If you combine your purchasing experience with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, this position offers you some compelling opportunities. You will:

• Expand your experience; for example, while the role does involve buying, you also will handle procurement responsibilities.
• Take advantage of professional development opportunities.
• Showcase your potential to take on additional responsibilities and advance -- history shows that strong performers can move up at Aspen.
• Support our mission to make the best braces in the world and run a company we can be proud of.
• Become part of a great family-oriented culture in a "Best Places to Work" environment, as part of a team that values knowledge sharing.

At Aspen Medical Products we pride ourselves on making the best products in the industry, products that change people's lives. We have won many industry awards for our medical devices, which are sold through hospitals, medical practices, chiropractors, and pain management clinics. We believe that enjoying your work and making valuable contributions to business are equally vital. To that end, Aspen has been designated one of the Best Places to Work in Orange County by the Orange County Register and the Orange County Business Journal eight years in a row.

To be a good fit for the Buyer opportunity, you will have:

• A BA/BS degree in Business Administration or related field
• 2 to 3 years of experience in Purchasing where you’ve gained:
  • Knowledge of materials-related positions including production, planning and inventory control
  • At least 2 years of experience implementing supplier contracts
  • Experience working with Asian suppliers; experience working with European suppliers would also be helpful Quick question for you - click here
• Familiarity with MS Excel, Word and Access; intermediate skills in Excel are preferred
• The ability to work independently using judgment and creativity in solving problems while providing recommendations to management on possible solutions

Pictured: The Vista® MultiPost Therapy Collar is designed to reduce the symptoms of forward head carriage, promoting improved posture and a more natural alignment.

Reporting to the Purchasing Manager, you will be responsible for MRP review and PO placement for the Aspen UK division. This will include managing suppliers, inbound materials and finished goods from their vendors, and managing the process in the UK and US. Most of these suppliers are in Asia (China, Taiwan, Thailand, etc), with a few in Eastern Europe. This will include managing the correct product revisions per the company’s quality management system to maintain continuity of sustaining products as needed. You'll also work closely with production, engineering, accounting and quality departments to ensure customer satisfaction is maintained through an effective procurement program that meets the company’s goals and objectives.

Video: The Peak Scoliosis Bracing System™ is an unloader brace designed to relieve pain, thus enhancing the quality of life for adult scoliosis patients.

Smaller team = bigger impact
Purchasing is a team of three (two Buyers, including you, and the Manager), so you will be involved in many different aspects of buying and procurement. You'll also work with and learn from others in our organization, including the Senior Manager, Technical Operations and Strategic Supply as well as members of our production and manufacturing engineering teams.

Autonomy and support
We'll look to you to achieve goals independently and assume ownership of your areas of responsibility. At the same time, you'll have support when you need it. In fact, your manager will work closely with you as you come up to speed, giving you the tools and training you need to thrive and excel.

Build a career home
We are proactive about supporting professional development. We offer training that helps employees develop both technical and leadership skills, and we're committed to promoting from within whenever possible.

Award-winning products enhance the quality of people's lives
Backed by over 25 years of R&D, Aspen Medical Products help patients cope with chronic conditions, manage pain, and heal faster (see testimonials in the video on The Role tab). Our innovative approach and strong business model have earned us distinctions. In addition to the workplace excellence awards mentioned above, we have won:

• Several Spine Technology Awards from Orthopedics This Week.
• The American Technology Award, in the medical device category, from TechAmerica Foundation.
• Awards for delivering exceptional service as a vendor, from Hanger/SPS, a leading distributor of orthotic and prosthetic patient care and therapeutic products, services and solutions.
• And others.

Exemplary culture
You will find a close-knit culture that values mutual respect at Aspen. The numerous "Best Places to Work" awards we've won represent high levels of employee satisfaction (as reported by employees) as well as excellence in benefits, pay, work/life balance and culture.

Competitive benefits package
The health, satisfaction and security of you and your family are important to your well-being and important to us. We offer a competitive salary; medical, dental and vision benefits for you and your family; life insurance; paid vacation; tuition reimbursement; and a 401(k) plan with company match.

Pictured: Just a couple of the many awards we have received.

More about the Requirements
In addition to the qualifications already described, you should have:

• Familiarity with MS Excel, Word and Access; intermediate skills in Excel are preferred
• Familiarity with ERP software Quick question for you - click here
• The ability to:
  • Solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists
  • Interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form

Preferred but not required:

• Experience working at a medical device company with ISO13485 and/or FDA QSR requirements
• Bilingual skills in English and Mandarin are strongly preferred; skills in Vietnamese and/or Spanish are a plus
• CPM or CPIM from ISM, or APICs affiliation

At present, you will work almost entirely from home. As the situation changes, we are anticipating transitioning back to working in the office in a hybrid working situation. Quick question for you - click here However, as with many things in the current environment, this is subject to change. We will conduct some training in person. You'll also need to be willing to call on local suppliers occasionally, and will travel to Mexico, and possibly other international locations, in the future, such as to conduct site assessments for global suppliers.

More about the Role
In addition to the duties described above, you will:

• Facilitate change order processing from a purchasing perspective to ensure the correct product requirements are entered correctly within the ERP system.
• Work with global suppliers, planning, and logistics teams to ensure inventory levels are set and maintained at the appropriate level to sustain business needs.
• Work with Purchasing & Planning group to determine materials requirements to support production schedules through planning and inventory analysis by reviewing MRP reports.
• Direct purchases – responsible for issuance of POs in accordance with MRP demand for global supply.
• Manage the daily relationships with Global Contract Manufacturers, including PO and ship status of orders to ensure the FG supply of Aspen UK is maintained.
• Maintain supplier list by part while ensuring proper documentation for approved suppliers. Ensure supplier information is accurate and up-to-date in ERP system/supplier files/catalog library/public drive and/or Intranet.
• Assist with ECO process from a supply chain perspective to provide the following: part pricing, lead times, samples, minimum order quantities, implementation / depletion plans.
• Promptly resolve issues including invoice problems, specification clarification, overages, shortages, damages, scheduling, expediting and negotiation of supplier returns.
• Often this role will entail the monitoring and updating of current contracts (supplier agreements) with strategic suppliers.

As you can see, the role includes aspects of both buying and procurement responsibilities.

More about your success
People sometimes are surprised at the fast pace here at Aspen Medical Products. We have a robust R&D program with a number of new products in the pipeline. Multitasking skills are a must, but you also should truly enjoy working in a dynamic environment.

Your purchasing knowledge will be essential, but just as important will be the interpersonal skills to interact effectively with a variety of internal and external contacts. In many ways you will the "hub," coordinating among the various groups to ensure things move smoothly. You'll also need strong follow-up habits.

In addition, in order to be an outstanding Buyer, you will:

• Take a proactive approach to getting up to speed quickly, and to continue learning on an ongoing basis.
• Achieve individual responsibilities independently while also contributing as a team player.
• Pay close attention to details while also grasping the big picture.
• Hold yourself to high standards and establish a reputation as being a reliable, results-oriented coworker.
• Remain flexible and adaptable as the Purchasing function and our company grow and evolve.