About our family of companies:
We're on a mission to bring learning to life! Across our family of companies-Learning Resources, Educational Insights, and hand2mind-we create children's toys, pet toys, educational products, and supplemental curriculum trusted by teachers and loved by families. As a growing, family-owned business and a Chicago Tribune Top Workplace, we are dedicated to helping kids succeed in school and develop a lifelong love of learning. If you're curious, collaborative, and a kid at heart, you'll feel right at home here. Join us in shaping the future of learning with our award-winning team!
Team & Position Description:
We are currently seeking a Buyer to execute procurement best practices in a fast-paced environment. This role is responsible for the strategic planning and procurement of high-quality, cost-effective products from both domestic and international suppliers. The Buyer will focus on securing optimal pricing, minimizing capital investment, and delivering a high level of customer service. This position requires strong MRP expertise to effectively manage and optimize inventory levels, ensuring alignment with targets for inventory turns, order fill rates, and schedule attainment.
What you'll do day to day:
- Manage procurement for assigned vendors to ensure product availability and alignment with business objectives
- Utilize MRP (Microsoft Dynamics 365) to manage and optimize inventory by maintaining accurate item data and planning parameters, driving performance against inventory and service level targets
- Collaborate with domestic and international suppliers to secure competitive pricing, reduce lead times, and maintain quality standards
- Monitor supplier performance, communicate issues, and drive corrective actions to improve quality, delivery, and cost
- Partner cross-functionally to resolve purchasing issues and support forecasting, production planning, and customer satisfaction
- Identify and implement cost savings and value engineering initiatives to improve margins and reduce spend
- Analyze purchasing and inventory data to support decision-making and improve operational efficiency
- Manage purchase orders to ensure timely placement, tracking, and issue resolution
- Recommend process improvements and innovative solutions to enhance supplier performance and achieve business objectives
- Perform additional duties as assigned
What we're looking for (Key Performance Objectives):
- Leverage supplier management expertise to own vendor relationships, leading quarterly business reviews to ensure performance and alignment for assigned products
- Proactively communicate supply chain risks within a 48-hour window and drive resolution through ongoing tracking and follow-up
- Analyze data and provide actionable recommendations related to key supply chain KPIs (delivery, quality, cost, and performance) to identify and mitigate business risks
- Serve as a key cross-functional liaison among Quality, Product Development, Warehouse, OEM partners, Sales/Marketing, and Engineering, escalating critical issues through structured business reviews
- Act as a change agent by effectively navigating and resolving constructive conflict to drive continuous improvement
Requirements/Ideal Attributes:
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Operations, or a related field required
- Minimum of 3+ years of experience in supply chain, inventory management, or a related discipline
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook) required
- Previous experience with MRP systems required, preferably Microsoft Dynamics 365
- Experience leveraging AI tools to improve efficiency, reporting, and decision-making is preferred
- Proven ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment, manage competing priorities, meet deadlines, and execute strategic initiatives
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams and leadership
- Flexibility to work occasional off-hours, including evenings, to support communication with international suppliers
- Ability to communicate in Mandarin Chinese is a plus
We are a drug-free workplace and an EEO employer.
Please note: This role will be filled by our internal recruitment team, so no assistance is needed from any outside staffing agency at this time.
Compensation Range: $78,000 - $90,000 annual salary - Actual compensation may vary due to other factors such as: years of experience, skill set or location. Total compensation includes profit sharing bonus potential, 401k matching, and a variety of other benefits (details can be found here).
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