Purchasing Planner

Summary We are seeking a Purchasing Planner. In this role, you will be responsible for looking at market outlooks and determine when and what to buy when contracting with vendors, ordering supplies, or making a big investment in a product, technology, etc. You will also be responsible for developing and implementing short- and long-term strategies to purchase commodities.

Job Duties

• Sourcing suppliers and maintaining long-lasting relationships with them as well as existing suppliers
• Lead negotiations on pricing, order quantities, and delivery timelines to optimize value..
• Working with legal counsel to ensure that all contracts relating to product procurement contain all details of the negotiation.
• Assessing quotes and compiling a detailed assessment of cost breakdowns.
• Generating quote comparisons and contributing to internal supplier selection based on the quotes.
• Manage the end-to-end purchase requisition-to-order process, including price negotiations and documentation.
• Serve as the primary liaison for vendors, tracking order status, resolving delivery discrepancies, and managing returns (RMA).
• Coordinate cross-functionally with warehouse operations to ensure procurement plans support current and projected demand requirements
• Analyze spending patterns to recommend and implement cost-saving opportunitiesDrive process enhancements through data-driven analysis and best practice implementation
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Required: Bachelor’s degree preferably in Supply Chain or business-related

• Nice-to-have: Master's degree preferably in Supply Chain or business-related

• 1-3 years of working experience as a Buyer

• Proficiency in SAP, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook

• Thorough understanding of end-to-end Procurement lifecycle management

• Demonstrated success in achieving year-over-year cost savings through vendor negotiations

• Sound time-management and organizational skills

• Team player in multi-culture environment

• Flexibility/Adaptability

• Bilingual in Mandarin Chinese is strongly preferred

• Not required but will be a plus

• Six Sigma/Lean Sigma, Certified Purchasing Professional (CPP), Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP)

Location This position will be on-site based in Sugar Land, Texas.

WHY AOI? In addition to competitive salary, AOI offers

• Flexible and competitive health (medical, dental, vision) plans offer the employee with the right options to meet individual and family needs
• Employer matching on 401(k) deferrals
• Generous PTO policy, with unused PTO payout at end of the year
• Relocation package available within US