Buyer / Material Planner – Electrical Manufacturing

Buyer / Material Planner – Electrical Manufacturing

Location: Marietta, OH
Job Type: Full-Time, Direct Hire
Starting Salary: Compensation starts based on experience
Travel: Up to 10% for supplier visits and trade shows

Position Overview

Seeking a Buyer Planner to manage purchasing and material planning for electromechanical power distribution products. This role works closely with engineering, production, quality, logistics, and sales to ensure components are purchased on time, inventory remains balanced, and production has the materials needed to meet customer commitments.

Products supported include Power Distribution Cabinets (PDCs), Static Transfer Switches (STS), Remote Power Panels (RPPs), and Medium/Low Voltage Switchgear assemblies.

Purchasing & Supplier Management

• Create and manage POs for components such as bus bars, circuit breakers, contactors, transformers, enclosures, cable assemblies, and switchgear components.
• Identify and qualify suppliers based on engineering requirements, lead times, quality, and total cost.
• Negotiate pricing, payment terms, lead times, and supplier agreements.
• Monitor supplier performance using on-time delivery, quality PPM, and lead-time metrics.
• Manage spot purchases and blanket POs for standard and custom materials.
• Identify and reduce risks involving single-source, sole-source, and long-lead components.

Material Planning & Inventory

• Use ERP/MRP systems to analyze demand and generate planned orders based on production requirements.
• Maintain item master information, including lead times, safety stock, MOQs, and reorder points.
• Balance inventory investment with production needs while minimizing shortages and excess stock.
• Expedite critical materials and resolve shortages that could affect production or delivery schedules.
• Coordinate material availability with production scheduling and customer delivery requirements.
• Perform cycle counts and physical inventory reconciliations and resolve discrepancies.

Cross-Functional Support

• Work with design and sustaining engineering on NPI, ECO, and BOM activities.
• Partner with Quality Engineering on SCARs, NCM disposition, and FAIs.
• Coordinate with logistics and receiving to track inbound shipments and resolve delivery discrepancies.
• Provide material availability and supply risk information during customer delivery escalations.
• Participate in SIOP and production readiness reviews.

Reporting & Improvement

• Track supply chain metrics including PPV, SOTD, inventory turns, and material shortages.
• Support cost reduction through value engineering, supplier consolidation, and TCO analysis.
• Improve purchasing and planning processes while maintaining ERP data accuracy.
• Support Lean Manufacturing initiatives and participate in Kaizen events involving supply chain and material flow.

Manufacturing and assembly environment with exposure to moderate noise, electrical equipment, and industrial materials.

Regular computer work for ERP transactions, email, data analysis, and supplier communication.

Occasional travel to supplier facilities, warehouses, and customer locations.

Ability to stand, walk, and move through production areas for extended periods.

Ability to lift up to 25 lbs. during physical inventory activities.

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Operations Management, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

3–5+ years of combined buying and/or material planning experience in manufacturing.

Experience purchasing electromechanical or electrical/electronic components such as breakers, bus duct, switchgear parts, enclosures, and wiring harnesses.

Experience with ERP/MRP systems such as SAP, Oracle, Epicor, Infor, or similar production platforms.

Understanding of MRP logic, demand planning, and supply chain fundamentals.

Strong supplier negotiation skills with demonstrated cost savings and supply security results.

Ability to read engineering drawings, BOMs, and technical specifications.

Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables, VLOOKUP, and supply/demand modeling.

Strong organization and communication skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.

Experience in power distribution, electrical switchgear, UPS, or critical power industries.

Familiarity with PDCs, STS units, RPPs, panelboards, or MV/LV switchgear assemblies.

APICS CPIM, CSCP, or ISM C.P.M./CPSM certification.

Lean/Six Sigma and continuous improvement experience.

Knowledge of UL, ANSI, IEC, NEMA, and NEC standards related to power distribution equipment.

Supplier development and international sourcing experience, including Asia, Mexico, or Europe.

Familiarity with customs and import compliance for electrical components.