{"id":1146120,"url":"https://alion.io/job/thorlabs-purchaser-planner-i-4","title":"Purchaser Planner I","company":{"id":6560,"name":"Thorlabs","domain":"thorlabs.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/thorlabs","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"is_intermediary":false,"ats_vendor":"Workable","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":84,"open_postings":16,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.625,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":33,"computed_at":"2026-09-24T05:45:00Z"}},"role":"Operations","role_family":"Operations","seniority":null,"employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Sterling, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":57000,"max":71000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":71000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Microsoft Excel","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-23T15:15:06Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-23","last_verified_at":"2026-09-24T09:10:28Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":0,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":0},"description":"At Thorlabs, we design and manufacture components, instruments, and systems that transform the world by identifying, enabling, and accelerating key photonics (i.e., light-based) technologies. Backed by a dedicated workforce of more than 3,000 employees worldwide, Thorlabs contributes to cutting-edge research and real-world innovation.\nWhether you're early in your career or bringing years of experience, you’ll find opportunities to grow, take ownership, and make meaningful contributions from day one. We know every employee brings unique talents and perspectives that fuel our success, and we seek driven individuals who are excited to make an impact in a fun, fast-moving culture.\nThe position is responsible for but not limited to assisting planning, purchasing, forecasting, and inventory management for the Virginia Imaging Systems Group by:\nWorking with operations, manufacturing, Engineering R&D, internal sales, and overseas offices\nNegotiating prices, establishing lead times and purchasing products,\nPlanning, scheduling of machine shop and inventory management. Responsibilities of the Purchaser Planner I position will include, purchasing consumables and project work to reduce costs and improve processes, as well as, ongoing vendor evaluations Works under general supervision.\nEssential Job Functions include the following, but are not limited to:\nInventory Control and Inventory Planning (Safety Stock, forecast, build/order size).\nPurchasing (Daily purchasing, expediting, date and data management).\nInitiates and participates in purchasing improvement and cost reduction programs.\nGenerate special and periodic reports as required or directed.\nReview Document and Data.\nReview company back orders.\nProduct Availability and Lead Time calculation.\nRequirements\nExperience:\nMinimum 1 years of experience in a similar position.\nEducation:\nHigh School Diploma or equivalent or equivalent work experience\nSpecialized Knowledge and Skills:\nStrong Inventory planning skills\nUnderstanding of safety stock, forecasting, and made-to-order products\nStrong understanding of how a product moves through an ERP system\nStrong knowledge of transaction processing\nKnowledge and understanding of BOMs and how they impact the forecast, purchase, and manufacturing requirements\nStrong sense of ownership\nStrong written and verbal communication skills\nStrong computer skills including Microsoft Excel\nExcellent organizational skills\nStrong ability to work well in a group atmosphere and comply with high-quality standards.\nStrong ability to shift from one task to another to address changing production priorities.\nThe estimated pay range for this role is $57,000 - $ 71,000 annually\nThorlabs values its diverse environment and is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified individuals will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identify or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age or veteran status. Job descriptions are not intended as and do not create employment contracts. The organization maintains its status as an at-will employer. Employees can be terminated for any reason not prohibited by law.\nBenefits\n Thorlabs offers a complete benefits package that includes medical, dental and vision insurance, company paid life insurance, a generous PTO package, a 401(k) plan, and tuition reimbursement just to name a few.","description_format":"text","description_chars":3456,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Life insurance","Vision insurance"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Hardware","Lasers & Photonics","Laboratory Equipment"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-23T15:15:06Z"}],"liveness":{"score":63,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.632,"p_room":1,"age_days":0,"expected_fill_days":33,"reasons":["conf:1","stale_co","velocity","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-09-24T05:45:00Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":71000,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/thorlabs-purchaser-planner-i-4","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/thorlabs-purchaser-planner-i-4.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-09-24T09:35:58Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers"}}