Buyer / Material Planning Specialist
Location: Marietta, OH
Job Type: Full-Time, Direct Hire
Travel: Up to 10% for supplier visits and trade shows
Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced Buyer Planner to manage purchasing and material planning for electrical and electromechanical products. This role ensures materials are available when needed while balancing supplier performance, inventory, cost, and production requirements.
The ideal candidate has strong buyer/planner experience, ERP/MRP knowledge, and experience purchasing electrical components for manufactured or assembled products.
Key Responsibilities
Purchase and manage electrical and electromechanical components, including wires, cables, energy meters, bus bars, circuit breakers, contactors, transformers, enclosures, cable assemblies, and switchgear components.
Create and manage purchase orders, including spot buys and blanket POs.
Source suppliers and negotiate pricing, payment terms, lead times, and agreements.
Monitor supplier performance, including on-time delivery, quality, and lead-time compliance.
Identify and address single-source, long-lead, and other supply risks.
Use ERP/MRP systems to review demand, plan material requirements, and support production schedules.
Maintain item master information, including lead times, safety stock, MOQs, and reorder points.
Monitor inventory and resolve shortages while balancing material availability and working capital.
Expedite critical materials to protect production schedules and customer delivery commitments.
Coordinate with production scheduling to align material availability with manufacturing needs.
Perform cycle counts and investigate inventory discrepancies.
Work with engineering on new product introductions, ECOs, and BOM accuracy.
Partner with quality on SCARs, NCMs, and first-article inspections.
Coordinate with receiving and logistics teams on inbound shipments and material discrepancies.
Provide material availability and supply risk updates to sales and program management.
Participate in SIOP and production readiness reviews.
Track supply chain metrics including PPV, supplier on-time delivery, inventory turns, and material shortages.
Support cost reduction, supplier consolidation, value engineering, and total cost of ownership initiatives.
Promote accurate ERP usage, lean practices, and continuous improvement.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Operations, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
3–5+ years of buyer and/or material planning experience in manufacturing.
5 years of minimum overall experience preferred.
Experience purchasing electrical, electronic, or electromechanical components.
Experience buying materials for manufactured or assembled products.
Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems, such as SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Epicor, Infor, or similar.
Strong understanding of MRP, demand planning, and material flow from purchase order through receiving, put-away, picking, assembly, and shipping.
Experience with material planning and purchasing within a production environment.
Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, BOMs, and technical specifications.
Strong negotiation, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables, VLOOKUP, and supply/demand analysis.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience in power distribution, electrical switchgear, UPS, or critical power industries.
Familiarity with PDCs, STS units, RPPs, panelboards, or MV/LV switchgear.
APICS CPIM or CSCP or ISM C.P.M./CPSM certification.
Experience with Lean/Six Sigma and continuous improvement.
Knowledge of UL, ANSI, IEC, NEMA, and NEC standards.
Supplier development and international sourcing experience.
Familiarity with customs and import compliance for electrical components.
Work Environment
Manufacturing and assembly environment with exposure to moderate noise, electrical equipment, and industrial materials.
Regular computer use for ERP transactions, analysis, email, and supplier communication.
Occasional travel to supplier facilities, warehouses, and customer sites.
Ability to stand and walk through production areas for extended periods.
Ability to lift up to 25 lbs. as needed for physical inventory activities.
