Japanese / English bilingual is a big plus!
Position Overview:
International Supply Chain Operations Assistant is responsible for overseeing and optimizing the entire supply chain process—from procurement and logistics to inventory and distribution. This role ensures that the supply chain operates efficiently and effectively to meet customer demands and company objectives. This role will involve managing cable transactions and working with a variety of manufacturers producing electrical components, connectors, mechanical parts (e.g., latches and locks) and other transit-related parts and materials. The Operations Assistant will also handle multi-year contract negotiations, manage tariff regulations, copper price adjustments for cable transactions, and raw material price clauses for cables. The role includes sales forecasting, participation in bid solicitations from transit authorities, and managing both cable and non-cable supply chain operations. Additionally, the Operations Assistant will visit suppliers, monitor production, address non-conformance issues, and collaborate on technical inquiries from customers, developing technical and commercial proposals for both new projects and change orders for existing projects. Lead-time management is a key part of this role, as the Operations Assistant will communicate accurate lead-time information with customers, negotiate better lead times with manufacturers, and manage expedited orders to meet tight deadlines. Furthermore, the Operations Assistant will be responsible for identifying new products and new manufacturers to meet customer demands and address new inquiries. The Operations Assistant will also be tasked with profit margin management, ensuring that accurate profit margins are earned on all quotations and orders for which the NY office is responsible. Finally, the Operations Assistant will prepare and submit a detailed weekly report to the COO, covering all relevant activities, customer and supplier updates, and any open action items.
Operations Assistant is also responsible for high-level price negotiations on both supplier and customer, particularly for large, high-value, or/and strategically important quotations for both cable and non-cable products, ensuring alignment with the company’s sales strategy.
This position requires travel to visit customers and suppliers on an as-needed basis.
The Operations Assistant will also be responsible for utilizing company accounting system (Sage 50 or a new system).
Key Responsibilities:
Transaction Management:
- Oversee and manage the handling of products transactions, coordinating logistics for incoming and outgoing shipments.
- Manage relationships with products including suppliers of electrical components, connectors, mechanical parts (e.g., latches and locks) and other transit-related parts and materials.
- Negotiate multi-year contracts with manufacturers products, ensuring favorable terms for deliveries that span multiple years.
- Incorporate copper price adjustment clauses and raw material price escalation limit into products purchase orders and contracts to reflect market changes and adequately hedge price escalation risks.
- Coordinate logistics for a variety of components, ensuring deliveries are met as per customer and project requirements.
Quotation Preparation & Price Negotiation:
- Prepare and manage quotations for products, including electrical parts, connectors, mechanical parts and other transit-related parts and materials.
- Work with manufacturers to negotiate pricing for products, including raw material price fluctuations and copper price adjustments.
- Coordinate with suppliers and the sales team to ensure quotes reflect competitive pricing and accurate delivery schedules for products.
Profit Margin Management:
- Review and manage profit margins on all quotations and orders handled by the NY office to ensure accurate and consistent margin targets are met.
- Analyze and track margins for each order, identifying discrepancies or areas for improvement.
- Work closely with the sales team to align pricing strategies and ensure that profit margins reflect market conditions, customer requirements, and cost structures.
- Regularly report on the profit margins for active orders and suggest corrective actions as needed to meet profitability targets.
- Update the COO regularly on the status of margins and any concerns or discrepancies, ensuring profitability goals are being met.
Bid Preparation & Transit Authority Participation:
- Prepare bid documents for bid solicitations from various transit authorities, ensuring all specifications and requirements are met.
- Collaborate with sales and operations teams to ensure bid documents are accurate, competitive, and compliant with transit authority guidelines.
- Coordinate with manufacturers to gather necessary product details, pricing, and specifications for bid preparation.
- Submit bid documents in a timely manner and follow up with transit authorities as needed to ensure engagement throughout the bid process.
Tariff Management & Supplier/Customer Collaboration:
- Stay up-to-date with the latest tariff regulations affecting the company's imports and exports, and communicate any relevant changes to other internal staff members as well as the COO.
- Work with suppliers to understand the impact of tariffs on product costs and develop strategies for minimizing these costs.
- Collaborate with customers to address any tariff-related concerns, ensuring transparency and minimizing the impact on final prices.
- Identify the best strategies to handle tariffs, including sourcing alternative materials, adjusting pricing, or implementing tariff mitigation techniques.
- Maintain strong relationships with logistics partners to ensure smooth transportation and compliance with tariff-related requirements.
Lead-Time Management:
- Communicate accurate lead-time information to customers, ensuring they are aware of delivery timelines and any potential delays.
- Work with manufacturers to negotiate better lead times for products, ensuring optimal delivery schedules for both standard and time-sensitive orders.
- Address urgent orders and expedite requests, working closely with manufacturers to shorten lead times for critical and time-sensitive projects.
- Collaborate with both suppliers and the sales team to adjust delivery schedules as necessary, minimizing the impact on project timelines and customer satisfaction.
- Ensure that any expedited requests are handled efficiently and cost-effectively, while keeping customers informed throughout the process.
Supplier Visits & Monitoring Production:
- Travel to visit suppliers and manufacturing facilities on an as-needed basis to monitor the status of production and ensure timely progress of orders.
- Ensure that suppliers are adhering to agreed timelines, quality standards, and specifications.
- Monitor the production whereabouts of critical components.
- Evaluate supplier capabilities and performance during site visits to ensure they meet production and delivery requirements.
End-to-End Supply Chain Management:
- Oversee the full supply chain process, ensuring the seamless flow of materials from suppliers to customers, and managing the coordination of logistics and shipping.
- Manage inventory levels and replenishment processes to meet customer demand while optimizing stock levels and reducing carrying costs.
- Work closely with the Sales and Operations Manager to forecast sales and plan for inventory needs across our product lines.
Customer Order Management and Delivery:
- Oversee order fulfillment for our products, ensuring customer orders are processed and shipped on time.
- Coordinate with suppliers and freight carriers to ensure on-time delivery of orders to meet customer delivery schedules.
- Monitor lead times, manage expedited orders, and address time-sensitive issues to ensure the timely delivery of customer orders.
Supplier Performance and Relationship Management:
- Monitor and manage supplier performance across products suppliers, addressing any issues related to product quality, delivery delays, or pricing adjustments.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with suppliers, both domestic and international, ensuring alignment with company requirements for quality, cost, and delivery performance.
- Address any non-conformance issues with suppliers, working to investigate root causes and implement corrective actions to prevent future issues.
Non-Conformance Management:
- Work with manufacturers to address non-conformance issues that arise during production or upon receipt of goods.
- Investigate root causes of any production issues, including product defects, delays, or quality concerns.
- Develop corrective action plans with manufacturers to resolve non-conformance issues and prevent recurrence.
- Ensure that corrective actions are effectively implemented and monitor the resolution of issues to ensure compliance with quality standards.
- Act as the lead representative of our company. at Customer’s Kaizen Meetings. This includes preparing and presenting comprehensive, data-driven responses and corrective action responses during the meetings. Active participation and leadership in these sessions are essential, with the goal of supporting collaborative continuous improvement efforts between our company and its suppliers, and timely and effectively responding with SCAR to its customers.
Technical & Commercial Proposals Development:
- Collaborate with manufacturers to address any technical questions from customers regarding products, including cable components, electrical parts, and mechanical parts.
- Develop technical proposals that address customer specifications, project requirements, and product capabilities for new projects and ongoing projects.
- Prepare commercial proposals that outline pricing, lead times, delivery schedules, and any additional terms for both new projects and change orders for existing projects.
- Work closely with the sales team to ensure that all proposals align with customer expectations and company goals.
Inventory Control & Coordination with Warehouse:
- Work with an outside warehouse to manage inventory levels, ensuring proper stock of cable products, electrical components, connectors, and mechanical parts.
- Ensure accurate inventory management with regular updates and checks to avoid discrepancies.
- Coordinate stock replenishment to maintain appropriate stock levels for short-term and long-term project needs.
- Maintain inventory logs in Excel, ensuring records of shipments, invoices, and current stock levels are kept up-to-date.
New Product and Manufacturer Search:
- Search for new products and manufacturers in response to customer inquiries, ensuring that our company is able to meet unique or specialized customer requirements.
- Conduct market research to identify new potential manufacturers that can supply cable components, electrical parts, mechanical parts, or other required materials for customer projects.
- Collaborate with the sales team to evaluate customer needs and match them with potential new products and manufacturers.Assess new suppliers for reliability, quality, pricing, and delivery capabilities, ensuring they meet our standards and customer expectations.
- Build and maintain a database of new manufacturers and potential suppliers for quick access when new opportunities or inquiries arise from customers.
- Communicate with new manufacturers to negotiate pricing, lead times, and any other requirements for potential products.
Weekly Reporting to COO:
- Prepare and submit a detailed weekly report to the COO, covering all relevant activities with both customers and suppliers and expected sales for the month.
Meetings with Suppliers and Customers in Different Time Zones:
- Coordinate meetings with suppliers and customers located in different time zones, particularly for overseas customers in regions like Japan or Europe, which may require evening or late-night meetings.
- Ensure timely follow-up and clear action items from meetings, addressing any issues or concerns raised by either domestic or international customers or suppliers.
Pay: From $75,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Disability insurance
- Family leave
- Free parking
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Prescription drug insurance
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Experience:
- Supply chain: 3 years (Required)
Language:
Ability to Commute:
- Elmsford, NY 10523 (Required)
Work Location: In person
