Senior NPI Buyer

The Company

Make your mark on the future of high-growth industries with Halo Industries. Originating from Stanford University in 2014, we're pioneering a revolutionary laser technology that's redefining semiconductor material slicing. Our solution dramatically cuts waste, improves cost-effectiveness, and is fueling advancements in automotive, telecommunications, and power electronics. Following a significant funding round in 2024, we're now expanding our team to accelerate our journey towards volume manufacturing and strategic customer partnerships.

The Opportunity

The Sr. NPI Buyer/Planner is responsible for ensuring that procurement activities are aligned with NPI and production planning needs within a fast-paced startup environment. This role involves supporting supplier selection, supplier negotiations, supplier relationship development, supplier performance management, and cross-functional collaboration to enable timely New Product Introductions (NPI), operational excellence, and rapid business growth.

Role and Responsibilities:

Supplier Selection & Supplier Management

●        Identify new sourcing opportunities, mitigate supply chain risks, and actively resolve shortage issues.

●        Manage key supplier relationships to drive quality, cost, on-time delivery, and risk improvements.

●        Maintain supplier performance metrics and improvement plans as needed.

●        Benchmark current supply chain to ensure competitiveness on quality, cost, technology, resilience, and timing.

●        Research alternate sources for supply risk mitigation.

New Product Introduction (NPI) & Quality

●        Work closely with scientists and engineers to understand the sourcing requirements.

●        Help the NPI team ensure appropriate and timely BOM release, supplier establishment, and inventory systems to support timely New Product Introductions (NPI).

●        Support Engineering in the drafting of Statement of Work documents for projects with partner firms.

●        Support the Quality Assurance team in the transactional efforts for resolving Non-Conformances, SCAR, ECO implementation, and process improvements.

Contract Negotiation & Procurement

●        Support negotiations regarding supplier Development and Purchase Agreements.

●        Negotiate pricing and terms with suppliers to ensure optimal value and service levels.

●        Review, analyze, and finalize quote packages from suppliers.

●        Process POs and work with production teams to ensure that materials are available when needed.

●        Manage blanket POs and consignment inventories and optimize inventory levels.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

●        Work closely with engineering, New Product Introduction (NPI), operations, finance, and logistics teams.

●        Collaborate with manufacturing and production teams to optimize inventory management and lead times.

●        Collaborate with quality, operations, and engineering teams to conduct supply chain audits, ensuring supplier compliance with quality standards and supply continuity.

Cost Optimization & Process Improvement

●        Track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure performance, cost, quality, and delivery metrics.

●        Implement best practices for procurement, supplier risk management, and cost-saving initiatives.

●        Proliferate the effective use of our new NetSuite ERP/MRP and Arena PLM/QMS systems.

●        Improve supply chain processes for overall total supply costs, service level, and quality.

Requirements

Basic Qualifications

●        Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, or a related field.

●        5+ years of experience in planning, procurement, and supplier management in the capital equipment industry.

●        Experience with strategic sourcing, legal frameworks, and negotiations.

●        Experience working with ERP/MRP/PLM/QMS systems and supply chain analytics tools.

Preferred Qualifications

●        Supplier management and procurement experience in the Semiconductor Capital Equipment, Aerospace, Defense, or Medical equipment industries.

●        Experience with NetSuite ERP/MRP and Arena PLM/QMS.

●        Any relevant certifications like PMP/CSCP/PE/Lean/Six Sigma, etc.

●        Excellent presentation and project management skills.

●        Proven experience working with cross-functional teams within and outside of supply chain departments, including warehouse, planni