The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory

Sr. Buyer

Aerospace & Defense
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in business or related field required; advanced degree preferred.
  • 3-5 years of relevant experience in acquisition, particularly in government acquisitions.
  • Strong knowledge and understanding of FAR and DFARS procurement regulations.
  • Proficiency in MS Excel, Word, and PowerPoint; familiarity with ERP systems, particularly PeopleSoft, preferred.
  • Ability to manage multiple assignments and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

  • Manage high-volume requisition workload for various commodities and services.
  • Conduct market research and develop requests for quotations/proposals.
  • Source new vendors and ensure compliance with small business requirements.
  • Negotiate purchase orders, terms, and conditions with legal oversight as needed.
  • Prepare purchasing documentation for management review and signature acquisition.
  • Maintain records for audits and contractor purchasing system reviews (CPSR).
  • Review and interpret government and commercial contract requirements, assessing financial risks.

Benefits

  • Workplace flexibility to support work-life balance.
  • Access to employee clubs (e.g., photography, yoga) and social events.
  • Health and finance workshops to enhance personal well-being.
  • Discounts for local museums and cultural activities.
Full Job Description

Job Description Summary:

The Senior Buyer serves as an integral member of the Procurement department within Draper's Supply Chain organization. Supply Chain strives to provide both its internal and external customers with solution oriented leadership and guidance and is focused on achieving the strategic objectives of the organization while balancing risk and regulatory compliance. This position is focused on the procurement of all commodity areas including all aspects of U.S. Government, commercial, and international purchases in accordance with Draper and U.S. Government (FAR/DFARS) procurement policies, procedures and regulations. 

Job Description:

Duties/Responsibilities
• Manages heavy requisition workload to procure a variety of commodities and services.
• Participates in strategic department initiatives and assists in training and performs presentations to the procurement team and to the company.
• Sources new vendors to meet program requirements, small business requirements and assists in Government audits.
• Conducts market research and develops requests for quotations and proposals.
• Supports a fast paced environment within a multifaceted organization.
• Develops new supplier sources where vendors are inadequate, obtains proposals/quotations and examines bids to include price and/or cost analysis in accordance with Government FAR/DFARS requirements.
• Researches new vendor financial viability through Dunn & Bradstreet and vendor’s financial statement.
• Ensures conformity and compliance with the RFP/RFQ, Draper procedures and Government (FAR/DFARS) requirements. • Negotiates purchase orders including price/cost and coordinates negotiations of terms and conditions with the internal legal team and the Business Area Lead if necessary.
• Maintains a record of all negotiations and provides proper documentation for all purchase order files including source and price justification to satisfy internal and U.S. Government audits and Contractor Purchasing System Reviews (CPSR).
• Prepares purchasing packages for review by management and coordinates to obtain required signatures.
• Reviews and interprets U.S. Government and commercial requirements, contract terms and conditions, addresses legal issues, and determines financial risk as they relate to procurement.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Skills/Abilities
• Knowledge and understanding of the FAR and DFARS.
• Able to handle multiple assignments and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Possess the ability to perform work functions in a timely and well organized manner with limited oversight.
• Possess excellent problem solving that can be deployed to collaborate effectively with different functional teams on a variety of topics.
• Possess strong interpersonal skills both verbal and written,
• Ability to develop recommendations solutions for moderate to complex problems.
• Thorough familiarity MS Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Knowledge of ERP systems, PeopleSoft preferred.

Education
Bachelor’s degree in business or related field of study is required. an advanced degree is preferred.

Experience
3-5 years of relevant experience in acquisition, preferably in government acquisitions.

Additional Job Description:

Applicants selected for this position may be required to obtain and maintain a government security clearance.

Job Location - City:

Cambridge

Job Location - State:

Massachusetts

Job Location - Postal Code:

The US base salary range for this full-time position is

$95,000.00 - $245,000.00

Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target salaries for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Union ranges will be in compliance with the collective bargaining agreement's approved rates by location and role. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.  Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and does not include bonuses or benefits.

Our work is very important to us, but so is our life outside of work. Draper supports many programs to improve work-life balance including workplace flexibility, employee clubs ranging from photography to yoga, health and finance workshops, off site social events and discounts to local museums and cultural activities. If this specific job opportunity and the chance to work at a nationally renowned R&D innovation company appeals to you, apply now www.draper.com/careers.

About The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory

Draper Laboratory is an American non-profit research and development organization, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts; its official name is The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. The laboratory specializes in the design, development, and deployment of advanced technology solutions to problems in national security, space exploration, health care and energy. The laboratory was founded in 1932 by Charles Stark Draper at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop aeronautical instrumentation, and came to be called the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory. During this period the laboratory is best known for developing the Apollo Guidance Computer, the first silicon integrated circuit based computer. It was renamed for its founder in 1970, and separated from MIT in 1973 to become an independent, non-profit organization. The expertise of the laboratory staff includes the areas of guidance, navigation, and control technologies and systems; fault-tolerant computing; advanced algorithms and software systems; modeling and simulation; and microelectromechanical systems and multichip module technology.
Learn more about The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory

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