Buyer III

Westborough, MA 01581 | On-Site | 1st Shift | Full-Time
Salary: $68,000–$90,000/year

About the Opportunity

Join a growing electronics manufacturing team supporting complex, high-reliability products across aerospace, defense, medical, industrial, and other technology-driven markets.

We are seeking an experienced Buyer III to take ownership of purchasing and sourcing activities for assigned commodities, with a strong emphasis on electronic components and production materials. This is a hands-on procurement role for someone who understands the electronics manufacturing supply chain and can effectively manage suppliers, pricing, material availability, and production requirements.

The Buyer III will work closely with Engineering, Program Management, Manufacturing, Quality, Materials, and Customer Focus Teams to ensure materials are sourced competitively and delivered on time to support production.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end purchasing and sourcing activities for assigned commodities, including electronic components, PCBs, plastics, sheet metal, and other production materials.

• Review MRP requirements and take appropriate purchasing action to support production schedules and customer commitments.

• Manage supplier quoting, pricing, negotiations, purchase orders, and delivery requirements.

• Source and purchase electronic components through manufacturers, authorized distributors, and other approved suppliers.

• Monitor supplier performance, lead times, shortages, and material availability and proactively address potential production disruptions.

• Manage the MRP Action Report (MAR) in APEX and follow through on required actions.

• Review and provide input regarding Purchase Price Variance (PPV) and identify opportunities for cost improvement.

• Support excess and obsolete (E&O) inventory mitigation.

• Partner with Quality and suppliers to resolve non-conforming material (NCM) issues.

• Develop and maintain strong supplier relationships while identifying alternate sources when necessary.

• Work closely with Customer Focus Teams and internal stakeholders to communicate purchasing status, risks, and solutions.

• Assist with resolving material shortages, supplier issues, and other supply chain challenges.

• Maintain accurate purchasing and supplier information within applicable ERP/MRP systems.

• Provide guidance and mentorship to Buyer I and Buyer II team members.

• Support continuous improvement initiatives within the purchasing and supply chain organization.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

• 5+ years of purchasing/buying experience in a manufacturing environment, with senior-level experience appropriate for a Buyer III position.

• Hands-on electronic component purchasing and sourcing experience is required.

• Experience purchasing components and materials used in electronics manufacturing/EMS environments strongly preferred.

• Experience with MRP/ERP systems such as Epicor, SAP, Oracle, or similar.

• Strong understanding of MRP requirements, purchasing processes, supplier lead times, and production schedules.

• Demonstrated negotiation and supplier-management skills.

• Strong Microsoft Excel skills.

• Excellent communication, organizational, and problem-solving abilities.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision while collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams.

Preferred

• Experience with PCB purchasing/sourcing and build-to-print manufacturing.

• Experience working with electronic component manufacturers and distributors.

• Experience in aerospace, defense, medical, or other highly regulated manufacturing environments.

• Familiarity with AS9100, DoD requirements, ITAR, and/or CUI.

• Experience with PPV, E&O, NCM, and supplier performance management.

• Experience mentoring or supporting junior purchasing professionals.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for a proactive Buyer who can do more than simply process purchase orders. The successful candidate will understand the impact purchasing decisions have on cost, quality, inventory, and production schedules and will take ownership of resolving issues before they affect the customer.

You should be comfortable communicating with suppliers, negotiating pricing and delivery, researching alternate sources, and working with internal