Senior Buyer

Job Details

Job Location: HighRes Biosolutions Inc (Headquarters) - Beverly, MA 01915

About HighRes

We design and build innovative robotic systems and laboratory devices used by pharmaceutical and biotech companies, as well as academic research laboratories. Our work helps scientists accelerate drug discovery, high-throughput genotyping, siRNA screening, next-generation sequencing sample prep, biorepository science, and molecular diagnostics. This is accomplished with highly flexible, expandable, and modular integrated systems, bench-top devices, and consumables that are easily configured (and reconfigured) to create research environments conducive to achieving breakthrough results.

About the Role

The Senior Buyer will facilitate the procurement of materials and related services required by HighRes Biosolutions. This position will oversee the materials purchasing function for all product lines and will have ownership of material flow, long term supply contracts, and supplier negotiation. This will include responsibility for cost management, inventory levels, capacity planning, on-time shipment, and this position will closely coordinate and supplement the materials/planning operation and will have majority ownership of supply contracts, supplier negotiation, and value add supply chain and cost initiatives.

Must be a self-starter who is comfortable working in a dynamic, team-based environment to reach common objectives with aggressive schedules.

Responsibilities

• Negotiate purchases of required materials and services from approved suppliers
• Establish strategies to improve supply chain, solve shortage issues and strengthen supplier relationships
• Work with the greater purchasing team to develop a sourcing process that can meet the company goals, maintain quality and reducing costs
• Conduct periodic supplier reviews to insure alignment on product road maps, alignment on strategic business objectives and supplier capabilities
• Obtain materials, components and equipment, as required by the production schedule
• Monitor the movement of materials through the development, prototype and production cycle
• Work with engineering on new product introductions, including early supplier involvement
• Work closely with Engineering to match supplier capabilities with technical design requirements and business objectives
• Expedite orders as necessary
• Identify actual and potential delivery problems and take proactive steps to inform appropriate personnel
• Establish and maintain relations with suppliers and appropriate representatives and direct and procure supplier technical and operating expertise as required by the internal customer
• Maintain an awareness of materials and procurement concepts
• Verify data accuracy (parts numbers, BOMs, Part Costs) in the ERP system
• Understand and apply MRP reports in ordering parts used in production to ensure appropriate delivery dates
• Develop written procedures for routine job responsibilities and keep them current
• Identify problem areas and offer possible solutions
• Implement improvement processes to reduce inventory and non-value-added work
• Perform supplier audits, supplier selection and management/measurement
• Develop, collect, and maintain supplier performance metrics
• Continually assess market conditions which may affect procurement and recommend procurement and materials management strategy changes
• Monitor, analyze, and report material variances to standard cost
• Interface with Accounting, Manufacturing Engineering, and Production to establish standard costs
• Responsible for optimizing material costs through vendor analysis, quality, schedule, cost evaluation, etc.
• Apply cost effective measures as related to support standard cost and make/buy decisions
• Support immediate manager and peers by anticipating problems, providing input on solution, reacting productively to change and handling other tasks as assigned

Qualifications

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Purchasing, Business, Supply Chain, Management or Engineering preferred
• At least 5-7 years of experience in manufacturing operations with at least 4+ years purchasing experience
• Contract manufacturing experience desirable

Technical Skills:

• Microsoft Dynamics (D365) or equivalent experience
• Microsoft Office applications including Project, Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• MRP/ERP systems
• Product data management and Bills of Materials
• Working knowledge of the legal aspects of procurement and contract law

Certifications & Industry Knowledge:

• APICS CPIM certification a plus
• ISO9001 experience
• ISO13484 experience preferred
• Experience sourcing parts in Low Cost Countries a plus

Professional Skills & Attributes:

• High degree of professional integrity, ethics and confidentiality
• Experience in cost negotiations
• Demonstrated experience negotiating/attaining cost management targets
• Experience in buying, planning, supplier relations, material planning and inventory management roles for new products and on-going production
• Experience in sourcing instrument components and hardware
• Skill in preparing and analyzing complex technical specifications, bids and proposals
• Skill in negotiating supply agreements and working with corporate legal to manage the agreements to completion
• Ability to negotiate and influence with or without authority and manage expectations
• Strong organizational, analytical and problem solving skills
• Ability to successfully work on multiple projects at once
• Effective verbal and written communication, analytical and interpersonal skills
• Willingness to contribute outside of defined job description when necessary
• Ability to work in a fast paced, changing environment with minimal supervision
• Work independently, establish priorities and make decisions

Working Conditions

Work is mainly in a business office setting. Sitting and using computers along with occasionally being in manufacturing areas. Drive/fly to vendor locations as needed.