Buyer

Job Details: Job Location: Reno - Reno, NV, Salary Range: $72000.00 - $79000.00Salary/year, Job Shift: Day, ABOUT VSE We’ve been in business since 1981, founded on the principle of providing the best services to our customers through hard work and a commitment to excellence. VSE provides superior turn-key PCB solutions that exceed industry exacting standards. We provide assembly and engineering services for electro-mechanical products.  VSE exists to empower life-changing and life-saving technologies worldwide. We are successful because of our commitment to exceptional customer service, being nimble, and delivering the highest quality.   Our team members are humble, curious, and electric! We are team players, practicing gratitude and treating others with respect. We are passionate learners, hungry for understanding and eager to explore. We are energized with positivity, wired, and driven to succeed!  Join our team to unlock our dynamic benefits: competitive pay, generous 401k match, flexible schedules, paid time off, holiday pay, health and wellness, along with opportunities for growth and development.   ABOUT THE ROLEThe Quick Turn/NPI Buyer owns the procurement of everything our production team and engineers need to build, test, and iterate on new designs, and owns it fast. You will source components and custom parts for prototype and early-build programs, hunt down the hard-to-find items that stall a build, and keep suppliers responsive, accurate, and accountable. You are the link between quoting and purchasing, making sure what we quote is what we can actually buy, at the speed and cost the program needs. This is an ownership role. You are not waiting for requisitions to arrive; you are anticipating them. When a part is late, wrong, or unobtainable, you take the problem, work the options, and bring the team a recovery plan, not just an update.  What You Will Own Speed and Execution  Own the full prototype buying cycle: review BOMs and requisitions, issue RFQs, place and manage POs, confirm acknowledgements, expedite, and close the loop through receipt  Prioritize by build date, risk, and lead time rather than working the queue in order  Turn around quotes and POs on short timelines without sacrificing accuracy; define and hold yourself to response-time targets [e.g., RFQ out within X business days]  Maintain a standing view of open orders, shortages, and at-risk parts against the build schedule, and share it with engineering and operations on a regular cadence   Sourcing and Hard-to-Find Components  Source across the full range of prototype needs: catalog and distributor parts, OEM, custom build-to-print parts (machined, molded, fabricated, PCB, cable assemblies), and long-lead or sole-source items  Find the part when the obvious channels fail: work franchised and authorized distributors, brokers (with appropriate counterfeit-risk controls), manufacturer direct contacts, and alternates and crosses in partnership with engineering  Identify, screen, and onboard new suppliers when existing ones cannot meet speed, capability, or capacity needs, including quotes, terms, and first-article expectations  Flag single-source, long-lead, and obsolescence risks to engineering early, before a design is frozen  Conduct market research to build a bench of qualified suppliers by commodity and process   Supplier Relationships and Performance Management  Build strong, direct relationships with supplier sales, customer service, and engineering contacts so we get a faster answer when it counts  Negotiate pricing, MOQs, lead times, and terms within your authority level, escalating strategy and final supplier-selection decisions to Director of Materials.  Track supplier on-time delivery, quality, quote responsiveness, and accuracy; maintain scorecards and hold regular check-ins or business reviews with key suppliers  Drive corrective action with suppliers on delivery and quality misses, partnering with Quality on nonconformances, returns, and supplier corrective action requests  Maintain an approved/preferred supplier list and supporting documentation in coordination with Quality   Quoting and Purchasing Alignment  Serve as the bridge between quoting and purchasing: supply fast, reliable cost and lead-time inputs so quotes reflect what we can actually source  Maintain accurate cost, lead time, and MOQ data so quoting is not working from stale numbers; feed back actual PO pricing against quoted pricing  Track purchase price variance and flag when market conditions or supplier changes affect open quotes  Support cost reduction and prototype-to-production transition planning by capturing pricing, supplier, and capability learnings for the production buying team   Cross-Functional Partnership and Data Accuracy  Partner daily with engineering, quoting, operations, and quality; communicate bad news early and with a recovery plan  Own the accuracy of purchased-part data in the ERP: item masters, BOM, lead times, costs, and supplier records  Manage supplier-side changes, including product change notifications, end-of-life notices, and last-time-buy decisions, and coordinate engineering change impacts with suppliers  Follow purchasing controls and supplier documentation requirements applicable to our quality system [e.g., ISO 9001 / ISO 13485 / AS9100]   QualificationsRequired  3–5+ years of purchasing, sourcing, or buying experience, ideally supporting prototype, NPI, or low-volume, high-mix environments  Demonstrated success sourcing hard-to-find, obsolete, or long-lead components and custom parts, especially in copy-exact environments  Experience finding and onboarding new suppliers, not only managing an established supply base  Ability to read engineering drawings and BOMs well enough to hold a credible technical conversation with suppliers and engineers  Hands-on ERP/MRP experience with ownership of item master and BOM data accuracy, Infor Syteline preferred  Strong Microsoft Suite knowledge; strong Excel skills for quote comparisons, shortage tracking, and supplier scorecards  Clear written and verbal communication, with the ability to influence without direct authority   Preferred  Experience in a regulated manufacturing environment (ISO, AS9100, and/or FDA)  Familiarity with counterfeit-avoidance practices when buying from brokers and independent distributors  Experience supporting a product from prototype through production ramp  Experience with custom fabrication processes (machining, injection molding, PCB(A), cable assemblies)  APICS/ASCM or similar supply chain certification  Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience  Qualifications: High school diploma or equivalent required; additional education or certifications in supply chain or procurement is a plus.  Minimum of three years’ experience in procurement, preferably in an electronics or contract manufacturing environment.  Demonstrated ability in strategic pricing and competitive quote analysis.  Strong communication skills (both verbal and written).  Proficient in basic arithmetic and comfortable working with numbers.  Dependable, self-motivated, and capable of working independently with high energy and attention to detail.  Proficient with PC applications including Microsoft Excel and Word.