Procurement Specialist

The Procurement Specialist is responsible for independently managing assigned purchasing categories and supplier relationships for raw materials, components, and services. The role owns sourcing and commercial activities within assigned areas, including supplier evaluation, quotation analysis, negotiation, inventory planning, supplier performance, and resolution of complex supply issues. This position uses purchasing data and cross-functional input to make recommendations that improve cost, quality, delivery, and continuity of supply.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Responsibilities and Duties

• Independently manages purchase orders and purchasing requirements for assigned commodities, suppliers, or product categories from requisition through delivery and closure.
• Leads request-for-quote activities for assigned purchases; analyzes total cost and negotiates pricing, lead times, payment terms, minimum order quantities, and other commercial conditions within approved authority.
• Evaluates current and prospective suppliers and makes sourcing recommendations based on capability, quality, cost, delivery performance, service, capacity, and supply risk.
• Develops purchasing and inventory plans for assigned materials using demand, usage, lead-time, safety-stock, and supplier performance data to support continuity of supply and inventory objectives.
• Manages supplier performance and corrective follow-up for delivery, service, and commercial issues; identifies recurring trends and drives resolution with suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Leads procurement support for specification changes, new product or material requirements, supplier transitions, and other cross-functional projects with Quality, Operations, Engineering, and Receiving.
• Resolves complex purchase order, receipt, invoice, pricing, and supplier discrepancies in partnership with Accounts Payable, Receiving, and internal stakeholders.
• Maintains and reviews item, supplier, pricing, lead-time, sourcing, and purchasing data in the ERP system to ensure accuracy and support procurement decisions.
• Identifies and executes cost-reduction, alternate-source, lead-time improvement, and supply-risk mitigation opportunities; documents results and recommendations.
• Prepares and analyzes supplier and purchasing metrics, including spend, price variance, delivery performance, inventory exposure, and open-order risk, and communicates findings to management.
• Provides day-to-day guidance to the Procurement Coordinator on purchasing processes, supplier follow-up, quote documentation, and issue escalation as assigned; does not have direct supervisory responsibility.
• Identifies significant procurement and supply risks, develops recommended actions, and escalates matters requiring management approval or cross-functional decision-making.
• Adheres to applicable environmental, safety, regulatory, and legal requirements and complies with company policies and standards of business ethics.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

None

Education, Qualifications and Skills:

• Bachelor''s degree (four-year degree) in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Operations, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum of 4 years of progressively responsible purchasing, procurement, or supply chain experience in a manufacturing environment preferred.
• Experience with JDE (JD Edwards) or a comparable ERP system required; demonstrated ability to maintain and analyze purchasing data.
• Medical device or other regulated manufacturing industry experience preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading quotation analysis, supplier negotiations, sourcing recommendations, and supplier performance management.
• Working knowledge of inventory planning, lead-time management, cost analysis, and supply-risk mitigation.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills with the ability to independently manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to lead procurement activities cross-functionally, exercise sound judgment within established authority, and escalate material business risks appropriately.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and proficiency in Word and other standard business applications; ability to analyze purchasing, supplier, spend, and inventory data.