Position Summary The New Product Introduction (NPI) Buyer is responsible for leading procurement activities supporting the successful development and launch of new products. Acting as the primary procurement interface for Engineering, Program Management, Operations, Quality, and Suppliers, the NPI Buyer ensures supplier readiness, cost competitiveness, component availability, and risk mitigation from concept through production launch.

This role is embedded within cross-functional product development teams and is accountable for sourcing strategy execution, supplier selection, quote management, launch readiness, and commercialization of new products. The NPI Buyer plays a critical role in accelerating time-to-market while achieving quality, cost, delivery, and sustainability objectives.

Key Responsibilities New Product Program Leadership Participate as the Procurement representative on NPI program teams.

Support product development from concept through production launch.

Drive procurement activities through stage-gate milestones.

Ensure sourcing timelines align with engineering and launch schedules.

Support Engineering Change Notices (ECNs) and product revisions throughout development.

Strategic Sourcing Identify, evaluate, and select suppliers for new product components and assemblies

Lead RFQ/RFP processes for prototype and production requirements.

Analyze supplier quotations and negotiate commercial terms

Develop sourcing recommendations based on total cost, quality, risk, capacity, and technology considerations.

Collaborate with Category Managers to align NPI sourcing decisions with long-term sourcing strategies.

Supplier Readiness & Launch Management Assess supplier manufacturing readiness and capacity.

Coordinate supplier APQP and launch activities working closely with Supplier Development Team.

Track tooling, PPAP approvals, first article inspections, and qualification milestones.





Conduct supplier readiness reviews and elevate launch risks.

Ensure suppliers can support prototype, pilot, and production volumes.

Cost Management Develop should-cost and target-cost analyses.

Support value engineering (VE) and value analysis (VA) initiatives.

Identify cost reduction opportunities early in product development.

Track cost performance versus program targets.

Support business case development and program financial reviews.

Risk Management Identify supply chain risks associated with recent technologies, capacity constraints, sole-source suppliers, and geopolitical factors.

Develop mitigation plans for launch-critical components.

Monitor long lead-time material requirements.

Drive dual-source strategies where appropriate.

Escalate supply continuity risks to procurement and business leadership.

Cross-Functional Collaboration Partner closely with:

Engineering

Product Management

Program Management

Manufacturing Operations

Quality

Supplier Quality Engineering

Planning & Logistics

Category Management

Finance

Key Deliverables The NPI Buyer is accountable for:

Sourcing plans for all assigned programs

Supplier nomination recommendations

RFQ completion and analysis

Program BOM cost tracking

Supplier launch readiness reviews

Capacity and risk assessments

Tooling and PPAP status tracking

Procurement stage-gate approvals

NPI savings and cost optimization initiatives

Qualifications Education Bachelor's Degree in:

Supply Chain Management

Business

Engineering

Operations Management

Related discipline

Experience 5+ years of procurement, sourcing, commodity management, supply chain, or engineering experience.

Experience supporting product launches or new product development programs.

Experience working with suppliers in technical or manufacturing environments.

Automotive, HVAC, industrial equipment, electronics, aerospace, or other complex manufacturing experience preferred.

📌 Senior New Product Introduction Buyer (Edmonton)
🏢 Johnson Controls
📍 Edmonton