Senior Buyer/Planner

About the role

You will own the end to end process for specific commodities and suppliers managing quote to pay while ensuring continuity of supply and reducing the cost of the assigned portfolio. You will act as a hands on operator who provides practical solutions grounded in commercial realities and technical constraints. You will partner closely with production, NPI, engineering, logistics, material handling, and suppliers to resolve issues before they impact the business. You will balance tactical buying excellence with advanced planning, supplier coordination, and cost control to support business objectives. You will maintain a pragmatic optimism that drives decisive action when supply conditions are uncertain or constrained. You will demonstrate excellence without ego by listening to cross functional partners and incorporating their input into your plans. You will engage regularly on the shop floor to validate assumptions and understand real time constraints. You will use proactive collaboration to build trusted relationships that improve forecasting accuracy and responsiveness.

Key facts

What you'll do

Analyze supplier quotes, contract terms, and landed costs to build a clear picture of total cost of ownership for each commodity in your portfolio.

Develop and maintain an advanced demand plan and inventory strategy that balances service level targets with working capital and capacity constraints.

Create and update supplier order schedules, coordinating lead times and lot sizes to align production needs with material availability.

Track supplier performance against delivery, quality, and cost metrics, and lead corrective actions when results fall short of expectations.

Perform spend analysis and category reviews to identify savings opportunities, process improvements, and risk mitigation options.

Own the documentation and approvals for purchase orders, ensuring compliance with internal controls and external regulations.

Coordinate with logistics and material handling teams to optimize transportation, receiving, and dock scheduling for inbound materials.

Engage with engineering and NPI teams to validate specifications, bill of materials, and routings that directly affect the buy plan.

Monitor market conditions for your assigned commodities, assessing risks and recommending actions to protect supply continuity.

Drive root cause analysis for supply disruptions, working cross functionally to implement and verify effective long term solutions.

Manage relationships with key suppliers, ensuring clear communication, timely escalation, and alignment on strategic priorities.

Support continuous improvement initiatives by challenging existing practices and proposing changes that increase efficiency and reduce cost.

Perform data integrity checks on master data, ensuring that item, vendor, and routing information supports accurate planning and execution.

Translate business priorities into actionable plans for your portfolio, balancing conflicting objectives such as cost, service, and flexibility.

Provide weekly status updates and exception reports to leadership, highlighting risks, decisions, and required support.

Requirements

You have a Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Business, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

You have at least three years of experience in a buyer, planner, or procurement role within a manufacturing or operations environment.

You are highly proficient in Microsoft Excel, using functions, pivot tables, and data manipulation to support analysis and decision making.

You have experience with enterprise planning systems or ERP modules related to procurement, inventory, and scheduling.

You have a strong understanding of cost structures, including material, freight, duties, and how they impact total cost of ownership.

You are comfortable managing multiple priorities and shifting deadlines while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.

You have excellent written and verbal communication skills, enabling you to influence stakeholders at various levels of the organization.

You are able to interpret technical documents, specifications, and data sets to ensure alignment between procurement and engineering requirements.

Nice to have

Experience in the energy, utility, or industrial manufacturing sectors, where supply chain decisions have material financial and operational impact.

Familiarity with sustainability or emissions related reporting that may affect commodity choices and supplier selection.

Experience with advanced planning tools, statistical forecasting techniques, or inventory optimization methods.

Practical notes

This role is based in Menlo Park, California, and requires physical presence in the office.

Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States without sponsorship at this time.

The work schedule is full time, during standard business hours, with possible adjustments to support critical business needs.

Travel is not required for this position, though occasional off site meetings with suppliers or partners may occur.