The Buyer / Receiver is responsible for supporting the complete aviation materials process, including sourcing, purchasing, receiving, inspecting, documenting, and managing aircraft parts, components, materials, and supplies.
This position works closely with Maintenance, Quality, Inventory, suppliers, and other internal departments to ensure materials are purchased at competitive prices, received on time, properly documented, and available to support aircraft maintenance and operational requirements.
The ideal candidate is highly organized, detail-oriented, dependable, and capable of managing purchasing and receiving responsibilities in a fast-paced aviation environment while maintaining compliance with applicable FAA requirements and company procedures.
Key Responsibilities
- Source and procure aircraft parts, components, materials, tooling, and supplies from approved and qualified suppliers.
- Obtain and evaluate supplier quotations based on price, availability, lead time, quality, and operational requirements.
- Negotiate pricing, payment terms, delivery schedules, freight arrangements, and other commercial terms.
- Create, process, and maintain accurate purchase orders and procurement documentation.
- Monitor open purchase orders and proactively follow up with suppliers to prevent delays and minimize aircraft downtime.
- Develop and maintain effective supplier relationships while monitoring vendor quality, reliability, pricing, and performance.
- Research alternate sources for difficult-to-find, obsolete, or urgent/AOG aircraft materials.
- Receive incoming aircraft parts, components, materials, tooling, and supplies.
- Verify incoming shipments against purchase orders, packing lists, invoices, and applicable documentation.
- Inspect received materials for correct part numbers, quantities, condition, packaging, and required certification or traceability documentation.
- Identify, document, and report damaged, incorrect, missing, or non-conforming materials.
- Accurately process purchase orders, receipts, returns, and material transactions within the company's purchasing and inventory management systems.
- Ensure proper identification, labeling, handling, and storage of aviation materials.
- Coordinate with suppliers and carriers to resolve pricing, shipping, delivery, invoice, and receiving discrepancies.
- Work closely with Maintenance, Quality, and Inventory teams to prioritize material requirements and ensure timely availability of parts.
- Support forecasting and inventory management activities to maintain appropriate stock levels.
- Assist with inventory counts, cycle counts, reconciliations, and investigation of inventory discrepancies.
- Maintain accurate purchasing and receiving records to support material traceability, audits, and regulatory compliance.
- Ensure purchasing and receiving activities comply with applicable FAA requirements, quality standards, and company policies and procedures.
- Support AOG and other time-critical material requirements to minimize aircraft downtime.
- Identify opportunities to reduce costs, improve supplier performance, strengthen inventory accuracy, and improve purchasing and receiving processes.
- Maintain a clean, organized, and safe materials and receiving area.
- Ability to develop effective working relationships with suppliers and internal departments.
- Ability to prioritize urgent requirements and manage multiple responsibilities in a fast-paced environment.
Qualifications
- High school diploma or equivalent required; Associate degree or relevant technical education preferred.
- 2–3+ years of experience in purchasing, procurement, receiving, inventory, warehouse, logistics, or materials management; aviation or aerospace experience strongly preferred.
- Familiarity with aircraft parts, aviation materials, FAA-related requirements, and material traceability preferred.
- Experience with purchasing, inventory, ERP, warehouse, or aviation materials management systems.
- Strong negotiation, sourcing, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent attention to detail with the ability to maintain accurate records and documentation.
- Ability to read and interpret purchase orders, packing lists, part numbers, quantities, certifications, and material documentation.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel and Outlook.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to safely lift, move, and handle materials consistent with the physical requirements of the position.
- Forklift certification preferred, or willingness to complete required training.
- Ability to work independently while contributing effectively as part of a team.
United Aviate Academy is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to diversity and welcome all qualified individuals of different backgrounds.