Job Description

Customer Solutions - Buyer / Planner

Job Category: Manufacturing

Location: Kansas City, MO Travel: Minimal (less than 10%) occasional supplier visits or site support

Job Summary

The Customer Solutions Buyer Planner is a key operations partner within the new service center, responsible for managing procurement and material planning to support customer service commitments, efficient service center operations, and technical support activities. This role ensures material availability through accurate planning, timely purchasing, and strong supplier coordination. The position will collaborate with engineering, service technicians, logistics, and leadership to enable smooth, customer-responsive operations.

Key Responsibilities

Procurement & Supplier Management

• Issue and manage purchase orders based on planned demand, inventory levels, and service work orders.
• Monitor open orders to ensure on-time delivery and proactively expedite as needed.
• Build strong relationships with suppliers to improve lead times, delivery accuracy, and issue resolution.
• Maintain accurate supplier information and pricing in SAP.

Inventory Planning & Materials Optimization

• Set and monitor safety stock levels, reorder points, and planning parameters for all critical service items.
• Use consumption data and service forecasts to adjust inventory strategies and improve availability.
• Support service center start-up and scaling by creating and maintaining accurate Material Master records.

Operational & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with service technicians, engineers, and warehouse personnel to align material availability with job scheduling.
• Participate in daily or weekly operations meetings to flag material constraints and support resolution planning.
• Provide materials support for service center builds, rebuilds, upgrades, and technical service initiatives.

Data & Systems Management

• Leverage SAP and Excel to monitor supply chain performance metrics (inventory turns, supplier OTIF, COTD).
• Ensure accurate system transactions, including goods receipts, purchase order updates, and BOM validations.
• Assist in root cause investigations for inventory variances and supply disruptions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Logistics, or related field preferred.
• 3+ years of experience in buying, planning, or inventory control in a manufacturing, service, or technical environment.
• Proficiency in SAP, Excel, and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to work cross-functionally and with external suppliers.
• Detail-oriented with a proactive mindset toward continuous improvement and customer satisfaction.

Physical & Work Environment Requirements

• Primarily office-based with frequent collaboration in shop floor/warehouse areas.
• Must be able to sit, type, and work at a computer for extended periods.
• Occasional walking or standing during inventory audits or team support.
• Ability to communicate effectively in person, via phone, or virtual platforms.

Equal Opportunity Employer This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.

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