NPI Project Buyer

About Us:

How many companies can say they've been in business for over 179 years?!

Here at ZEISS, we certainly can! As the pioneers of science, ZEISS handles the everchanging environments in a fast-paced world, meeting it with cutting edge of technologies and continuous advancements.

ZEISS believes that innovation and technology are the key to a sustainable future and solutions for global change.

We have a diverse range of portfolios throughout the ZEISS family in segments like, Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, Consumer Markets and Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology.

We are a global company with over 42,000 employees and have over 4,000 in the US and Canada alone! Make a difference, come join the team!

What's the role?

The NPI / Project Buyer is responsible for leading procurement activities for New Product Introduction (NPI), product development, and other cross-functional projects from early development through production release.

This role serves as the primary procurement interface within the project team and is responsible for ensuring supplier, material, cost, and sourcing readiness in alignment with project milestones.

The NPI / Project Buyer works closely with Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Planning, Operations, Finance, and suppliers to proactively identify and resolve procurement risks that could impact product launch, cost, quality, or schedule.

Sound Interesting?

Here's what you'll do:

NPI & Project Procurement


* Lead procurement activities for assigned NPI and product-development projects from concept/prototype through production readiness.


* Represent Procurement within cross-functional project teams and ensure purchasing deliverables are integrated into the overall project plan.


* Drive sourcing and material readiness against NPI milestones and production launch requirements.


* Maintain visibility of procurement status, open issues, risks, and critical-path items.

Supplier & Sourcing Management


* Manage RFQ activities, supplier evaluations, negotiations, and sourcing recommendations.


* Partner with Strategic Sourcing and Engineering to select suppliers based on cost, quality, capability, lead time, capacity, and supply risk.


* Coordinate supplier readiness for prototypes, pilot builds, qualification, and production ramp.


* Identify long-lead, single-source, capacity, and supplier-related risks and develop appropriate mitigation plans.

BOM & Material Readiness


* Review project BOMs and drive sourcing status for purchased components.


* Identify and escalate material shortages, long lead-time items, and sourcing gaps that could impact project schedules.


* Coordinate purchasing activities associated with engineering changes, including ECO/PCO implementation.


* Support accurate material master, purchasing, and sourcing information within SAP/ERP systems.

Cost Management


* Obtain and evaluate supplier quotations and nego...