Buyer (Temp)

Job Description:

Fantastic challenges. Amazing opportunities.

GKN Aerospace is reimagining air travel: going further, faster and greener! Fuelled by great people whose expertise and creativity sets the standards in our industry, we’re inspired by the opportunities to innovate and break boundaries. We’re proud to play a part in protecting the world’s democracies. And we’re committed to putting sustainability at the centre of everything we do, opening up and protecting our planet. With over 16,000 employees across 33 manufacturing sites in 12 countries we serve over 90 of the world’s aircraft and engine manufacturers and achieved sales of 3.35 bn.in 2023. There are no limits to where you can take your career.

Job Summary

The Buyer - Expeditor is responsible for ensuring timely delivery of materials, components, and open purchase orders to support manufacturing and operational needs. This role proactively communicates with suppliers, expedites late or at‑risk orders, hosts weekly supplier calls, and maintains accurate status updates in the ERP/MRP system. Success in this position requires strong communication, follow‑through, and the ability to drive suppliers toward meeting delivery commitments.

Job Responsibilities

Supplier Communication & Expediting:

Act as the primary point of contact for order status, delivery updates, and issue resolution with assigned suppliers.
Proactively expedite open orders to ensure materials arrive on time to support production schedules.
Conduct weekly supplier meetings to review open orders, recovery plans, and delivery risks.
Follow up daily on past‑due or critical orders and escalate risks as needed.
Maintain clear, professional, and frequent communication with suppliers.

Order Management:

Review MRP demand, place purchase orders, and confirm supplier acknowledgments.
Update ERP/MRP with current delivery dates and notes from supplier interactions.
Monitor supplier performance and highlight recurring issues to the procurement team.
Ensure purchase order terms, quantities, and delivery dates are accurate and aligned with requirements.

Cross‑Functional Support:

Collaborate with Production, Planning, Quality, and Receiving to address order delays, shortages, and discrepancies.
Assist with resolving invoice, shipment, and documentation issues.
Support internal teams with timely status updates on key materials and components.

Continuous Improvement:

Identify recurring supplier issues and assist in developing basic improvement plans.
Recommend changes to processes that improve communication flow, order visibility, or delivery performance.

Job Requirements:

Job Qualifications

High school diploma or equivalent.
1 - 3 years of experience in purchasing, expediting, supply chain, or related administrative/coordination roles.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Strong organizational skills with attention to detail.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced environment.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools (Outlook, Excel, Word).
Experience with ERP/MRP systems (any platform).
Must be a U.S. Person per ITAR regulations to comply with export compliance requirements, with ability to obtain a Department of Defense security clearance if needed.

Preferred Qualification

Experience in manufacturing, aerospace, or similar supply chain driven environments.
Familiarity with basic purchasing processes and terminology.
Ability to build positive relationships with internal teams and suppliers.

We’ll offer you fantastic challenges and amazing opportunities. This is your chance to be part of an organisation that has proven itself to be at the cutting edge of our industry; and is committed to pushing the boundaries even further. And with some of the best training on offer in the industry, who knows how far you can go?

A Great Place to work needs a Great Way of Working

Everyone is welcome to apply to GKN. We believe that we can only achieve our ambitions through a coming together of diverse minds who enjoy collaborating in an inspirational environment. Through our commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging and by living our five powerful principles we’ve created a culture where everyone feels welcome to contribute. It’s a culture that won us ‘The Best Workplace Culture Award’. By embracing and celebrating what makes us unique we encourage everyone to bring their full self to work.

We’re also committed to providing an accessible recruitment process, so if you require reasonable adjustments at any stage during our recruitment process please get in touch and let us know.

We are the place where human dreams, plus human endeavour, shape the future of aerospace innovation and technology.

Job Ident #: 1385825833

Company Details

GKN Aerospace

3951 Alabama Highway 229
Tallassee, Alabama 36078 USA
www.gknaerospace.com/

GKN is a global engineering business. We design, manufacture and service systems and components for most of the world’s leading aircraft, vehicle and machinery manufacturers. We are continuously evolving, pioneering new technologies and reinventing existing...

Benefits:
To be discussed at time of employment

Supported Manufacturers:
Boeing
Airbus
Lockheed Martin

Supported Models:
787
A350XWB
F-35

(Job and company information not to be copied, shared, scraped, or otherwise disseminated/distributed without explicit consent of JSfirm, LLC)

Job Info

Location

Garden Grove, California, United States

Type

Permanent

Company Details

GKN Aerospace

3951 Alabama Highway 229
Tallassee, Alabama 36078 USA
www.gknaerospace.com/