Manufacturing Buyer

Local Roots’ mission is to improve global health by building a better food system. We design, build, deploy, and operate cutting-edge indoor farming projects. Every day we work on innovating agriculture in ways that others think impossible. Our goals are audacious, and we are committed to positively impacting the future of humanity. To accomplish our mission, we need the most talented people on the planet.

Role – Local Roots has an immediate opportunity for a Buyer at our facility located in Vernon, CA. The Buyer plays an integral role in leading the development, execution, and continuous improvement of key procurement and planning responsibilities that enable the strategic vision underlying developing a world-class supply base to support Local Roots’ mission. A team player who has exceptional critical thinking and problem-solving skills with a passion for working across disciplines to solve highly analytical issues and leading continuous improvements is key. The Buyer will possess a strong desire for learning and an ability to deep dive into issues, reflect on the interworking of the big picture, and propose a compelling business case that details a clear, actionable path forward and can be leveraged across teams and disciplines.

Responsibilities – You should be confident making significant contributions in the following categories:

• Manage supply base for manufacturing and operations including direct and indirect material
• Visit supplier’s facilities and accurately assess technical capability, equipment, and capacity for rapid deployment of new product development and long-term production
• Conduct comprehensive supplier analysis, including strategic direction, market and industry position, and risk assessment
• Monitor and manage costs to ensure adherence to project-specific budgets, forecasts and maintain cost of bill of materials
• Administer moderate to large contracts and independently negotiate with suppliers’ contract terminology, pricing, technical requirements, scope and terms involving responsibility, liability, indemnification, intellectual property and export compliance
• Collaborate with engineering on design reviews, supplier roadmaps, project technical leads on schedule and supplier engineering on quality requirements
• Negotiate and implement cost-saving programs with suppliers
• Collaborate with a cross-functional team to achieve cost, quality, and delivery targets on new products
• Prepare, issue, and analyze RFx packages for one-time and ongoing project requirements
• Issue purchase orders for Local Roots Farms
• Ensure compliance with all company policies, procedures and government regulations

Requirements – Your background should include the following:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, or supply chain
• 5+ years of technical procurement experience required
• Prior experience in manufacturing environment

Bonus Skills – Bonus points if any of these also describe you:

• Experience reading engineering drawings and blueprints
• Experience in sourcing from a global supply base
• Experience in identifying and executing an optimized manufacturing supply chain, including raw material, machining, material processing, inspection and logistics
• Effective written, verbal and presentation communication skills
• Ability to learn quickly and prioritize appropriately to meet customer and company needs.
• Excellent customer service skills