including confidence working with quantities, pricing, dates, and spreadsheets. • Understanding of inventory management, supplier performance measures, and basic contract terms preferred. • Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, Outlook, and Word. • Ability to learn ERP, material requirements planning, and procurement systems. Required Skills, Competencies, Authorities and Training Needs: • Customer and supplier focus • Accuracy and accountability • Planning and prioritization • Collaboration and relationship building • Analytical thinking and sound judgment • Initiative and continuous improvement • Professionalism and confidentiality • U.S. Citizenship Required