Senior Buyer

Location: Safford, AZ Job Type: Full-Time Salary: $80,000- 95,000 (based on experience)

About Us: Open Loop Energy, Inc. is a full-service hydraulics repair facility specializing in heavy equipment, mining systems, and associated hydraulic components. We are committed to providing superior service and innovative solutions to our clients in the mining and heavy equipment industries. We are seeking an experienced Senior Buyer with a strong background in the mining industry and a preference for multi-site management.

Position Summary: We are seeking an experienced Senior Buyer lead purchasing activities and support the continued growth and operational performance of the organization. This position represents the next level in our purchasing career progression, combining hands-on procurement expertise with leadership, strategic sourcing, supplier management, and accountability for purchasing results. The Senior Buyer will provide direction to the purchasing function while remaining actively engaged in critical sourcing decisions, supplier negotiations, material planning, and resolution of supply issues. The successful candidate will work closely with Operations, Engineering, Finance, and other internal stakeholders to ensure materials and services are available when needed, at competitive costs, and in alignment with business and customer requirements.

Key Responsibilities: • Lead day-to-day purchasing activities and provide direction, coaching, and support to purchasing personnel. • Develop and execute sourcing and purchasing strategies that support operational requirements, cost objectives, quality, and delivery performance. • Establish and maintain strategic supplier relationships while holding vendors accountable for quality, cost, delivery, and contractual commitments. • Monitor MRP requirements, inventory levels, lead times, supplier capacity, and market conditions to anticipate and mitigate supply risks. • Identify and implement cost-reduction, inventory optimization, and purchasing process improvement opportunities. • Monitor supplier performance measures, purchasing metrics, and procurement-related reporting. • Partner with Operations, Engineering, Finance, and other departments to align purchasing priorities with production schedules, customer requirements, budgets, and organizational objectives. • Resolve significant supplier, pricing, delivery, quality, invoice, and contractual issues. • Develop the capabilities of Buyer Level I and Buyer Level II personnel through coaching, training, delegation, and performance feedback. • Support purchasing budgets, forecasts, annual planning, and management reporting. • Evaluate alternative suppliers, materials, and sourcing strategies to improve supply continuity and reduce organizational risk. • Serve as the primary purchasing representative for cross-functional initiatives and communicate significant supply-chain risks and opportunities to management.

Qualifications: Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Operations, or a related field preferred. Relevant experience may be considered in place of formal education.

Experience: Typically 5+ years of progressively responsible purchasing, procurement, or supply-chain experience, including demonstrated experience with supplier negotiations, strategic sourcing, and leadership or supervision.

Technical Skills: Strong working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems, purchasing and inventory controls, supplier performance management, data analysis, and Microsoft Excel.

Certifications: CPSM, CPIM, CSCP, or comparable professional certification preferred.

What Success Looks Like: Success in this role means building a purchasing function that is proactive rather than reactive. The Senior Buyer is expected to anticipate material and supplier risks, develop the purchasing team, strengthen supplier performance, improve cost and inventory outcomes, and provide management with clear information for sound business decisions. This position requires a leader who can balance the immediate demands of purchasing with the longer-term responsibility of developing reliable suppliers, effective processes, capable employees, and a purchasing strategy that supports Open Loop Energy's operational and business objectives.