Procurement Lead

**Procurement Lead / Buyer**:
**Complex Electronics and Controlled Goods**:
**Burlington ON**:
**About the Role**:
PVLabs is seeking an experienced Procurement Lead / Buyer with depth and expertise in the entire procurement value-chain, related to complex, and highly regulated electronic components and custom-designed parts which are integral to our airborne optical systems. This role would ideally suit someone with an appreciation for highly detailed terms and conditions, flow-down of contractual obligations from customers and suppliers and who understands the complexity of the entire supply chain within a defense contractor and Controlled Goods environment.

At our peak in the coming 12-18 months, we will be making several multi million-dollar buys based on 35% COTS / 65% build-to-spec, with up to 50 bespoke suppliers, vendors & manufacturers globally, many of whom we have established, trusted relationships. We will evolve to a greater bias to COTS in the future.

**About the Responsibilities**:
Obviously, some typical procurement and buyer fundamentals will anchor the roles responsibilities, including:

- Responsible for the procurement activities relating to quality, cost, and production schedules.
- Participate in supplier selection, performance, evaluation/scorecard process.
- Interpret and maintain accurate data attributes for BOMs and planning parameters of the item master records to facilitate smooth running of the MRP system.
- Effectively interact cross-functionally with Production Scheduling Engineering, and Finance

What were ultimately seeking is an objective thinker who can look at an opportunity or a problem from several perspectives and, with a sense of ownership, create procurement solutions that make sense for both now and the future. Someone who can take a what if about Procurement and Buying and solve for issues before they arise by removing limits on current or conventional thinking.

**Specific Responsibilities**:

- Provide input into processes, operational, receiving, inventory control, supplier performance KPIs to improve overall performance and effectiveness and efficiency of the procurement function and its dependencies.
- Manage accuracy of standard costs, attributes, timelines for delivery, (integrity of our database in supply chain) in our ERP systems, know when and how to highlight costs variance/changes and how to manage changes.
- Work with functional and program leaders to track and coordinate all program deliverables, highlighting any program risks and enacting plans in place to mitigate those risks, providing regular procurement updates on program status relative to the timeliness of incoming components required for final assembly.
- Manage logistics / freight, customs documentation requirements (Controlled Goods/ITAR)
- Use the materials planning module in the MRP system to generate purchase orders.
- Negotiate lowest cost of ownership, implement supplier agreements, Non-Disclosure Agreements, Statements of Work, Basic Procurement Agreements, and Terms & Conditions.
- Produce RFQs, competitive bids, bid evaluations utilizing Cost Benefit Analysis.
- Sourcing of alternate vendors and job estimating.
- Updating of MRP standard costs and analyze PPV variances.
- Monitor inventory usage to ensure materials are available for production. (work with ICS)
- Develop, drive, and execute purchasing projects. Must have functional and operational experience in the field of Supply Chain Management.
- Follow up on outstanding purchase orders, develop and internally communicate part recovery mitigation plan.
- Regularly prepare information for Production Meetings to help highlight/resolve production issues.
- Solve day-to-day cost/quality/scheduling issues with suppliers.
- Build and maintain strong supplier relationships.
- Continuously seek opportunities to improve external & internal processes.
- Liaise with suppliers and engineering to set up and participate in Supplier conference call meetings.

**Desired Skills and Competencies**:

- Advanced knowledge of logistics / freight, customs documentation requirements for Controlled Goods/ITAR regulated complex machined parts, circuit-card assemblies and electro-optical assemblies/sub-assemblies
- Familiarization of obligations towards counterfeit parts
- Strong understanding of MRP/ERP systems and proficiency with Excel.
- Exceptional organizational, analytical, and communication skills and ultimately attention to detail.
- Comfortable with change
- A strong technical aptitude balanced with finance - comfortable and motivated to work directly with our Engineering and Finance teams on the procurement impact of component design. You dont have to be an engineer, but know how to communicate with one
- Skilled, strategic negotiator
- Naturally curious, diplomatic, and innovative.

**Desired Experiences**:

- At least 5+ years of recent / relevant experience in Buyer/Procurement role in an engineering-focused manufacturing/assembly environmen