Supply Chain Buyer is responsible for procurement of materials, equipment, services, software, and technical support required for design, development, testing, licensing, fabrication, and deployment of advanced nuclear microreactor technologies.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Execute purchase orders; obtain quotations; negotiate pricing and delivery; manage supplier performance; support supplier qualification; maintain procurement records; support NQA-1 procurement activities; collaborate with engineering and quality teams.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor degree in Business, Engineering, Operations Management, or equivalent experience.
- 3-7 years purchasing experience in technical or regulated industries.
Preferred Experience
Nuclear, aerospace, defense, energy, DOE contractor, or advanced manufacturing experience. Familiarity with ASME NQA-1 and supplier qualification programs preferred.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Strategic sourcing, cost analysis, contract administration, supplier management, ERP systems, technical procurement, communication skills, and risk management.
Strategic Sourcing including demonstrated knowledge of Supplier identification and market analysis, Competitive sourcing methodologies, Procurement Processes. The ability to develop sourcing strategies for highly specialized technical and engineered products.
Purchasing and Contract Administration Knowledge of Purchase order creation and administration, Terms and conditions negotiation, Master service agreements, Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), Statement of Work (SOW) development, Change order management, Invoice reconciliation, Cost and price analysis method. Ability to negotiate favorable commercial terms while maintaining strong supplier relationships.
Supplier Management
Knowledge of:
- Supplier qualification processes
- Supplier performance evaluation
- Corrective action management
- Supply chain risk assessment
- Supplier development programs
- Dual-source and alternate-source strategies
Ability to develop and maintain high-performing supplier partnerships.
Nuclear Industry Knowledge
Quality Assurance Programs
Working knowledge of:
- ASME NQA-1
- 10 CFR 50 Appendix B
- 10 CFR Part 21
- Nuclear procurement requirements
- Supplier quality programs
- Audit and surveillance practices
Ability to understand how procurement activities impact the company's Nuclear Quality Assurance Program.
Counterfeit, Fraudulent, and Suspect Item (CFSI) Prevention
Knowledge of:
- OEM sourcing requirements
- Authorized distributor controls
- Material traceability requirements
- Certificate of Conformance reviews
- High-risk component identification
- Supplier verification techniques
Ability to identify and mitigate counterfeit item risks before materials enter the supply chain.
Technical Documentation
Ability to read and interpret:
- Engineering drawings
- Bills of Material (BOMs)
- Material specifications
- Test plans
- Inspection requirements
- Design change notices
- Manufacturing process specifications
Ability to communicate effectively with engineering and quality personnel regarding technical procurement requirements.
Technical Skills
ERP / MRP Systems
Proficiency with:
- Microsoft Dynamics 365
- Deltek Costpoint
- SAP
- Oracle
- NetSuite
- Epicor
Ability to:
- Create and manage purchase orders
- Track supplier commitments
- Review inventory availability
- Generate procurement reports
- Support material planning activities
Microsoft Office Suite
Advanced proficiency in:
Microsoft Excel
Ability to:
- Create pivot tables
- Develop spend-analysis reports
- Conduct cost analysis
- Build supplier performance scorecards
- Analyze lead-time trends
Microsoft Word
Ability to prepare:
- Procurement documentation
- Supplier correspondence
- Evaluation reports
- Technical summaries
Microsoft PowerPoint
Ability to support management reviews and supplier presentations.
Data Analysis
Ability to:
- Analyze spend data
- Evaluate pricing trends
- Monitor supplier performance metrics
- Forecast procurement requirements
- Identify sourcing opportunities
Strong analytical and quantitative reasoning skills.
Business Skills
Cost Analysis
Ability to:
- Assess supplier pricing
- Evaluate quotations
- Perform benchmarking
- Conduct price reasonableness reviews
- Support budget development
Understanding of:
- Material costs
- Manufacturing costs
- Labor costs
- Overhead structures
- Profit analysis
Risk Management
Ability to identify:
- Sole-source dependencies
- Supply chain bottlenecks
- Long-lead material risks
- Foreign supply risks
- Geopolitical risks
- Capacity constraints
Ability to develop mitigation plans and contingency sourcing strategies.
Inventory and Material Planning
Knowledge of:
- Demand planning
- Safety stock calculations
- Reorder point methodologies
- Material requirements planning (MRP)
- Production support purchasing
Ability to support prototype and production environments simultaneously.
Communication Skills
Written Communication
Ability to:
- Draft professional supplier communications
- Prepare sourcing recommendations
- Document procurement decisions
- Develop procurement justifications
- Create management summaries
Must be capable of producing clear and audit-ready documentation.
Verbal Communication
Ability to:
- Conduct supplier negotiations
- Lead supplier meetings
- Coordinate cross-functional teams
- Present recommendations to management
- Support audit discussions
Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills are required.
Project Management Skills
Ability to:
- Manage multiple procurements simultaneously
- Prioritize urgent engineering requirements
- Track supplier deliverables
- Coordinate cross-functional activities
- Meet aggressive development schedules
Experience supporting prototype development and fast-paced engineering programs is highly desirable.
Abilities
The successful candidate must have the ability to:
- Thrive in a start-up or high-growth environment.
- Support rapidly changing engineering requirements.
- Balance cost, quality, and schedule priorities.
- Work independently with minimal supervision.
- Exercise sound business judgment.
- Maintain confidentiality of proprietary reactor technology.
- Build credibility with engineers, quality personnel, and suppliers.
- Adapt procurement strategies for development, testing, and production environments.
Preferred Advanced Competencies for a Microreactor Developer
Highly desirable capabilities include:
- Procurement of nuclear-grade and quality-affecting components
- Experience supporting DOE-funded programs
- Familiarity with HALEU fuel supply chains
- Knowledge of commercial-grade dedication programs
- Experience sourcing precision machined components
- Supplier development within the defense or aerospace sectors
- Knowledge of export control regulations (ITAR/EAR)
- Familiarity with NRC regulatory expectations
- Experience working with suppliers such as BWXT, Curtiss-Wright, Framatome, Westinghouse, X-energy, Kairos Power, TerraPower, and U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories supporting advanced reactor development
For Deployable Energy's current stage of growth, I would actually recommend defining this role as a Buyer II / Technical Buyer position rather than an entry-level Buyer. The procurement challenges associated with reactor development, NQA-1 compliance, prototype fabrication, and supplier qualification typically require a professional capable of operating with limited supervision in a highly technical environment.
Preferred Certifications
CPSM, CSCP, CPPB, NQA-1 Lead Auditor Training, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher.
Success Metrics
On-time delivery, procurement compliance, supplier performance improvement, reduced cycle times, and support of successful audits.
Ref: #161-Managed Staffing Charlotte