Join Our Team in Shelton, CT as a Senior Buyer. The Senior Buyer is responsible for sourcing and purchasing raw materials, outside processing, components, tooling, and supplies needed to support production in a fast-paced precision manufacturing environment. This role works closely with production, engineering, quality, maintenance, and suppliers to ensure materials and services are purchased on time, to specification, and at the best overall value.
What You'll Do- Review MRP requirements, production schedules, inventory levels, and requisitions to determine purchasing needs and timing.
- Source and purchase raw materials, especially metals such as coil, strip, bar, wire, and specialty alloys, while ensuring specifications and certification requirements are met.
- Purchase and coordinate outside processing, including heat treatment, plating, coating, grinding, deburring, testing, and other subcontracted operations.
- Obtain and evaluate supplier quotes, negotiate pricing, lead times, terms, and agreements, and support cost-reduction initiatives.
- Create, issue, and maintain purchase orders in the ERP/MRP system; track acknowledgments, delivery status, open orders, expedites, and supplier follow-up.
- Work with quality, engineering, production, receiving, and accounts payable to resolve supplier, delivery, documentation, receiving, and invoice issues.
- Monitor supplier performance related to quality, delivery, responsiveness, and cost, and support supplier qualification, corrective action, and approved supplier list maintenance.
- Maintain accurate purchasing records, supplier data, material certifications, and documentation to support audit readiness, traceability, and customer requirements.
- Support continuous improvement in purchasing processes, inventory management, lead-time reduction, and supplier reliability.
What You Bring- Bachelor's degree in supply chain, business, engineering, or a related field preferred, or equivalent purchasing experience.
- 5+ years of purchasing or buying experience in a manufacturing environment; metals, raw materials, and outside-processing experience strongly preferred.
- Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems, purchasing processes, supplier management, and manufacturing documentation.
- Ability to read and understand engineering prints, material specifications, and certification requirements.
- Strong Excel, negotiation, organization, communication, follow-up, and problem-solving skills.
- Familiarity with IATF 16949, AS9100, or similar quality systems is preferred.
- Strong sense of urgency and attention to detail.
- Ability to prioritize multiple purchasing needs in a changing production environment.
- Clear communication with suppliers and internal teams.
- Analytical mindset with a focus on cost, delivery, quality, and process improvement.
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S. or protected individual as defined by ITAR (22 CFR a7120.15).
