Purchasing Specialist II

Description

GENERAL SUMMARY:

This is a salaried position located in City of Industry, California, reporting directly to the Purchasing Manager. The Purchasing Specialist II is responsible for the day-to-day purchasing of raw materials, ingredients, and packaging materials for food manufacturing operations. The main focus of this role is placing purchase orders; negotiating pricing, payment terms, and lead times with suppliers; replenishing materials; and maintaining inventory levels to ensure uninterrupted supply to production.

The Purchasing Specialist II works closely with Production Planning, R&D, Receiving, Quality Assurance, Accounting, and suppliers. This role also supports R&D projects by sourcing materials for new items and requesting the supplier documentation R&D needs, and uses ERP/MRP data to troubleshoot supply issues, keep purchasing data accurate, and identify opportunities to reduce cost.

This position is intended for candidates currently residing within a reasonable commuting distance of our facility in City of Industry, CA. Relocation assistance is not available for this position, and only local candidates will be considered. 

SCOPE OF JOB FUNCTION

Purchase Orders & Replenishment

• Run MRP at appropriate times and use it to create and place purchase orders for raw materials, ingredients, and packaging.
• Place purchase orders with approved suppliers in a timely manner based on production schedules, forecasts, and inventory levels.
• Replenish materials using established reorder points, minimum order quantities, and lead times.
• Confirm order acknowledgments, delivery dates, and pricing with suppliers.
• Follow up on open purchase orders and investigate any purchase order past its due date.
• Ensure purchase orders are complete and accurate, including pricing, freight, and payment terms.

Pricing, Terms & Negotiation

• Negotiate pricing, payment terms, lead times, minimum order quantities, and freight with suppliers.
• Obtain and compare quotes to ensure competitive pricing on purchases.
• Calculate the total cost of purchases, including freight, terms, and rebates.
• Communicate price changes and their impact to the Purchasing Manager and Accounting.

Inventory Management & Troubleshooting

• Monitor and maintain inventory levels to ensure material availability while minimizing excess inventory.
• Proactively identify potential shortages and develop solutions to prevent production disruptions.
• Troubleshoot supply issues such as late deliveries, shortages, quality rejections, and inventory discrepancies.
• Expedite late or short shipments and relay delays to Production Planning and Customer Service in a timely fashion.
• Monitor slow-moving, excess, and obsolete materials and recommend corrective actions.

R&D Projects, New Item Sourcing & Documentation

• Source materials, ingredients, and packaging for new R&D projects, including requesting samples, quotes, and specifications from suppliers.
• Coordinate with R&D, Quality Assurance, and suppliers on the sampling, evaluation, and approval of materials for new and existing items.
• Provide material cost, minimum order quantity, and lead time information to support R&D project costing and launch timelines.
• Request supplier documentation needed by R&D for new items and ingredients under evaluation, such as specification sheets, allergen statements, nutritional information, and kosher/halal and food safety certifications.
• Coordinate with suppliers to ensure required documentation is submitted to SafetyChain in a timely manner to support R&D project timelines.
• Provide occasional support to R&D in following up with suppliers on missing or incomplete documentation.
• Support R&D on material changes for existing items, such as reformulations, supplier changes, and packaging updates, including requesting supplier documentation as needed.
• Track R&D project materials and timelines and communicate status, changes, and delays to the project team.

ERP Data & Analysis

• Maintain accurate item master data in ROSS, including pricing, lead times, minimum order quantities, supplier information, and reorder points.
• Generate and analyze purchasing and inventory reports to track spend, supplier delivery performance, and inventory trends.
• Analyze purchasing data to identify cost-saving opportunities and process improvements.
• Validate purchasing data integrity and correct errors as needed.

Cross-Functional Support

• Collaborate with Production Planning to support production schedules and forecast requirements.
• Communicate with Receiving on supplier returns, rush orders, and late orders.
• Work closely with Accounting to resolve invoice discrepancies, pricing issues, and supplier rebate programs.
• Attend new item setup meetings to ensure materials are purchased and received on time for first production.
• Maintain compliance with company policies, food safety requirements, GMPs, SQF standards, and supplier approval programs.
• Travel occasionally to suppliers or other company locations as business needs require.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE

REQUIRED:  

• Bachelor's Degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Finance, Economics, or related field. 
• 3-6 years of purchasing or buyer experience within a food manufacturing environment. 
• Experience placing purchase orders and negotiating pricing, payment terms, and lead times with suppliers. 
• ERP and MRP systems experience (Ross, SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite, or equivalent). 
• Strong understanding of inventory control and material replenishment. 
• Analytical skills with experience interpreting purchasing and inventory data. 
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills including Pivot Tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, and data analysis tools. 
• Strong problem-solving, negotiation, organizational, and communication skills. 
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. 
• Knowledge of GMPs and food safety standards. 
• Strong English language skills, both written and verbal. 
• Ability to travel occasionally as business needs require.  

DESIRED:

• Knowledge of food manufacturing practices and Bills of Materials (BOMs). 
• Experience supporting R&D or new product development projects. 
• Experience with Safety Chain or similar supplier documentation systems. 
• Experience with supplier rebate programs. 
• Experience with purchasing reports and dashboards.