Current jobs related to Senior Buyer - Towcester - Enterprise Control Systems

SPX Enterprise Control Systems (ECS) designs and produces a range of programmable jammers (RF Inhibitors) and other specialist equipment for use in the high level military and internal security domains.

We are looking to recruit a Senior Buyer on a permanent basis. You be based at our facility in Wappenham, near Towcester in Northamptonshire.

You will be responsible for selecting suppliers, negotiating, and administering long-term contracts, monitoring supplier performance, placing orders on suppliers, developing a responsive supplier base, and maintaining good supplier relations.

**Main Duties of the Senior Buyer**:

- Confer with current and prospective suppliers to determine supply capabilities. Recommend and lead the selection of suppliers with respect to quality, delivery and cost competitiveness.
- Proactively develop executive level supplier relationship that result in achieving competitive costs, terms and availability of supply in all market conditions
- Secure and analyse quotations. Assure information in RFQ is complete, supplier provides timely responses to quotations and to commercial and technical clarifications/questions in regards to their quote.
- For parts that are new to the supplier, arrange for submission and inspection of initial production samples.
- Follow-up on purchase orders, supplier contracts and material status and initiate purchase order amendments as necessary.
- Assist in the expediting of supplier shipments as needed.
- Work closely with the Production Scheduler/ Project Manager to create accurate forecasting and delivery schedules.
- Analyze actual production requirements, forecast demand and current inventory levels with Production Scheduler to determine min/max inventory levels, optimal order quantities/releases, etc.
- Support accounting as necessary to resolves discrepancies between purchase orders and invoices, delivery dates, delays, damages and rejections.
- Support supplier quality engineering in conducting supplier on/off-site audits and evaluations, resolving quality issues, improving delivery and improve performance in other areas as necessary.
- Be the communication hub to the suppliers including communication of supplier performance ratings and metrics.
- Make recommendations regarding supplier performance and retention. Take action to improve or eliminate non-performing supplier and/or consolidate suppliers as necessary.
- Visit top suppliers to qualify them as new sources, maintain relationship through annual visit or assist in the resolution of production, design, quality, and/or delivery problems.
- Maintain strong understanding of the market and trends in the assigned product areas.
- Provide insight to the department, suppliers, and procurement activities that may assist in the establishing the short and long term direction of the department and organization as a whole.

**Main skills required for the Senior Buyer**:

- Knowledge of supply sources and market conditions in various commodities.
- Knowledge of sourcing and procurement techniques as well as an ability to “read” the market desirable.
- Understanding of operations principles (JIT, MRP, TQC, Lean, Six Sigma and CRP) useful
- Demonstrated experience and successful results in negotiation and collaboration skills and strategies.
- Ability to work with little or no supervision.
- Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of variables
- Talent in networking and building new relationships
- Aptitude in decision-making and working with numbers.
- Ability to working with cross functional teams
- Proven ability to assess situations and develop plans to quickly resolve
- Ability to occasionally travel to supplier (estimated