Strategic Estimator/Purchaser

Our client, a print & packaging company in the Greater Kitchener Waterloo area is looking to hire an enthusiastic, hardworking professional who is financially cost-conscious and customer-focused to join their team as an Estimator/Purchaser.

Initially, this role will act as the back-up and coordinator for the Senior Estimator and Senior Purchaser with managerial and disciplinary reporting to the Director of Finance. We expect the candidate to leverage their knowledge of, and experience with, manufacturing best practices, food safety, project management, financial targets, quality assurance, statistical processes, and ERP/MRP/SRM systems operating and automation concepts to grow and expand the role and responsibilities into that of lead Strategic Estimator/Purchaser.

Responsibilities/Requirements

Adheres to and supports Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) concepts, policies, and procedures within a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) certified environment.
Ensures raw materials, suppliers, vendors, and contractors meet GMP & GFSI requirements.
Prepares for and participates in internal and external audits of GMP & GFSI system.
Recommends, enacts, and supports process improvements using Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) and other proven methodologies
Supports GMP and EPICOR system improvements, testing, error correction, and root cause analysis
Forecasts project costs.

Gathers details and compiles data to estimate all production costs according to specifications and budget.
Considers raw materials, labor, equipment, tools, transportation, and warehousing.

Responsible for purchasing and negotiating preferred prices of raw materials, health and safety supplies, and equipment for production and projects as required.
Uses reports and evaluates vendor quotes and services to determine most desirable suppliers.
Expedites purchase orders and escalates delivery priority when necessary.
Uses EPICOR system and other tools to:

Plan and track purchasing spend and production order costing.
Control and reduce spend costs.
Define and realize opportunities for process improvements, such as EPICOR master data integrity, deduplication, and automated purchasing and payment subroutines.

Helps determine necessary resources for production and projects based on cost estimates and budgetary constraints.
Works with Finance, Quality Assurance, Food Safety, and Production team to meet financial and production goals to ensure customer satisfaction and on-time delivery.
Attends relevant training sessions, tradeshows, and conferences to learn about emerging industry trends and reports back to management with new ideas and solutions for processes and products.