Sr. Buyer​/Planner

Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems is seeking a Sr. Buyer/Planner to join our cohesive Supply Chain Team in Kirkland, WA.

If you are interested in working at a dynamic company with a winning culture which has won awards as one of Washington's Best Places to work for 16 years consecutively, please read on!

As our Sr. Buyer/Planner
, you'll harness your expertise in contract manufacturing, cable assemblies, and electronic components to navigate the dynamic seas of procurement with finesse. Armed with a deep understanding of market trends, fierce competition insights, and a knack for strategic sourcing, you'll be pivotal in shaping our procurement strategies.

The Sr. Buyer/Planner applies company standards, policies, procedures, and best practices in performing the following:

• Develops and maintains new and existing supplier relationships:
• Gathers research and analyze information, evaluating suppliers based on quality, price, service, support, lead times, reliability, production and distribution capabilities and supplier reputation and history.
• Draws on internal cross functional resources to complete supplier selection and qualification.
• Monitors performance and supplier relationship to ensure compliance to agreements, including sharing of AES forecasts.
• May visit suppliers to further develop relationships and gain better understanding of their business.
• Cultivates relationship by navigating supplier hierarchy and system to ensure access to the right contact for the situation. Effectively escalates performance concerns within the supplier organization, as required.
• Coordinates with SQE to drive root cause/corrective action with suppliers.
• Reaches out to distribution partners to find potential suppliers/sources of hard-to-find parts.
• Evaluates vendor performance and relative risk, developing new supply sources where vendors and suppliers are no longer competitive or performing.
• Monitors inventory levels of assigned commodities and parts, revising order point levels and order quantities to optimize inventory investment.
• May provide lead role in business reviews and/or periodic supplier business reviews (S )
• Initiates work transfer:
• Conducts a strategic selection of suppliers.
• Coordinates the movement of product.
• Generates a proposal of opportunity.
• Conducts a risk analysis.
• Facilitates steps toward product movement.
• Create long term, multi-year agreements, setting out terms and conditions outside of standard terms:
• Negotiate and implement agreements for new and existing suppliers.
• Negotiates terms.
• Provides input into the development of best practices, processes, procedures, and guidelines.
• Responds to purchase requisitions and MRP demand with alternative solutions, understanding and anticipating the need behind the request and providing appropriate alternatives accordingly.
• Initiate and participate in continuous improvement projects and project teams as required, often taking a leadership role.
• Mentor and provide guidance to Buyer/Planner. May distribute work assignments according to experience and expertise.
• Strong data analytical skills and understanding with ability to transform data into usable format for analysis and action.

This position may require knowledge of SOX / 404 internal audit controls and related documentation.

• Bachelor's degree from four-year college and/or a combination of certifications (APICS and/or CPSM) and/ or 5-8 years of experience in a related manufacturing environment.
• Lean manufacturing and/or Six Sigma a plus.
• Demonstrates familiarity in the essential functions of the position including:
• Supplier development through business reviews and scorecard management
• Purchase Order lifecycle management and shortage mitigation tasks
• Supplier quality strategies including evaluation of effective corrective action.
• Manufacturing environment in a related industry preferred.

The Sr. Buyer/Planner will display the following competencies:

• Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into logical groupings.
• Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences using negotiation planners.
• Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Thinking Creatively: Suggest and implement process improvements…