Junior Buyer

Be yourself at Protolabs 

Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification.  We are an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to building a diverse team that feels they are valued in the workplace.  So do you feel you do not meet every single requirement but still intrigued? We encourage you to still apply!  You can help make our company even better.  We do not discriminate based on race, colour, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, age, mental or physical ability, or any way you represent yourself.  We strongly believe diversity makes for more successful teams. 

Why Protolabs? 

We are the leaders in digital manufacturing.  We hire doers, makers, and creative thinkers who tackle our roles with an entrepreneurial spirit.  Our culture is centered around meaningful work that brings new and innovative products to market at unprecedented speeds.  We are a diverse team that comes from all walks of life and take pride in our team who is smart, genuine, humble, and passionate about what we do.  It’s our people who fuel our creativity and make our culture feel like home. 

As a Junior Buyer you will responsible for daily procurement activities associated with the Injection Moulding Service Line. Managing the demand requests and ensuring that Purchase Orders (POs) are placed in a timely and accurate manner. Ensuring that demand requests are clear and resolve any queries promptly.

What you'll do

• Generate and manage timely demand reports.
• Issue RFQs and liaise with suppliers for sourcing inquiries.
• Ensure appropriate supplier selection for orders outside Blanket Orders, following purchasing approval procedures.
• Maintain and distribute RFQs for stock items under Blanket Orders periodically.
• Identify and report potential delivery issues to relevant teams.
• Track, update, and expedite supplier deliveries, managing late deliveries.
• Facilitate resolution of supplier queries regarding delivery, quality issues, and pricing with finance.
• Update and maintain supplier data, including pricing, lead times, and MOQ.
• Maintain cost information integrity across business systems.
• Request and manage material transactions for customer-specific materials.
• Collaborate with the Purchasing NPI coordinator for part number accuracy and data availability.
• Support in creating Supplier KPI reports and presentations for Senior Leadership.
• Communicate supply issues affecting business operations.
• Assist in supplier development, process improvement, and cost reduction initiatives.
• Participate in cross-functional continuous improvement projects.

What it takes:

• Experience working in a purchasing /supply chain role/Knowledge of purchasing processes
• Experience of scheduling purchase orders for a dynamic customer base
• Experience of manufacturing techniques & processes
• Attention to detail & ability to identify data errors and put in place corrections
• Possess a strong sense of urgency, tenacity & ownership
• Strong time management skills & the ability to self-organise and prioritise
• Strong numeracy skills
• An understanding of the prototype manufacturing and production requirements for low to medium volume purchasing
• Knowledge of MRP and demand systems preferred
• Intermediate user of Microsoft Office (Excel & Word)
• Ability to interface & communicate effectively with both internal & external customers and suppliers.
• Strong verbal & written communication skills
• Demonstrate personal behaviours in line with the company culture & environment.
• Willingness to advance knowledge of Purchasing and Supply through internal mentoring and training and external education and training programmes

What's in it for you:

• Growth-oriented company with a focus on your development journey through regular feedback and discussions.
• Open and welcoming corporate culture globally.
• Our Values: trust, teamwork, and achievement.
• Extensive e-learning platform with 300+ training courses and on-site sessions, including internal leadership training
• Onsite car parking, bicycle storage, and convenient public transport links.
• Newly built canteen with free hot drinks.
• Employee Discount scheme with savings across thousands of UK retailers.
• Employee wellbeing culture with mental health support, wellbeing portal, and psychologist assistance.
• Monetary-based Reward Schemes for recognition, referrals, anniversaries, and life events.
• 37.5 hours per week, permanent contract with regular breaks
• 25 days holiday entitlement plus Bank Holidays, increasing with length of service.
• Life insurance policy for eligible employees – 4 x base salary

What to expect in the hiring process

Kick-off with an initial screening with one Talent Acquisition Partners, not really an interview, but the chance to learn more about how we do things, our process and a chance for you to ask all the things you want to know

A deeper dive into the role, what we're looking for the hiring manager and you to get to know one another

Further interviews

We always try to streamline our recruitment process as much as possible but may sometimes need to carry out further interviews. This may be to meet other members of the team or more senior employees. It may also be an opportunity to see the site or working area