Production and Procurement Associate
Employment Type: Full-Time
Location: fully onsite in NYC
We are seeking a highly organized, detail-oriented Production and Procurement Associate to coordinate purchasing, sourcing, and production activities for packaging materials. This role is ideal for a procurement professional who excels in a fast-paced environment and can balance vendor management, purchase order administration, production scheduling, and process improvement.
The Production and Procurement Associate will collaborate with sales, account management, design, operations, and logistics teams to source materials efficiently, maintain production schedules, and help ensure customer projects are delivered on time and to established quality standards.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage day-to-day procurement, purchasing, and production coordination activities for packaging projects.
- Create, process, and track purchase orders, ensuring accurate ordering, timely delivery, and complete documentation.
- Source materials and services from qualified suppliers while balancing quality, lead time, availability, and cost.
- Request and assess vendor quotations, negotiate pricing and terms, and maintain productive supplier relationships.
- Monitor production schedules, inventory requirements, sample approvals, and pre-production milestones.
- Coordinate inbound shipments, delivery schedules, and logistics activity with vendors and third-party providers.
- Partner with internal stakeholders to align purchasing and production plans with customer specifications and project deadlines.
- Track supplier performance, on-time delivery, cost savings, and operational KPIs; prepare reports as needed.
- Help resolve supply, quality, production, and delivery issues while communicating timely updates to stakeholders.
- Maintain accurate procurement records and support compliance with internal policies, quality standards, and applicable regulations.
- Identify opportunities to streamline workflows, reduce costs, improve vendor performance, and strengthen supply-chain reliability.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
- At least three years of experience in procurement, purchasing, supply chain, production coordination, or a related operational role.
- Experience in manufacturing, packaging, consumer goods, print, or another product-based environment is strongly preferred.
- Working knowledge of purchasing processes, vendor management, inventory control, logistics, and production planning.
- Demonstrated ability to negotiate with suppliers and manage vendor relationships effectively.
- Experience managing multiple projects, orders, and deadlines at the same time.
Required Skills
- Strong organizational, prioritization, and multitasking abilities with exceptional attention to detail.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across departments.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel; experience with ERP, purchasing, inventory, or supply-chain software is a plus.
- Analytical problem-solving skills and the ability to identify risks and develop proactive solutions.
- Comfort working in a deadline-driven environment with changing priorities.
- A collaborative, positive, and solutions-oriented approach to internal teamwork and vendor partnerships.
- Commitment to process improvement, operational efficiency, and high-quality execution.