Buyer Planner

Aston Carter

$80K — $120K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 1-5 years of purchasing, procurement, or materials planning experience in manufacturing.
  • Proven experience managing purchase orders and tracking in an ERP or MRP system.
  • Ability to interpret bills of materials and engineering drawings for procurement.
  • Strong organizational skills in managing diverse open orders and shifting priorities.
  • Effective communication with suppliers and cross-functional teams.
  • Willingness to travel for supplier visits when necessary.
  • Experience in fast-paced, dynamic environments with frequent changes.

Responsibilities

  • Oversee the entire procurement cycle: sourcing, quoting, negotiating, and issuing purchase orders.
  • Track and manage open orders to ensure timely delivery and updates on lead times.
  • Resolve discrepancies in purchase orders in collaboration with suppliers and internal teams.
  • Maintain precise data in ERP/MRP systems, including vendor records and part statuses.
  • Identify and implement opportunities for cost and lead time reductions within the supply chain.
  • Plan material requirements based on bills of materials and engineering needs for upcoming builds.
  • Ensure part lifecycle tracking from issuance through to build completion and problem-solve any readiness issues.

Benefits

  • Opportunities for professional development and growth within the company.
  • Dynamic, fast-paced work environment encouraging innovation and ownership.
  • Occasional travel for supplier visits adds variety and interaction with partners.
  • Engagement with cutting-edge manufacturing technologies and methodologies.
Full Job Description
Job Title: Buyer / Planner
Job Description
The Buyer / Planner owns procurement and build planning for manufacturing operations. This role sources and purchases parts and materials, tracks hardware from purchase order through completion, and ensures the manufacturing floor is planned and stocked to support active builds. The Buyer / Planner also plays an active role in building and vetting the supplier base, including occasional supplier visits, to support reliable and scalable manufacturing.
Responsibilities
  • Own the full procurement cycle by sourcing, requesting quotes, negotiating, and issuing purchase orders for hardware, raw materials, fabricated parts, and consumables.
  • Manage open orders end-to-end by tracking deliveries, updating lead times, and expediting parts that are at risk of impacting the build schedule.
  • Resolve purchase order discrepancies by working with receiving, suppliers, and engineering, and drive issues through to complete closure.
  • Maintain accurate ERP/MRP data, including open purchase orders, lead times, pricing, vendor records, and part status information.
  • Identify and implement cost and lead time improvement opportunities across the supply base.
  • Work from bills of materials (BOMs), work orders, and engineering requirements to plan material needs for active and upcoming builds.
  • Track parts through their full lifecycle, from purchase order issuance through receiving, inspection, kitting, and build completion.
  • Maintain clear visibility into build status and material readiness, and proactively surface shortages and schedule risks.
  • Coordinate closely with engineering, production, and receiving teams to keep part flow aligned with build priorities.
  • Support traveler and documentation accuracy to ensure traceability throughout the build process.
  • Identify and onboard new suppliers across machining, injection molding, PCBAs, electronics, testing, assembly, and other processes as needed.
  • Conduct supplier vetting by evaluating capabilities, quality systems, capacity, and certifications.
  • Make occasional supplier visits to assess facilities first-hand and build strong supplier relationships.
  • Maintain and grow a reliable, high-performance vendor base that can scale with manufacturing operations.
Essential Skills
  • 1-5 years of experience in purchasing, procurement, or materials planning in a manufacturing environment.
  • Demonstrated ownership of purchase order management and open order tracking in an ERP or MRP system.
  • Ability to work from bills of materials and engineering drawings to translate requirements into procurement actions.
  • Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage a large and constantly shifting queue of open orders and build priorities.
  • Direct and proactive communication style when working with suppliers, engineers, and technicians.
  • Willingness to travel occasionally for supplier visits.
  • Ability to thrive in a fast, ambiguous environment where plans change frequently and ownership is expected.
  • Experience with purchasing, procurement, supply chain, ERP systems, and buying and planning in a manufacturing context.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
  • Background in aerospace, defense, or precision manufacturing.
  • Familiarity with supplier qualification processes and quality documentation such as Certificates of Conformance (C of C), material certifications, and AS9100-related requirements.
  • Experience sourcing across a broad range of processes, including machining, PCBAs, electronics, testing, coatings, and non-destructive testing (NDT).
  • Experience working in a startup or high-growth manufacturing environment.
Work Environment
This role is based on site in El Segundo within a manufacturing environment. You will work closely with engineering, production, and receiving teams and rely heavily on ERP/MRP systems, bills of materials, and engineering documentation to manage procurement and planning. The environment is fast-paced and dynamic, with shifting build priorities and an expectation of high ownership. The position includes occasional travel to supplier facilities for on-site assessments and relationship building.
Job Type & Location
This is a Permanent position based out of El Segundo, CA.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $80000.00 - $120000.00/yr.
The Buyer / Planner owns procurement and build planning for Amca's manufacturing operations. You will be responsible for sourcing and purchasing the parts and materials that go into our builds, tracking hardware from PO through completion, and ensuring the manufacturing floor is planned and stocked to support active builds. You'll also play an active role in building and vetting our supplier base - including occasional supplier visits.ResponsibilitiesProcurement
• Own the full procurement cycle - source, quote, negotiate, and issue POs for hardware, raw materials, fabricated parts, and consumables
• Manage open orders end-to-end: track deliveries, update lead times, and expedite parts that are at risk of impacting the build schedule
• Resolve PO discrepancies with receiving, suppliers, and engineering - own the issue through to closure
• Maintain accurate ERP/MRP data: open POs, lead times, pricing, vendor records, and part statuses
• Identify cost and lead time improvement opportunities across the supply baseBuild Planning & Part Tracking
• Work from BOMs, work orders, and engineering requirements to plan material needs for active and upcoming builds
• Track parts through the full lifecycle - from PO issuance through receiving, inspection, kitting, and build completion
• Maintain visibility into build status and material readiness; surface shortages and schedule risks early
• Coordinate with engineering, production, and receiving to keep part flow aligned with build priorities
• Support traveler and documentation accuracy to ensure traceability through the buildSupplier Development
• Identify and onboard new suppliers across machining, injection molding, PCBAs, electronics, testing, assembly, and other processes as needed
• Conduct supplier vetting - evaluate capabilities, quality systems, capacity, and certifications
• Make occasional supplier visits to assess shops first-hand and build relationships
• Maintain and grow a reliable, high-performance vendor base that can scale with our manufacturing operations
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in El Segundo,CA.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Jun 22, 2026.

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