Buyer IV

About this role

REPORTS TO:   Manager SCM Compliance & Small Business Liaison

SUPERVISES:   N/A

GENERAL PURPOSE AND SCOPE: As a member of the Supply Chain group at Austal, will play a role in the performance and success of the function and the group.  Will ensure plant needs and requirements are met while maintaining a high level of customer service.  Will have day to day responsibility for a buying desk in a specific commodity group within the Purchasing Department.  Transactions at this level will be variable, but more complex than routine, and involve significant high dollar negotiations and high levels of risk with moderate volume.

AUTHORITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES • Quoting and negotiating (when applicable) and issuing purchase orders up to authorized limits for raw materials, parts, subassemblies, finished goods, MRO materials, equipment, tooling, supplies and/or services from suppliers via purchase requisitions or MRP messages.

• Following up with requestors and end users regarding purchase order due dates and status when inquiries are made.

• Following traffic and logistics guidelines and minimizing the use of expedited shipping services where/when possible.

• Skillfully balancing the price, delivery, quality, service and value tradeoffs and rationalizing the supply base on the given buying desk.

• Following all supply chain policies, procedures, guidelines and instructions including those regarding the procurement of materials and particularly the ability to keep confidential information regarding all purchasing or commodity strategies confidential (and in some cases, within the supply chain function exclusively).

• Running and maintaining the buying desk’s purchase requisition or MRP open order, expedite, de-expedite, and past due reports.

• Working in cooperation with material planning, production planning and logistics to reduce part inventory, obsolete and slow-moving materials and handle schedule changes.

• Striving to increase understanding of the services, material and manufacturing processes associated with the assigned buying desk.

• Providing assistance to related departments when applicable to the assigned buying desk (e.g., supplier invoice discrepancies with Accounting, non-conforming material and supplier root cause and corrective actions with Quality, etc.).

• Representing the supplier inside Austal.

• Maintaining close communication with supplier account and customer service personnel, and management levels if necessary, so as to minimize risk due to supplier capacity issues, plant shutdowns, and other day to day disruptions that may affect Austal and/or open purchase orders.

• Negotiating, or assisting in the negotiation of, short- and long-term agreements for raw materials, parts, subassemblies, finished goods, MRO materials, equipment, tooling, supplies and/or services from suppliers on the assigned buying desk.

• Assisting with, or conducting, supplier site audits and investigations.

• Assisting with supplier metrics and advising suppliers of their performance.

• Maintaining professional relationships with suppliers on the assigned buying desk even in difficult times.

• Knowing when to escalate issues to, or ask for help from, the next level of management in the Supply Chain function.

• Assisting in the gathering of information to evaluate the financial stability, technical capability, process control, capacity and continuous improvement techniques of suppliers on the assigned buying desk when required.

• Conducting business in accordance with Austal policies, procedures and business ethics guidelines.

• Providing input to, and report outs on, commodity strategies and related projects.

• Reviewing statements of work when required.

• Maintaining the Buyer scorecard for the assigned buying desk to assist with cost savings/cost avoidance reporting.

• Purchasing in both MRP and project/purchase requisition-oriented type environments under Contractor Purchasing System Review guidelines.

• Assisting lower or higher-level Buyers when required.

• Working under pressure and in some cases, tight deadlines.

• Working under varying degrees of supervision.

• Participating in plant continuous improvement, Lean Manufacturing, 5S, and other initiatives involving the Supply Chain function or assigned buying desk when appropriate.

• Being the main contact point for outside departments (e.g., Engineering, Accounting, etc.) as well as suppliers.

• Participating in price book activities.

• Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS/KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE • Bachelor’s degree in Business or closely related field required or at least 10 years purchasing experience, preferably in the defense industry; Master’s degree in Business or closely related field preferred;  certifications preferred:  A.P.P., C.P.M., CPSM, CSCP, CPIM

• 6+ years purchasing experience in the commodity area required;  preferably in a Contractor Purchasing System Review- U.S. defense environment.

• Preferred work experience includes performing:  Material and service sourcing activities (quoting, analyzing, negotiating, reporting and purchase order placement);  supplier rationalization activities (adding/removing suppliers and familiarity with Approved Supplier Lists, Bid Lists, and small business requirements);  order follow-up activities (expediting, de-expediting and statusing);  ERP system familiarity; discrepancy resolution activities (invoice discrepancies, non-conforming material cases and repair/rework material authorizations);  data mining;  market analysis; dealing with traffic, routing instructions, and interaction with the laws governing direct and indirect purchasing;  and writing service contracts.

• Experience working in materials management, material planning, and/or production planning positions is desired.

• Experience leading projects.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES • The ability to utilize structured thought processes, anticipate consequences, rationalize information and articulate

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