Buyer​/Planner

Buyer / Planner NPAworldwide
• Mentor, OH, Ohio, USA

The Buyer/Planner is responsible for effectively planning, procuring, and managing materials to support production and business objectives. This role requires a strong sense of urgency, a bias for action, and the ability to think and act like an owner. The ideal candidate proactively identifies risks, drives solutions, and holds themselves and partners accountable to ensure material availability, cost control, and schedule adherence.

• Develop and execute material plans to support production schedules, customer demand
• Place, manage, and expedite purchase orders to ensure on-time delivery
• Balance supply, demand, lead times, and inventory to optimize working capital
• Monitor MRP signals and take swift action to resolve exceptions
• Take full ownership of assigned commodities, parts, or suppliers from order placement through delivery
• Drive accountability with suppliers and internal partners to meet commitments
• Clearly communicate risks, constraints, and recovery plans when issues arise
• Measure performance and actively work to improve delivery, cost, and inventory results
• Ensure compliance to operational processes and procedures
• Proactively identify material shortages or risks and act decisively to prevent disruptions
• Escalate issues early and recommend solutions rather than waiting for direction
• Make timely, data-driven decisions in a fast-paced environment
• Build strong relationships with suppliers to improve performance, capacity, and responsiveness
• Collaborate cross-functionally with operations, engineering, quality, and logistics
• Support root cause and corrective action efforts related to delivery or quality issues

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business, Operations, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• 3+ years of experience in buying, planning, or supply chain roles
• Experience working in an MRP/ERP environment
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills

• Sense of Urgency:
  Acts quickly and decisively to meet business needs
• Bias for Action:
  Prefers action over waiting; moves work forward proactively
• Ownership Mindset:
  Thinks and acts like the business is their own
• Accountability:
  Takes responsibility for outcomes and follows through on commitments
• Communication:
  Clear, direct, and professional in all interactions
• Resilience:
  Thrives in a dynamic, changing environment