Buyer/Planner

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Job description

Ultimate Staffing is currently seeking a Buyer/Planner for our client in Fremont. The person in this role must have planning experience in a manufacturing environment. This position can be temp-to-hire for the right candidate.

The Sr. Buyer/Planner will be responsible for Demand Management of Finished Goods, including managing delivery schedules with Production Plants and long-term replenishment planning balancing sales/customer requirements and company inventory management policies & guidelines. In this role, you will be heavily engaged with Sales, other customer facing teams, and frequently customers, while working closely with the Plants and their Production Planners.

The person in the role will be responsible for, but not limited to the following job duties.

• Responsible for Planning and Purchasing activities for Demand Management of Finished Goods inventory management and replenishment planning balancing sales/customer requirements and company inventory management policies & guidelines.
• Assist Management with prioritizing and achieving projects, process improvements, metrics, and objectives to align with company BSC Goals.
• Mentor junior staff and facilitate hands-on training with all stakeholders as needed.
• Lead, and/or participate in cross functional process improvement projects; manage small projects & ad hoc requests from internal customers.
• Prepare reports as needed on Finished Goods Demand Management On-Time Performance and purchasing system performance; prepare presentations on improvements for management as needed.
• Work closely with Production Sites to set improvement goals and objectives; manage performance and report out to management and team.
• Sets, Plans, and Monitors inventory levels based on customer requirements and company target levels; ensures adequate planning and forecasting to maintain supply chain stability.
• Reports out batch plans and any exception management to customers, Sales, and Management.
• Identify inventory aging issues proactively and manage with Sales to reduce risk of expired goods and impacts to Production Plants.
• Manages delivery schedule with Production Plants and Production Planners to ensure Finished Goods material availability per Demand Management requirements.
• Processes purchase requisitions in SAP and creates POs for items such as Samples, Trading Goods, and Finished Goods while ensuring compliance with purchasing procedures and user requirements.
• May also order Raw Materials/Packaging, Operational Supplies, Services, and Capital Equipment.
• Works closely with Production Planners / Sites to resolve supply chain issues, pricing discrepancies and delivery terms; ad hoc negotiation as required; may attend meetings with suppliers / plants.
• Manage sales forecast integration into ERP system, reporting issues and variances to management and sales.
• Generates and reviews forecast variance reports, sets action plans, and drives resolution to close gaps and risks collaboratively with Sales, Production Planners, and other customer facing roles.
• Assist Management by preparing for audits, examples including ISO recertification, Accounting Audits, Customer Audits, and Production Plant Auditing.
• Identify and mitigate or eliminate risk in real time; proactively manage all risk in the supply chain collaborating with internal operations teams.
• Read, interpret and execute MRP output weekly; place purchase orders or delivery plans and follow up on open order deliveries.
• Monitor open Purchase Orders, delivery status, and resolve any on-time delivery performance issues proactively.
• Develop, Document and Implement Planning & Procurement procedures to ensure compliance with internal and external guidelines.
• Develop effective and efficient supply chain strategies and tactics to improve inventory planning, inventory management, replenishment and disposition strategies - emphasis is placed on both the quantitative and qualitative approach in this role by managing and exceeding delivery expectations.
• Data Maintenance - Updates all aspects of purchasing information in the system such as parts descriptions, vendors, pricing, lead times, planner codes, lot sizing, order minimums and maximums, etc.
• Drive efficiencies & better utilization of the SAP system.
• Coordinate re-package, special handling R&D/Sampling requests, as needed to balance supply & demand of materials.
• May research supply sources for Raw Materials, Trading Goods, and Packaging.
• May work with customers in auditing customer inventory levels and with internal and external vendors to comply with inventory policies.
• Prepares analysis and reports to management.Requirements:Good written and verbal communication skills.

Requirements:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Excellent analytical skills utilizing various tool sets.
• High proficiency in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.
• 8+ years combined Planning and/or Purchasing experience, including ERP - SAP preferred.
• 5+ years of experience working directly with Sales and/or other customer facing teams.
• Experience working directly with customers/end users required.
• Experience leading cross functional meetings & project teams.
• Experience working within the parameters of contractual agreements; understanding of customer and supplier specifications; customer or final product forecasting.
• ISO 9000 or similar QMS.
• Strong organizational skills, presentation skills, and ability to influence others.
• Experience assessing and driving corrective actions in system health & performance.
• Experience negotiating with multiple parties and/or conflicting objectives.
• MS Office.
• Import/Export related experience preferred.

We are an equal opportunity employer and make hiring decisions based on merit. Recruitment, hiring, training, and job assignments are made without regard to race, color, national origin, age, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, disability, or any other protected classification. We consider all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.