Senior Buyer
ExternalPrepare for this interview
EliteAI-generated questions, company research, and talking points tailored to this role
About the role
The Senior Buyer is a procurement professional responsible for the strategic sourcing and purchasing of specialized materials and services that support New England Biolabs' manufacturing, research, and operational activities across multiple sites including a cGMP facility. This role goes beyond transactional buying and focuses on developing sourcing strategies for complex, regulated, and often single‑source life sciences materials. The Senior Buyer plays a critical role in ensuring supply continuity, cost effectiveness, compliance, and risk mitigation across the supply base. How You'll Contribute Support cross‑functional stakeholders with strategic sourcing initiatives of raw materials such as reagents, enzymes, chemicals, packaging, and other life sciences inputs critical to NEB operations. Establish and maintain strong supplier partnerships to ensure quality, compliance, supply continuity, and optimal total cost of ownership. Conduct commercial negotiations covering pricing, lead times, long‑term agreements, and supply assurance. Identify, assess, and resolve procurement challenges, including supply disruptions, contractual disputes, and compliance issues. Serve as a subject matter expert in our SAP MRP / ERP system, managing purchasing transactions, supplier master data, pricing, lead times, and inventory drivers. Ensure procurement activities comply with global trade regulations, import/export requirements, quality standards, and internal governance policies. Analyze supplier performance, spend data, market dynamics, and raw material trends to inform strategic sourcing decisions. Manage multiple high‑visibility sourcing initiatives simultaneously in close collaboration with Production Planning, Manufacturing, R&D, Quality, and Finance. Drive continuous improvement activities that optimize procurement processes, strengthen supplier performance, and deliver sustainable cost savings. Collaborate with Accounting and suppliers to proactively identify, investigate, and resolve invoice discrepancies, minimizing payment delays and financial exposure. Required Qualifications and Experience Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, business, science, or a related field. Minimum of 5 years of progressive responsibility in a procurement or strategic sourcing role. Proven negotiation, analytical, and problem‑solving capabilities. Demonstrated ability to manage complex sourcing initiatives independently with minimal supervision. Solid working knowledge of global procurement regulations, compliance requirements, and supply risk management. Working knowledge of ISO quality standards Broad, hands‑on knowledge of MRP / ERP systems (SAP preferred) and strategic sourcing methodologies. Experience working in regulated environments such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, or life sciences manufacturing. What Will Make You Stand Out Experience sourcing specialized, regulated, or single‑source life sciences materials (e.g., enzymes, reagents, chemicals, or validated raw materials) direct (production) and indirect (non-production) materials. A strong strategic mindset with the ability to move procurement from transactional execution to proactive sourcing and supplier management. Demonstrated success in negotiating and securing long‑term supply agreements and mitigating supply risk in constrained or volatile markets. Ability to influence cross‑functional stakeholders and shape sourcing strategy in support of operational and scientific priorities. Data‑driven approach to supplier performance management, cost modeling, and market analysis. Experience driving measurable cost savings while maintaining quality, compliance, and supply assurance. Estimated base salary hiring range for a Senior Buyer is $75,000-$90,000 Base salary is one component of our generous total rewards compensation package. Employees are eligible to receive: Annual discretionary profit-sharing bonus P