Senior Buyer

Job Title: Buyer III

Responsibilities

• Execute MRP on a daily basis to determine material requirements and translate demand signals into purchasing decisions.
• Create, manage, and track purchase orders to ensure on-time delivery of materials to support production schedules and inventory targets.
• Review and act on MRP-generated messages and exceptions, prioritizing and resolving issues related to supply, demand, and planning requirements.
• Align purchasing activities with production requirements and inventory objectives, balancing cost, lead time, and service level considerations.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with suppliers to support business needs and ensure reliable supply.
• Proactively identify material shortages, supply risks, and potential disruptions, and drive resolution to prevent impact on production or customers.
• Escalate supply issues as needed and coordinate solutions with internal teams and external vendors.
• Communicate directly with suppliers regarding late deliveries, missed commitments, shortages, and corrective actions, holding suppliers accountable for performance.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, procurement standards, and applicable regulations in all purchasing activities.
• Collaborate with Sales, Customer Service, Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Logistics, and Supply Chain teams to address supply constraints, backorders, and unplanned demand changes.
• Support continuous improvement in purchasing strategies, supplier performance, and material flow processes.
• Track, analyze, and report supplier performance and procurement-related KPIs to drive accountability and improvement.
• Utilize Excel and other tools to analyze demand, inventory, and purchasing data, and to support decision-making.
• Apply advanced purchasing terminology, practices, and cost reduction methods to optimize total cost of ownership.
• Read engineering blueprints and understand manufacturing processes to ensure appropriate material specifications and sourcing decisions.
• Address accounts payable and accounts receivable questions related to purchasing and vendor transactions.
• Demonstrate self-driven, results-oriented behavior by managing workload independently and completing tasks on time.
• Participate in the customization and effective use of the MRP system to improve purchasing efficiency and accuracy.
• Within the first 30 days, become trained in the MRP system and consistently produce purchase orders to send to vendors.
• By day 60, contribute to MRP system customization and effectively address AP and AR questions related to purchasing activities.
• By day 90, develop a strong understanding of key vendors and evaluate their performance against established KPIs.

Essential Skills

• Material requirements planning (MRP) system proficiency, with daily hands-on utilization to drive purchasing decisions.
• Strong experience working through MRP-generated messages and exceptions, including managing, responding to, and prioritizing system messages.
• Demonstrated ability to utilize demand signals in MRP to determine what materials are required and when they should be purchased.
• Solid vendor management skills, including holding suppliers accountable for delivery performance and corrective actions.
• Experience communicating directly with suppliers regarding late shipments, shortages, and missed commitments, and effectively handling those conversations.
• 5+ years of purchasing experience in a manufacturing environment, preferred.
• Bachelor"s degree in business, supply chain, logistics, quantitative fields, or equivalent work experience.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Elon, NC.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $35.00 - $40.87/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Elon,NC.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 31, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.