Estimating and Purchasing Specialist

Agawam, MA
Full Time
Experienced
Turn customer opportunities into profitable, production-ready work. At Parts Tool & Die, a strong quote is more than a price - it is the first step toward building precision components that keep aircraft flying, critical systems operating, and customers moving forward.
We are seeking an Estimating and Procurement Specialist who can bring clarity, urgency, and commercial judgment to the path from RFQ through purchasing execution. You will connect customer requirements, internal manufacturing knowledge, supplier capability, and cost data to develop accurate, competitive quotes, then make sure awarded work has the material, tooling, consumables, and outside services needed to succeed. If you enjoy solving complex problems, negotiating intelligently, and owning details that directly influence growth, margin, and delivery, your impact will be visible every day.

Why This Role Stands Out
Direct business impact. Your work influences revenue growth, target margins, supplier performance, and on-time execution.
End-to-end ownership. You will follow opportunities from RFQ review through quote support, award, purchase order placement, and supplier follow-up.
Cross-functional visibility. You will work with Engineering, Production, Quality, Customer Service, Management, Corporate, and external suppliers.
A balance of analysis and action. The role combines cost analysis, negotiation, documentation, problem-solving, communication, and daily follow-through.

What You Will Own
Your responsibility is to create structure, accuracy, and accountability across estimating, sourcing, purchasing, and supplier follow-up. The work includes the following:
RFQ Review and Quote Development
• Review incoming RFQs and determine whether each opportunity is new work, repeat work, or a revised requirement.
• For repeat work, research prior quote history, previous pricing, last quoted date, recent run history, cycle time, material usage, outside service requirements, tooling needs, and other relevant lessons learned.
• For new work, review drawings, specifications, customer requirements, quantities, material needs, outside processing, tooling, quality requirements, and other cost or execution inputs.
• Identify missing, unclear, or conflicting information early and coordinate with the appropriate internal team to resolve it before the quote advances.
• Partner with Engineering, Production, Quality, Customer Service, Management, and Corporate to establish complete assumptions and the best overall quoting approach.
• Populate quote worksheets with accurate, traceable, and strategically sourced information, including current supplier pricing and documented assumptions.
• Prepare complete quote packages for final pricing review and approval by the General Manager and/or Corporate.
• Maintain quote schedules, quote logs, ERP entries, supporting files, and customer feedback so the status of every opportunity is current and easy to understand.
• Send approved quotes to customers when directed and update records for awarded work, lost work, revisions, follow-up needs, or no-bid decisions.
Procurement and Purchasing Execution
• Obtain competitive quotations for raw material, outside services, tooling, consumables, gages, fixtures, jaws, and other production requirements.
• Evaluate supplier pricing, lead time, availability, quality requirements, delivery reliability, capacity, risk, and overall fit for the job - not simply the lowest initial price.
• Negotiate pricing, delivery commitments, purchasing terms, and other commercial conditions where appropriate.
• Recommend the procurement approach that provides the best total value based on cost, timing, quality, production needs, and risk.
• Place purchase orders for awarded work and approved production needs, ensuring quantities, specifications, delivery requirements, and documentation are correct.
• Follow orders through delivery so raw material, tooling, consumables, and outside services arrive when needed to support the production plan.
• Maintain accurate supplier quotes, purchase orders, acknowledgments, purchasing records, and job documentation.
• Process RMAs and resolve issues involving raw material, consumables, tooling, and outside services in coordination with Quality and other stakeholders.
• Support the shop floor by obtaining and ordering replacement tooling, consumable tooling, gages, fixtures, jaws, and other approved needs.
Outside Services and Supplier Follow-Up
• Place orders for outside processing and maintain clear documentation of requirements, due dates, and supplier commitments.
• Track outside service status, maintain required tracking spreadsheets, and provide timely updates for daily reporting.
• Communicate delays, quality concerns, capacity constraints, or lead-time risks before they threaten customer or production commitments.
• Process outside service RMAs and coordinate corrective follow-up when required.
Internal Communication and Coordination
• Keep estimating and purchasing activity moving by coordinating proactively with internal stakeholders and external suppliers.
• Communicate quote, purchase order, supplier, and delivery status clearly - before others have to ask for an update.
• Escalate missing information, unusual cost changes, supplier delays, quality concerns, and lead-time risks at the appropriate time and with recommended next steps.
• Provide Management and Quality with required daily updates on entered or changed orders.
• Support customer shipping documentation, including advance shipping notices (ASNs), when assigned.
Decision Rights:
• Which vendors and suppliers to contact for competitive quotations.
• What supplier information is required to support a complete quote.
• How to compare supplier cost, lead time, availability, quality, and risk.
• Which approved procurement option provides the best overall value for awarded work.
• When a pricing, lead-time, quality, or supplier-risk issue should be escalated.
How Success Will Be Measured
• Every RFQ is reviewed promptly, accurately, and with the right internal input.
• Quote worksheets are complete, traceable, and ready for final review without avoidable rework.
• Supplier quotations are current, competitive, documented, and aligned with job requirements.
• Procurement decisions balance cost, lead time, quality, production needs, and risk.
• Awarded work moves smoothly from quote acceptance into purchase order execution.
• Quote logs, schedules, ERP entries, supplier records, and purchasing files remain accurate and current.
• Internal teams understand the status of quotes, purchases, supplier issues, and delivery risks.
• Potential delays or cost exposures are identified and escalated early enough to protect commitments.
What You Will Bring
Essential Experience and Capabilities
• Demonstrated experience supporting aerospace, defense, semiconductor, or other regulated and quality-critical industries in an estimating, purchasing, procurement, sourcing, supply chain, or a role that combines these responsibilities.
• Strong numerical reasoning and commercial judgment, including the ability to compare cost, quantity, lead time, availability, supplier capability, and risk.
• Confident supplier communication and negotiation skills, with the professionalism to build productive long-term relationships.
• Exceptional attention to detail and a disciplined approach to quote worksheets, purchase orders, logs, ERP entries, and supporting documentation.
• Ability to organize and prioritize multiple RFQs, purchase orders, supplier follow-ups, and changing deadlines without losing accuracy.
• Working proficiency with ERP systems, Microsoft Excel or similar spreadsheets, email, and digital document management.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills and the ability to coordinate effectively across Engineering, Production, Quality, Customer Service, Management, and Corporate teams.
• A strong sense of ownership, urgency, integrity, and follow-through.
• Knowledge of metals, raw material forms, machining processes, tooling, and outside services such as heat treatment, plating, coating, grinding, or nondestructive testing.
• Experience with formal quote worksheets, supplier performance follow-up, RMAs, and purchasing documentation.
Who Will Thrive in This Role
• You like being the person who finds a missing detail before it becomes an expensive problem.
• You can move with urgency while protecting accuracy, quality, and margin.
• You are comfortable asking direct questions, challenging assumptions respectfully, and documenting the answer.
• You think beyond purchase price and consider total value, reliability, lead time, and production impact.
• You follow through, communicate proactively, and take pride in leaving records complete for the next person.
• You enjoy improving processes and creating structure in a fast-moving manufacturing environment.
Why Build Your Career at PTD
Work that matters. PTD components support demanding applications where precision, reliability, and accountability are essential.
A visible seat at the table. This role works across the business and has a direct effect on which opportunities become successful production work.
A company that is investing. PTD continues to add advanced equipment, expand capability, and improve the systems that support growth.
A practical, collaborative culture. Employees are expected to own their work, help the team, speak honestly, and solve problems.
Room to make the role better. The right person will not simply process transactions; they will help strengthen estimating and procurement discipline across the company.


 
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