Senior Expeditor

Location: Richmond, VA
Duration: Long-term
Rate: Starting at $60/hr (Negotiable)

Overview:
The Senior Expeditor will manage assigned critical and long-lead procurement packages from purchase order award through final delivery, working closely with Procurement, Engineering, Quality, Logistics, Construction, Project Controls, and Suppliers to identify schedule risks, resolve execution issues, and drive mitigation and recovery actions. The role may also provide day-to-day guidance and support to less experienced Expeditors.

Functional Job Responsibilities Will Include But Are Not Limited To:

• Execute expediting activities for assigned equipment, materials, and supplier deliverables supporting capital project execution.
• Manage assigned purchase orders and critical equipment packages from award through manufacturing, inspection, shipment, and final delivery.
• Develop and maintain package-level expediting plans aligned with purchase order requirements and project delivery milestones.
• Review purchase orders, supplier schedules, manufacturing plans, and required delivery dates to establish appropriate expediting activities and priorities.
• Conduct routine supplier follow-up meetings to monitor engineering, submittals, procurement, fabrication, assembly, inspection, testing, documentation, shipping, and delivery activities.
• Verify supplier progress against contractual milestones and project schedule requirements.
• Proactively identify potential supplier delays, bottlenecks, and schedule risks and escalate issues when required.
• Work directly with suppliers to establish mitigation and recovery plans for schedule deviations.
• Monitor critical-path and long-lead equipment to ensure alignment with required-on-site dates and construction priorities.
• Track supplier engineering data, drawings, submittals, documentation, inspection requirements, and other deliverables that could impact manufacturing or delivery schedules.
• Coordinate with Engineering and suppliers to facilitate timely resolution of technical questions, drawing reviews, and engineering deliverables affecting supplier progress.
• Coordinate with Quality and Inspection personnel to ensure required inspections, testing, Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs), and release activities support the planned delivery schedule.
• Coordinate with Logistics and suppliers to ensure equipment and materials are appropriately prepared for shipment and delivered in accordance with project requirements.
• Maintain accurate supplier progress information, delivery forecasts, expediting reports, dashboards, and package status updates.
• Document supplier commitments, action items, schedule concerns, and recovery activities and follow through to closure.
• Provide accurate and timely information to Procurement and Project Controls to support forecasting, schedule updates, and project reporting.
• Participate in supplier progress meetings, schedule reviews, procurement meetings, and project risk reviews.
• Perform supplier shop visits and field expediting when required to independently verify manufacturing progress and assess schedule risk.
• Evaluate actual supplier progress against reported progress and contractual milestones.
• Identify and escalate supplier performance issues that may impact construction sequencing, commissioning, qualification, or operational readiness.
• Support supplier corrective actions and performance improvement initiatives.
• Coordinate closely with Procurement, Engineering, Quality, Construction, Logistics, Project Controls, and Operations to support integrated project delivery.
• Support change management by identifying potential schedule impacts resulting from engineering changes, supplier changes, or revised project requirements.
• Provide timely escalation of significant supplier, manufacturing, documentation, logistics, or delivery risks to the Expediting Supervisor and Procurement leadership.
• Support the development and implementation of standardized expediting processes, reporting tools, and best practices.
• Provide guidance and technical support to Expeditors and other project personnel as needed.
• Maintain professional and productive supplier relationships while ensuring suppliers remain accountable for contractual commitments.
• Support additional procurement and materials management activities as required to achieve overall project objectives.

Required Education, Experience, & Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, Construction Management, or a related discipline preferred. Relevant experience may be considered in lieu of degree requirements where appropriate.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in expediting, procurement, materials management, supply chain, manufacturing, logistics, or project support roles.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex equipment, material, or supplier packages through manufacturing and delivery.
• Experience supporting pharmaceutical, biotechnology, life sciences, manufacturing, EPC, or EPCM projects.
• Strong understanding of procurement, purchase order administration, supplier manufacturing processes, logistics, and schedule management.
• Ability to understand and evaluate supplier manufacturing schedules, milestone dates, progress reporting, and delivery forecasts.
• Demonstrated ability to identify supplier schedule risks and drive effective mitigation and recovery actions.
• Experience coordinating with Engineering, Procurement, Quality, Logistics, Construction, and Project Controls.
• Strong supplier-facing communication, negotiation, problem-solving, organizational, and analytical skills.
• Ability to manage multiple packages and competing priorities in a fast-paced capital project environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to clearly communicate supplier status, risks, and required actions.

Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills:

• CPSM, CPM, APICS, or similar professional certification.
• Experience supporting pharmaceutical and biotechnology capital projects.
• Experience supporting greenfield and brownfield projects.
• Experience expediting major equipment packages and long-lead materials.
• Knowledge of pharmaceutical project requirements, including supplier documentation, quality requirements, inspection, FAT, commissioning, qualification, and turnover activities.
• Experience conducting supplier shop visits and manufacturing progress assessments.
• Knowledge of international sourcing, global supply chains, logistics, and supplier manufacturing oversight.
• Experience with ERP, procurement, expediting, scheduling, or project controls systems.
• Demonstrated experience identifying schedule risks and implementing supplier recovery plans.
• Prior experience supporting large-scale capital projects in a regulated environment.

With over 90 years' combined experience, NES Fircroft (NES) is proud to be the world's leading engineering staffing provider spanning the Oil & Gas, Power & Renewables, Chemicals, Construction & Infrastructure, Life Sciences, Mining and Manufacturing sectors worldwide. With more than 80 offices in 45 countries, we are able to provide our clients with the engineering and technical expertise they need, wherever and whenever it is needed. We offer contractors far more than a traditional recruitment service, supporting with everything from securing visas and work permits, to providing market-leading benefits packages and accommodation, ensuring they are safely and compliantly able to support our clients.