Buyer Planner I

Overview & Responsibilities

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

What is the principal reason for the existence of the job? What is it designed to accomplish? What is the general function of the job?

Plan, schedule and purchase assigned commodities and or components from order entry to shipment within the focused factory.

This position was designed to direct and control the planning, processing and scheduling activities related to Elliott parts and product orders. The Buyer Planner I coordinates pre and post-contract requirements in accordance with customer and Elliott specifications. The general function of the job includes: utilizing existing and new computer-assisted systems, establishing schedule priorities, evaluating shop loads, maintaining the optimim level of inventory to satisfy customer requirements, and taking necessary actions to prevent/resolve overload conditions and delays in the manufacturing process.

The Buyer Planner I will when appropriate will coordinate with the designated commodity manager to develop sourcing options and strategies.

Adhere to Company and Purchasing policies and ensure procurement of material and services at most advantageous value with required quality at required time.

The Buyer Planner I will develop and maintain supplier relationships as necessary.

The Buyer Planner I is also expected to ensure compliance with the Department Operations Manual in support of Elliott Quality and ISO.

BACKGROUND and EXPERIENCE

What are the requirements of this job in terms of education and previous work experience? What kinds of knowledge and skills should the incumbent possess? (e.g. technical know-how of a function, product or process; intensive knowledge of policies and procedures; analytical skills; selling techniques; supervisory skills, etc.)

Bachelor degree or Minimum of 5 years buying and or planning and scheduling experience.

The individual must have an excellent general background in all phases of planning and purchasing.

Must have knowledge of Company purchasing policies and procedure,

Must possess experience in a heavy manufacturing environment with strengths in production and inventory control, capacity and materials requirements planning, and production activity control.

Must be familiar with ERP systems utilizing MRP and capacity management.

Must have knowledge of mechanical and geometric drawings, along with an ability to estimate material needs and shop labor hours.

Successful buyer planners possess a background in team-oriented environments, a positive attitude, an ability to change, a demonstrated ability to make decisions and a positive perspective regarding the work environment.

Excellent communication skills are required, along with the ability to influence other departments and disciplines to work together to meet the needs of the customer.

Keyboard and personal computer skills are required.

NATURE OF THE JOB

What kind of job is this? What terms best describe the principal activities of the job? (Try to identify the 4 most important) developing, creating, designing - directing, controlling, implementing - supervising, administering - collecting, recording, calculating, consolidating, analyzing - persuading, selling, convincing.) Is this a line or staff type position? To what extent are activities covered by policies, precedents or procedures? How much of the job involves responding to new, unfamiliar or original situations?

The Buyer Planner will work within the focused factory and will assess project related material and component requirements, coordinate with manufacturing to determine make or buy decisions, and provide pull signals to engineering, design and drafting for the the appropriate technical product information and drawings. Upon receipt of appropriate technical data and drawings the Buyer Planner will create and issue factory books or create and release Purchase Orders to selected suppliers.

NOTE: The Planning duties of this job are resident to the position. We have people called Buyer I and people called Buyer/Planner I at an equivalent level.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

Reviewing all manufactured and purchased customer requirements

Analyze internal manufacturing capabilities with respect to external vendor capabilities.

Provide regular order and schedule updates to PM and Master Scheduler for all projects

Implement new ideas and procedures that reduce cost or improve availability.

Control inventory levels where appropriate through the analysis of data, develop guidelines for stocking parts and direct implementation of these decisions.

Control all activities within commodity group and special assignment.

Effectively administer the buying functions, which include service, price, and quality

Understanding of buying commodities, and supply base

Negotiate pricing with key suppliers as appropriate.

Respond to new and original situations.

Manage suppliers in conjunction with and at the direction of the Commodity Management team.

Understand the factors involved in making planning / purchasing decisions.

Securing all necessary technical support for component processing

Identifying and initiating procurement of raw and finished materials for the manufacture of components parts

Evaluating work center load information

Calculating delivery estimates

Maintaining accurate data files

Relieving capacity restraints by developing and implementing corrective actions

Buyer Planner will understand and apply appropriate Elliott WI's.

Sixty percent (60%) of this position involves new and unfamiliar situations.

CONTACT WITH OTHERS

Internally, with whom does the job require regular contact? (Within the group or department, outside the department, or with other functions). Mention committee memberships. What contacts are required outside the company? (With customers, vendors, professional organizations, etc.) What are the travel requirements? (frequency, duration)

Job requires regular contact with all Focus Factory personnel and with Focus Factory Centers of Excellence and other departments within the company as appropriate.

Will also require frequent contact with suppliers, principally their management. Cross-Functional Team membership is expected.

There may be travel required in support of supplier activities, which could be frequent.

May have contact with both internal and external customers in coordination meetings and other problem areas.

May participate in the Jeanette Sourcing Council

SUPERVISION

Is the position primarily that of an individual contributor or a supervisor? What are the direct supervisory responsibilities? What degree of authority is there for hiring, discipline, discharge, performance appraisal, salary increase planning?

The person who holds this position is primarily an individual contributor; however, he or she must possess the ability to guide and direct the activities necessary to achieve customer satisfaction. This position requires the ability to elicit team work and cooperation from persons who are not direct reports, but who are critical to the completion of a task or project.

SPECIFIC JOB RESPONSIBILITIES/COMPETENCIES

Describe the important activities or duties of this job in a series of numbered sentences or short paragraphs. Try to establish the relative significance of each activity by listing in descending order of importance.

Maintain and revise as necessary planning charts for individual projects.

Establish intermediate schedule points within the reports, which support the scheduled shipping dates: i.e., drafting, drawing schedules, engineering releases, purchase requisitions, production and assembly and test schedules.

Issue reports/pull signals to sequence work for various departments (i.e. areas, torsional data, drafting, etc.).

Track and expedite those activities previously scheduled to assure the best performance to the schedule.

Manage activities and work load of Production Control personnel and cell controllers in accordance with the established schedules.

Reviews inventory levels to use up or disposition of materials in obsolescence and excess materials from previous job. Maintain a database on excess parts to be re-used on future orders.

Develop priorities for production control and storeroom personnel as to the sequence of which orders are to be picked and issued to the Focus Factory.

Expedite shortages when necessary.

Coordinate with Storeroom and Shipping for the release of ship loose parts and spares.

Manage BOM migration from engineering module to MRP module.

Creates and edits purchase requisitions for unit materials and components, and ensures proper specification, quantity, and required delivery.

Obtains prices by competitive quotations, established market prices, price schedules, etc.

Analyzes prices as to service, quality, FOB, and terms of payment.

Actively participates in cost, quality, FOB, and lead time improvement processes.

Places orders with suppliers to the best advantage of Elliott Co.

Final responsibility for insuring material availablility for assigned commodities.

Interviews supplier representatives and when deemed advisable, arranges for and attends meetings with our engineers or other interested personnel.

Makes necessary supplier plant visitations as required.

Attends seminars and meetings as required.

Administers and negotiates scrap and rework policy.

Prepares reports as required.

Maintains necessary catalog, price, quotation, supplier, and commodity files.

Recommends new sources of supply.

Will participate in Jeannette Sourcing Council, as either member or participant.

Uses good value concepts and works with all departments to obtain maximum benefits.

Practices principles of ethical purchasing and moral codes.

Ability to read, interpret, and recommend changes on drawings and specs.

Researches for technical knowledge of commodities assigned by reading and shop/supplier visits.

Approves price change and invoices in accordance with purchasing policy.

Operates within Union Contract and maintains good employee relations with bargaining and non-bargaining personnel.

Works in accordance with plant rules.

Works in a safe manner.

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