Senior Buyer

Job Title: Senior BuyerJob Description

This Senior Buyer role leads purchasing, material planning, and supplier management for metal fabrication and heat transfer projects in the United States. You will align procurement activities with the companys backlog and growth strategy, ensuring high-quality materials are secured on time and within budget. The position manages the purchasing function and department processes, but does not include direct people management responsibilities.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the purchasing function based on current backlog and standard serial business, with strong emphasis on material planning that supports the companys current business model and growth strategy.
• Provide leadership for all purchasing activities and actively engage with current and potential vendors to secure high-quality materials and services in a timely and cost-effective manner.
• Monitor vendor performance for quoting accuracy, acknowledgement processes, on-time delivery, and quality of deliverables and services, and take corrective action when needed.
• Maintain and update a database to evaluate and manage blanket orders, particularly for high-volume materials, to achieve cost-effective procurement and inventory management.
• Analyze and fully understand commodity markets to forecast trends and plan effective procurement strategies for key materials.
• Communicate lead times, material constraints, and improvement options clearly and proactively to management and other departments.
• Maintain robust inventory controls through regular cycle counts and effective use of the ERP/MRP system.
• Collaborate closely with the Quality function to investigate, troubleshoot, and resolve supplier and material issues.
• Uphold and promote company goals, core values, and standards in all purchasing and supplier management activities.
• Support and execute additional projects and initiatives as assigned by the VP of Operations.

Essential Skills

• Minimum of 2+ years of purchasing experience.
• Hands-on experience with ERP systems, with the ability to manage purchasing, inventory, and material planning within an ERP/MRP environment.
• Experience with JobBoss ERP is strongly preferred; experience with other systems such as SAP or similar ERP platforms is also acceptable.
• Demonstrated experience in vendor management, including quoting, purchase order management, and performance evaluation.
• Proven ability to manage purchase orders, inventory levels, and blanket orders in a manufacturing or industrial setting.
• Strong understanding of engineer-to-order environments and processes, including coordination with engineering and production teams.
• Ability to interpret and respond to commodity market trends to support effective procurement decisions.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to clearly convey lead times, material issues, and improvement options to stakeholders at different levels.
• Experience using ERP systems for inventory control, cycle counts, and material planning.
• Background in metal fabrication, heat transfer, or similar industrial/manufacturing industries is strongly preferred.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, or a related field is ideal but not required.
• Experience in engineer-to-order manufacturing environments is strongly preferred.
• Industry experience in metal fabrication, heat transfer, or similar manufacturing sectors is strongly preferred.
• Experience with quality improvement initiatives in partnership with suppliers and internal quality teams.
• Ability to work independently, manage priorities, and support multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills, with attention to detail in purchasing and inventory records.
• Comfort working in a collaborative, team-oriented environment where everyone contributes to shared goals.

Work Environment

This role is primarily on site, with the expectation of working 100% in the facility initially to ensure thorough training and integration with the team. Once fully trained and able to work independently, there is potential to work 12 days per week from home under a hybrid schedule. The standard shift is 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with a 1-hour lunch break, and there is some flexibility in start time, typically between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., to accommodate personal needs. The Senior Buyer will have a dedicated corner office and will work closely with operations, quality, and other departments in a metal fabrication and heat transfer manufacturing environment. The team culture emphasizes collaboration, mutual support, and shared success, with everyone pitching in to meet goals and celebrating achievements together, including occasional Friday outings during work hours. The work relies heavily on ERP systems such as JobBoss or similar platforms for purchasing, inventory management, and material planning.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Lockport, NY.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $33.65 - $40.86/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: Medical, dental & vision Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital 401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) Short and long-term disability Health Spending Account (HSA) Transportation benefits Employee Assistance Program Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Lockport, NY.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Oct 26, 2026.

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Lockport,NY.

About Aston Carter

Aston Carter provides world-class corporate talent solutions to thousands of clients across the globe. Specialized in accounting, finance, human resources, talent acquisition, procurement, supply chain and select administrative professions, we extend the capabilities of industry-leading companies. We draw on our deep recruiting expertise and expansive network to meet the evolving needs of our clients and talent community with agility and excellence. With offices across the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe, Aston Carter serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® Platinum Award winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email astoncarteraccommodation@astoncarter.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.