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Mainspring Energy manufactures fuel-flexible, low-emissions local power solutions for Fortune 500 companies, data centers, and utilities. As Senior Buyer for R&D and New Product Introduction (NPI), you will be the primary supply chain liaison for the Electrical Engineering team, managing tactical purchasing for prototype builds and guiding parts through the transition from R&D into production manufacturing.
You will own end-to-end purchasing for R&D and prototype builds, including RFQ management, PO placement, expediting, and delivery coordination. You'll source and onboard quick-turn suppliers, negotiate pricing and NRE for prototype quantities, and resolve component shortages, allocation issues, and end-of-life parts through engineering alternates and distributor channels. You'll plan and stage material for builds, coordinating kitting and receiving with the shop floor and Quality teams.
As programs transition from NPI to manufacturing, you'll support prototype-to-production handoffs including part qualification, FAI, capacity/lead-time confirmation, and supplier engineering change execution. You'll partner with Supply Chain Program Managers and Commodity Managers to ensure R&D buys align with volume supplier and terms strategy.
You'll maintain accurate ERP/MRP data—part records, sourcing rules, lead times, and pricing—and run MRP to drive purchasing decisions. You'll keep open orders and shortage lists current, report cost/schedule/supply risk to program teams, and resolve receiving, quality, and invoice discrepancies with AP, Quality, and suppliers.
You'll sit within the Strategic Sourcing team's SC PM & Cost Engineering group, balancing structured projects (supplier/part qualification, RFQs, EC cut-in planning) with a live queue of ad-hoc engineering requests.
**Requirements:**
- BA/BS in Business, Supply Chain, or Engineering, or equivalent experience
- 3+ years of buyer/planner experience in hardware manufacturing, ideally supporting R&D or NPI
- Hands-on ERP/MRP proficiency (POs, part/planning data, MRP execution)
- Working knowledge of electrical commodities: PCBAs, cables/harnesses, e-boxes/enclosures, connectors, passives
- Ability to read BOMs and engineering changes; credible communication with design engineers
- Highly organized and self-directed under shifting priorities
**Preferred Qualifications:**
- Experience with contract manufacturers
- Familiarity with obsolescence/allocation markets and AVL management
- Experience with formal EC processes or PLM systems
- Analytics/AI tool experience (dashboards, scripting) for reporting automation
