Job Title:  Purchasing Associate

As a Purchasing Associate, you will help ensure the uninterrupted flow of materials and services that support manufacturing and business operations. You will work with suppliers and internal teams to procure quality products at competitive costs, maintain inventory accuracy, support compliance, and contribute to process improvements. This role is a strong fit if you enjoy solving problems, managing details, and building effective supplier relationships.

Responsibilities:

• Execute daily procurement activities, including purchase order creation, order placement, lead time verification, pricing validation, order acknowledgements, rescheduling, and supplier follow-up.
• Support procurement strategies aligned with quality, cost, and delivery objectives.
• Build and maintain supplier relationships and assist with pricing and contract discussions.
• Evaluate supplier performance, including quality, reliability, delivery, and compliance.
• Identify and help reduce supplier and supply chain risks.
• Partner with internal teams to understand sourcing needs and support supplier selection.
• Maintain accurate purchasing records and documentation.
• Resolve purchasing, supplier, inventory, or invoice-related issues in a timely manner.
• Track and report purchasing metrics, including cost and supplier performance information.
• Support continuous improvement of purchasing procedures and documentation.
• Receive, stock, organize, and issue inventory to support operational needs.
• Participate in cycle counts and physical inventory activities to support inventory accuracy and resolve discrepancies.
• Follow applicable quality procedures and support compliance with regulatory requirements, industry standards, and company policies.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Associate degree in Business, Supply Chain, Operations, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience supporting purchasing, procurement, supply chain, inventory, or operations functions.
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Problem-solving skills and the ability to use data to support decisions.
• Supplier relationship and negotiation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency with ERP systems and Microsoft Office applications.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability and willingness to use AI tools to improve productivity, decision-marking, work quality, and to reduce costs. The successful candidate must be able to identify appropriate AI use cases and critically evaluate AI-generated outputs.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a regulated manufacturing environment.
• Medical device industry experience.
• Experience using ERP systems, Ariba, Qlik, or similar procurement and analytics tools.
• Knowledge of inventory control and supply chain best practices