Procurement Planner

Compensation: $28.00 per hour

Core business hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., 7.5 hour daily work schedule (flexibility to work overtime when required)

Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Ins. AD&D, Sup. Life, Vacation, Sick (6), 401K, Holidays (12)

Ensure timely and cost-effective acquisition of components and finished goods from all suppliers to meet customer service level goals while simultaneously maintaining inventory level objectives. Improve visibility within the supply chain by collaborating with customers and suppliers at regular intervals. Oversee other planners and coordinates with packaging for production scheduling. Responsible for maintaining strong relationships with suppliers to ensure quality and timely delivery of materials. Will evaluate potential new vendors to ensure favorable purchasing contracts including price, lead time, payment, etc. to maximize cost effectiveness.

Essential Duties:

Planning

• Perform supply chain planning and purchasing activities on products importing from overseas including but not limited to subsidiaries and other overseas suppliers.
• Review and analyze daily demand and supply numbers to plan inventory levels effectively.
• Proactively communicate schedule changes to necessary affected personnel and reasons for any deviations

Purchasing

• Prepare, review, and refine purchasing plans according to the forecast and actual sales numbers.
• Negotiate contracts and terms with suppliers to ensure favorable pricing, payment terms, and mutually beneficial agreements.
• Develop and implement purchasing and inventory optimization strategies for promotions, new products, discontinued products, and all other stocked products.
• Proactively monitor purchase orders and expedite deliveries as needed to meet customer requirements and sales budget.
• Minimize back-ordered goods and resolve outstanding backorders quickly by coordinating activities with overseas and domestic suppliers.
• Update system information to reflect latest status.
• Provide weekly report of backorders with ETA on resolution.

Inventory Management

• Assist in developing inventory policies and practices.
• Develop inventory level targets for each inventory category. 
• Once a month at a minimum, proactively identify potential slow moving/obsolete inventory utilizing the inventory analysis report.
• Once a month at a minimum, take action to disposition slow moving/obsolete inventory.
• Set appropriate stock levels based upon sales requirements.
• Continuously maintain inventory master data in Oracle

Performance Reporting/Tracking

• Monitor forecast accuracy monthly and provide feedback.
• Maintain stock status reports. 
• Create and maintain departmental reports as required.
• Attendance and punctuality are essential duty including time management.

CONTACTS:

• Internal: Company-wide
• External: International customers/vendors, outside suppliers, consultants, Customs  

Education and/or Experience:

• Associates degree or equivalent work experience preferred.
• 2-3 years exp. in Purchasing and Planning
• Bilingual, Japanese preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and General Abilities:

• Measure and benchmark internal inventory performance against stated objectives.
• Establish metrics to monitor supplier performance.
• Establish personal goals and objectives and measure performance against those goals.
• Use a statistical system to analyze and manage inventory levels. 
• In-depth knowledge of international product merchandising, processes, and procedures.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations: Certificates, Licenses, or Registration in related field

Other Special Skills and Abilities:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Windows applications and Microsoft Office software
• PC Desktop knowledge and usage required.
• Continually work to reduce lead times, improve supplier on-time performance, improve customer service levels, reduce inventory levels, and eliminate excess and obsolete stock.
• Continually upgrade skills in the areas of Supply Chain Management, ERP systems, and problem solving.
• Utilize problem solving tools to determine root causes and solutions to planning and purchasing performance problems. 
• Aggressively manage finished goods to ensure maximum percentage in stock while minimizing safety stock levels
• Stratify inventory to focus on products that have the biggest impact on the business by utilizing the new ABC group.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Sitting for periods of time.

• Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard.

• Walking or standing for brief periods of time.

• Infrequent lifting to 15lbs.

• Prolonged visual acuity is necessary to view VDT.

• Infrequent travel to Ontario D.C.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Office