Senior Buyer

Description Position Summary The Senior Buyer is responsible for the timely, accurate, and cost-effective procurement of raw materials, tooling, manufacturing supplies, and assigned outside services required to support A1J Technologies’ precision manufacturing operations. As A1J advances from a traditional job-shop model toward a scalable Tier 1 supplier for commercial aerospace and defense customers, this position strengthens supplier reliability, material traceability, purchasing discipline, and delivery performance.

Reporting to the Supply Chain & Logistics Manager, the Senior Buyer executes sourcing and purchasing activities, negotiates with suppliers, expedites critical requirements, and works cross-functionally with Planning & Production Control, Manufacturing Engineering, Production, Quality, Logistics, and Finance. This is a senior individual-contributor role; purchasing strategy, staffing, and departmental leadership remain with the Supply Chain & Logistics Manager.

1. Procurement Execution & Material Availability Execute purchase requisitions and release accurate purchase orders for assigned raw materials, tooling, consumables, MRO items, and approved outside services within delegated authority. Review demand, lead times, specifications, inventory availability, and production priorities before placing orders. Proactively track open purchase orders, obtain supplier acknowledgments, and expedite shortages or delivery risks affecting production commitments. Coordinate substitutions, split deliveries, and alternate sourcing only through the required Engineering, Quality, and commercial approval processes.
2. Supplier Sourcing, Negotiation & Performance Identify and qualify prospective suppliers in coordination with Quality and the applicable supplier approval process. Solicit and evaluate quotations based on total value, lead time, technical requirements, quality, delivery, and commercial terms. Negotiate pricing, lead times, minimum order quantities, and terms within delegated purchasing authority. Track supplier delivery and responsiveness; document recurring issues and support supplier improvement and corrective-action activities.
3. Aerospace, Defense & Purchasing Compliance Ensure purchase orders accurately communicate applicable drawings, specifications, revisions, certification requirements, and customer/quality flow downs as provided by authorized functions. Purchase from approved sources when required; verify required supplier approvals and coordinate with Quality on supplier status and special-process requirements. Support material traceability and required certifications, including mill test reports, certificates of conformity, and applicable lot/heat identification. Maintain purchasing records to support AS9100-aligned processes, audit readiness, product safety, configuration control, and prevention of suspect/counterfeit items. Escalate export-control, domestic sourcing, customer-approved-source, and other contract-specific requirements to designated compliance owners; do not independently interpret or waive requirements.
4. ERP, Data Accuracy & Purchasing Controls Maintain accurate supplier, purchase order, promised date, price, and delivery information in the ERP/MRP system. Ensure purchasing transactions, revisions, acknowledgments, and documentation are completed accurately and promptly. Partner with Receiving, Inventory/Material Control, and Finance to resolve receiving discrepancies, invoice mismatches, and open purchase order issues. Identify opportunities to standardize purchasing workflows, reduce manual followup, and improve supplier and material visibility.
5. Cross-Functional Production Support Coordinate with Planning & Production Control on demand changes, critical shortages, and recovery schedules. Work with Manufacturing Engineering and CNC Programming to confirm purchasing requirements for raw material, tooling, and manufacturing support items. Partner with Quality and Receiving on rejected, damaged, incomplete, or uncertified incoming material; support supplier returns and corrective actions. Collaborate with Logistics and outside-processing coordinators on material movements, subcontracted operations, and supplier commitments where assigned. Communicate procurement risks and mitigation actions clearly and promptly to stakeholders.
6. Cost Improvement & Continuous Improvement Identify documented savings through competitive sourcing, supplier consolidation, negotiated pricing, and process improvements without compromising product conformity or delivery. Analyze recurring expedite charges, lead-time variance, shortages, and purchasing inefficiencies; recommend sustainable corrective actions. Support standard work, supplier scorecards, purchasing KPIs, and disciplined continuous-improvement initiatives. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Supplier On-Time Delivery – delivery against confirmed supplier commitments for assigned purchases. Material Availability – number and duration of production shortages attributable to purchasing execution. Purchase Order Accuracy & Compliance – complete, correct, approved POs with required specifications and flow-downs. Open PO / Expedite Management – timely follow-up, accurate promise dates, and escalation of at-risk orders. Purchase Price Performance – documented price variance and validated cost savings. Supplier Issue Resolution – timeliness of discrepancy resolution and corrective action follow-up. ERP Data Accuracy – accurate supplier, pricing, acknowledgment, and delivery records. Work Environment Primarily office-based with regular interaction with production, receiving, inventory, and quality personnel. Occasional supplier visits and schedule flexibility may be required to support production priorities.

Benefits

Medical Insurance Dental Insurance Vision Insurance Life Insurance Paid Time Off 401(k) Retirement Plan 401(k) Employer Match Requirements Qualifications 5+ years of progressive purchasing or procurement experience in precision manufacturing, machining, or another complex manufacturing environment. Experience purchasing metals, raw material, machining tooling, industrial supplies, or subcontracted manufacturing services.

Demonstrated ability to manage multiple suppliers, urgent requirements, changing production priorities, and purchase order follow-through. Strong supplier negotiation, quote evaluation, cost analysis, and expediting skills. Ability to interpret purchase requirements, technical specifications, drawing revisions, and required procurement documentation.

Working knowledge of ERP/MRP purchasing transactions and proficiency in Microsoft Excel and other standard business applications. Strong written communication, attention to detail, problem-solving skills, and cross-functional collaboration.

Preferred Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Operations, or a related discipline; equivalent relevant experience is valued. Experience in aerospace, defense, or other regulated precision manufacturing environments. Familiarity with AS9100/ISO 9001 purchasing controls, approved supplier lists, supplier quality requirements, and traceability documentation.

Knowledge of common aerospace materials, material certifications, special processing, and customer-specific purchasing flow-downs. Experience with Job. Boss or comparable manufacturing ERP/MRP software. Experience supporting supplier scorecards, inventory optimization, lean/continuous improvement, and purchasing process standardization.

Professional supply chain certification (such as CPSM or CPIM) or equivalent training.