Buyer / Planner

**Thoratec** Switzerland GmbH is part of the medical device division of **Abbott Laboratories**, a fortune 500 company with over 110’000 employees worldwide. We are the global market leader for implantable and extracorporeal blood pump systems based on magnetic bearings. Our lifesaving medical devices, which are developed and produced on-site in Zurich, are used for the short
- and long-term treatment of patients suffering from severe heart disease.

Our location in the heart of the city of Zurich has around 130 employees in the areas of development and production of the **CentriMag** system and the **HeartMate 3**.

Currently, we are looking for a driven and motivated **Buyer / Planner** to join our team in Zurich.

**What You'll Do**:
Be responsible for managing the daily activities in the purchasing department to achieve high quality results that support the objectives of the business.

Ensure continuity of supply of direct materials needed for production, indirect materials and services considering quality, cost & time.

Activities include obtaining stock level, quotations, generating purchase orders, scheduling deliveries, react and communicate schedule impacts, risk management, supplier management and solving invoice issues.

**Main Responsibilities**:

- Ensure availability of required material for Operations (production lines) and engineering / R&D projects.
- Responsible for zero stock outs at dedicated portfolio / products
- Generate purchase orders to support mainly production and project requirements considering quality, costs and timing
- Managing order confirmations, delivery notes and certificates
- Request quotes according to specification and review it
- Maintenance of purchasing related master data in the ERP system
- Control and maintain accounts payable invoices
- Effectively utilizing MRP to maintain and keep material inventory at optimum levels. This includes identifying and driving development of appropriate support tools, risk assessments and escalations if necessary
- Collaborate with the global procurement and quality team when establishing or qualifying additional supplier
- Supplier Relationship Management for dedicated portfolio (Maintain and expand business relationship / Single Point of Contact)
- Conduct business reviews with strategic suppliers and lead the commercial part
- Negotiate or renegotiate prices, annual volume agreements & administer contracts with suppliers
- Drive Savings (cost analysis and optimization) and achieve PPV targets with own ideas/projects & regular negotiations
- Identify risks and mitigate actively risks in supply base
- Ensure availability of supplier capacity
- Expedite critical deliveries and supply shortages
- Work closely with Management in the development of supplier roadmap and business reviews
- Collaborate, develop and implement second source strategies
- Support internal projects, lead continuous improvement projects or have an active role in it
- Develop and execute procurement key performance indicators
- Support and execute Obsolescence Management
- Improve and use phase in/phase out process to minimize excess/obsolete exposure due to product changes
- Work closely with Planning, Operations, Quality, Engineering, R&D, NPI, Finance, and other functional areas to optimize inventory, minimize material shortages and disruption to Operations and/or project schedules
- Maintain and expand relationship with Quality Assurance and Supplier Quality
- Support Invoice Resolution Team by invoicing issues
- Maintain positive and cooperative communications and collaboration with all levels of employees, customers, contractors and vendors
- Mild travel is required for maintaining suppliers (majority DACH)
- Perform other duties and responsibilities as required or requested
- Support company initiatives as identified by management and in support of Quality Management Systems (QMS), EHS and other regulatory requirements
- Comply with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, other regulatory requirements, Company policies, operating procedures, processes, and task assignments

**The Profile**:

- Min. 3 years of proven experiences in Procurement
- Technical commerce education or equivalent combination of education and experience
- Further education and certifications within the area of Supply Chain Management preferred
- Strong communication skills, fluent or native in German and English (Must be able to negotiate, conduct meetings in German and English)
- SAP experience essential
- Good analytical, process thinking, planning, organizational skills and excellent interpersonal skills required
- Experiences in negotiation is a must
- Knowledge in MS Office recommended
- Working knowledge of medical device industry preferred
- Basic understanding and familiarity with the regulatory and quality system requirements (e.g. ISO 9001 / 13485)

**What we offer**
- A workplace in a frontline fortune 500 company and the world’s leading manufacturer o