Senior Buyer:The Senior Buyer is responsible for day-to-day procurement of assigned raw materials, packaging, MRO and indirect categories at the Van Wert facility within the Tekniplex Fiber Division. The Buyer owns the purchasing process for these categories from end to end: securing supply, managing suppliers, keeping data accurate, and contributing to cost, quality, service, sustainability and working capital goals.
What will you do?Working under the general direction of the Regional Procurement Manager, the Buyer carries out divisional and corporate procurement strategies at site level. The role supports growth and new product development, helps mitigate supply risk, and protects margin and free cash flow. The Buyer works closely with Operations, Planning, Quality, R&D, Engineering, Finance and Logistics, and with the Corporate Supply Chain team as needed.
Purchasing & Order Management- Own the purchase-to-delivery process for assigned categories: place accurate, timely purchase orders according to company procedure and approval levels.
- Review all open POs monthly with suppliers; confirm dates, expedite where needed, and close unnecessary open POs.
- Contact suppliers to schedule or expedite deliveries and resolve shortages, missed or late deliveries, and other supply problems.
- Respond to internal and supplier inquiries on order status, changes and cancellations.
- Maintain accurate fulfillment, delivery and ERP master data (prices, lead times, MOQs, approved suppliers).
Sourcing & Negotiation- Request and evaluate quotes; build and maintain comparative price and conditions tables for active negotiations.
- Negotiate price, lead times, MOQs and terms for assigned categories within guidelines set by the Regional Procurement Manager.
- Locate, evaluate and help qualify new suppliers; maintain a consolidated supplier base for assigned categories.
- Review supplier price increase requests with supporting data and recommend responses.
- Implement divisional and corporate sourcing strategies at site level, including transitions to new suppliers or agreements.
Cost & Inventory Management- Identify and document cost-saving and cost-avoidance opportunities for assigned categories and track results using the company's savings methodology.
- Partner with Planning to maintain inventory targets for raw materials and supplies, balancing service levels and working capital.
- Track market and price trends for key materials and flag changes that affect cost or supply to the Regional Procurement Manager.
- Support annual budget and standard cost updates with current pricing data.
Supplier Performance & Risk- Monitor supplier delivery, quality and responsiveness; maintain supplier scorecards for key suppliers in assigned categories.
- Work with Quality to follow up on supplier corrective actions through closure.
- Identify single-source or at-risk materials and raise risks early; support qualification of alternate sources.
- Support supplier sustainability and compliance requirements in line with company targets.
Cross Functional Support:- Provide strong, responsive service to internal teams and suppliers as the site's day-to-day procurement contact.
- Support new product development and trials by sourcing materials, coordinating samples and working with R&D and Quality on supplier qualification.
- Support Capex and project purchases with Engineering, including quotes and supplier follow-up, as assigned.
- Prepare monthly procurement KPI updates for assigned categories and suggest improvements to purchasing processes.
- Perform other related duties that contribute to the success of the operation, as assigned.
What skills do you bring the role?- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering or a related field, or equivalent experience.
- 2+ years of purchasing, procurement or supply chain experience, preferably in a manufacturing environment.
- Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish is preferred, but not required.
- Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems (purchasing, inventory and master data).
- Solid analytical skills and proficiency in Excel.
- Strong communication, organization and follow-up skills; able to manage multiple priorities.
- Ability to work with cross-functional teams and suppliers.
- Experience buying raw materials and packaging for fiber, pulp, paper or converting operations.
- Negotiation training or experience.
The compensation range for this position is $72k-$108k plus annual target bonus incentive.
