Sr. Buyer, Product Development

As a family-owned and operated company, we feel a special obligation to the employees who comprise our Taco family.  We are committed to offering employees access to the tools necessary to live long and productive lives. We strive to instill in all of our employees:

• A positive mental attitude that helps us to be a leader in the industry
• A commitment to building strong relationships, both inside and outside the organization
• A desire to learn, grow, and contribute to moving our strategy forward
• A need to create and to innovate

Employment Type:

Regular Full-Time

Shift:

 1st Shift

Work Status:

Hybrid

Position Summary

The Senior Buyer for Product Development

purchase

s

products and services

in accordance with

established company policies and procedures.

They r

esearch and manage approval of new vendor

s

base

d

on

department

need

s

in conjunction with corporate procurement and company standards

.

They m

entor and support growth and development

of the

product development b

uyer

.

They

are r

esponsible for

the

timely

delivery of product

s

and services as

required

to support research, new product

development

and the new product launch production plan

.

They e

stablish and maintain good company/vendor relationships

as well as m

anage levels of raw inventory in accordance with company and department goals and objectives.

Measures of success:

 

• Timely management of new product handoff to production buyers and planners
• Accurately research and manage new vendor approval
• Improve/maintain project expense and capital to budget

Responsibilities

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

 

• Request quotes for raw materials, tooling, equipment, supplies, etc.
• Work with the quality department to request first article inspections (FAIs)
• Manage FIAs by ensuring all sign-offs received from required departments
• Provide resolution of rejected material by working with engineering and the vendor to take care of any issues and request new samples

• D

  e

  v

  e

  l

  op

  ,

  m

  on

  it

  or

  , and receive

  purchase

  orders

• Lead and / or

  participate

  in supplier negotiation activities

• Work with customs broker and company legal assistant on international imports
• Work with engineering to resolve long lead items
• Transfer information over to the production buyers
• Research and manage new vendor approval
• Maintain new product development (NPD) project expense and capital

• Coach and mentor for skill and knowledge development of

  the

  product development b

  uyer

• Support the development of new and existing buyers by mentoring and / or leading training sessions

• Develop and manage policies and procedures for

  product development

  purchasing

  in conjunction with corporate procurement and company standards

• Participate

  in the monthly

  Sales and Operations Planning (

  S&OP

  )

  process

• Perform other duties as requested

Qualifications

Required:

• Associate

  degree

  in

  Business

• 7

  +

  years

  of

  experience

  in buying

• Experience with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel)
• Strong experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems
• Excellent organizational, communication and teamwork skills

• Ability to

  m

  aintain

  a profess

  i

  onal

  w

  or

  k

  i

  ng

  re

  l

  a

  ti

  onsh

  i

  p

  w

  it

  h

  internal and external customers and suppliers

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Travel required to conferences, customer / rep sites, etc.

Preferred:

• Bachelor’s degree

  in

  B

  usiness

• 1

  0

  +

  years

  of

  experience

  in buying

Work Environment:

This position works primarily in an office environment using

computer

and technology

. 

Verbal and auditory capability are required

. 

Occasional exposure in production

plant

where large equipment and noise are prevalent

. 

Safety gear is

required

in these areas.

 

T

his position may work from home up to 1

day

/week if performance is in good standing.

 

This position has no direct reports.

Benefits

With nearly 1,000 people working at Taco worldwide, each with their own story, you will discover a sense of community and diverse, intelligent colleagues who help us innovate, create and explore.

Taco employees benefit from a company that:

• Provides competitive salaries and benefits
• Offers tuition reimbursement, career development, …