Senior Buyer

Badger Meter - Where Every Drop Counts and So Do You
 

At Badger Meter, we're more than a leading global water technology company - we're innovators with a mission: to preserve and protect the world's most precious resource. For over 120 years, our trusted solutions have enabled our customers to optimize the delivery and use of water, maximize revenue and reduce waste.

Every employee at Badger Meter is an important part of our success. Here, your work doesn't just move a business forward - it shapes a more sustainable future. We are committed to building a workplace where we celebrate differences, empower voices, and encourage fresh ideas that drive innovation.

When you join us, you'll find:

• Purpose-driven work that makes a real difference in communities around the globe.

• Career growth and development opportunities designed to help you achieve your potential.

• A supportive, inclusive culture where collaboration and creativity thrive.

Be part of something bigger. At Badger Meter, your contributions will ripple far beyond the workplace - creating lasting change for people and the planet.

What You Will Contribute:
 

The Senior Buyer serves as the procurement subject matter expert and strategic business partner. In addition to managing complex sourcing and supplier relationships, the role influences procurement policies, develops procurement strategies, analyzes market and supply risks, and provides leadership within the purchasing function. Senior Buyers are expected to drive long-term value creation through supplier development, cost management, risk mitigation, and process improvement while mentoring others and supporting organizational decision-making.

Job Duties:

• Analyzes and schedules material purchases utilizing Material Requirements Planning (MRP) systems.    

• Analyzes material availability, reviews and sets planning parameters and issues purchase orders as necessary to meet production requirements at optimum inventory levels for assigned commodities.

• Actively manages purchase orders through ongoing communication with suppliers and internal production teams to ensure on-time delivery.

• Resolution of invoice exceptions after receipt of product.

• Initiate and negotiate contracts with suppliers for material required by Company to meet customer requirements. 

• Plans and executes procurement strategies for products and services in conjunction with cross-functional project teams. 

• Evaluates and analyzes supplier quotations to determine best overall value.  Researches and recommends suppliers for development of new products and improvements to existing products to the Company.   

• Promotes company’s ISO quality requirements to suppliers and ensures compliance to standards for material purchases by leading corrective action efforts with underperforming suppliers.

• Assess and mitigate supplier performance metrics such as on time delivery, quality, responsiveness and PPV. Develops on-going continuous improvement programs with major suppliers; major emphasis being cost reduction, quality improvement and in time delivery. 

• Effectively engages in problem resolution on such items as defective purchases, invoice problems, order changes and cancellations, etc. 

• Develops and cultivates good business relations with current and potential suppliers, negotiating price, terms and conditions of purchase and delivery through organization.

• Establishes cost standards and accounts for variance to standard. 

• Prepare pertinent reports as required advising Management of developments affecting economic changes that could impact Company performance, such as commodity market conditions, supplier capacity and delivery abilities to determine risks to present and future material availability. 

• Researches, formulates and recommends changes in Company procurement policy for approval of the Procurement Manager.  These may be in connection with quality standards, bidding procedures, supplier relations/selection etc.  May confer with various departments such as Sales, Engineering, Quality, Accounting and Manufacturing to assist in the formulation of interdepartmental procedures and the resolution of problems as they relate to the purchasing functions.

• Organizes and leads supplier meetings to align goals and drive compliance to Company standards.

• Prepare and present information to groups both internal and external to Company. Tracking and follow up for all action items discussed.

• Trains and mentors others and is the subject matter expert on procurement strategy and pro