Sr. Buyer

At Watlow's Manufacturing Center of Excellence in Hannibal, Missouri, we combine precision manufacturing with forward-thinking innovation. Part of a global thermal solutions leader founded in 1922, our Hannibal facility is a critical hub for high-performance manufacturing, engineering, and operational excellence.

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We are hiring a: Senior Buyer

Hannibal, Missouri

Watlow is seeking a Senior Buyer who will manage day-to-day purchasing for an assigned product line and help drive cost-down and supplier improvement initiatives. This individual will place and track purchase orders, own supplier relationships, negotiate cost and terms, and keep a close eye on material availability so production and project schedules stay on track. They will work closely with Engineering, Quality, Operations, Planning, Finance, and Logistics to ensure continuity of supply, improve supplier performance, reduce costs, and manage supply chain risk. The ideal candidate brings strong negotiation skills, hands-on purchasing experience, and the follow-through to resolve supply issues before they impact the business.

What you'll do:

Purchasing & order management: Place, expedite, and track purchase orders for assigned materials and components against production and project schedules, and work MRP/ERP requisitions and exception messages including shortages, late orders, and past-due purchase orders.

Supply risk monitoring: Monitor supplier lead times, safety stock, and open-order backlogs to identify and mitigate supply risks, and keep Planning and Management informed on open orders, past-due items, and emerging issues.

Supplier relationship management: Own supplier relationships for assigned commodities, negotiate pricing, lead times, and terms, and support supplier onboarding, qualification, performance reviews, and corrective actions.

Issue resolution: Resolve supplier delivery, quality, invoice, receiving, and material discrepancies, and manage supplier engineering changes, obsolescence, and end-of-life notifications.

Cost reduction: Identify and lead cost-reduction opportunities through negotiations, re-sourcing, volume consolidation, and design-for-cost initiatives, and track committed and realized savings against cost-down targets.

Strategic sourcing: Lead or support RFQ/RFP activities, conduct should-cost analysis and benchmarking to set negotiation targets, evaluate total cost of ownership, and qualify alternate and second-source suppliers. Support annual price negotiations and contract renewals.

Engineering partnership: Partner with Engineering on new part introductions, BOM changes, ECOs, and Value Engineering/Value Analysis (VE/VA) opportunities to ensure supply continuity and lower cost.

Logistics & trade compliance: Coordinate incoming freight shipments with Logistics, Trade Compliance, and Engineering, and support accurate HTS classifications and required import/export documentation.

Data accuracy: Maintain accurate supplier and item master data in the ERP system.

Continuous improvement & mentorship: Participate in Lean and continuous improvement activities and serve as a subject matter expert and mentor within the purchasing function.

What you'll need to succeed?

3+ years of purchasing, procurement, sourcing, or related supply chain experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience

Strong experience with supplier management, purchasing, negotiation, and material planning

Experience with MRP/ERP systems and Microsoft Excel

Strong analytical, negotiation, problem-solving, and conflict-resolution skills

Excellent communication, organization, follow-up, and customer service skills

Ability to manage multiple priorities and build effective internal and external relationships

Ability to travel occasionally within the state

Preferred qualifications:

Bachelor's degree

Relevant certification such as APICS (CPIM, CSCP, CFPIM), ISM (CPM, CPSM, CSM), or equivalent

Lean certification

Project management and leadership experience