SUPPLY CHAIN BUYER

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