Procurement & Vendor Coordinator [contract]

Position summary Limelight Steel is looking for a contract Procurement & Vendor Coordinator to run day-to-day buying, expediting and vendor management for the installation and commissioning of our laser steelmaking demonstration plant in Oakland, CA. This role is 20 to 30 hours per week, flexible, through the next 2 to 4 months when our schedule carries its heaviest procurement and vendor fabrication load. This role can be fully remote, with a slight preference for someone who can occasionally be on-site in Oakland, CA. You will take ownership of the purchase and fabrication packages on our laser furnace and sulfur system schedules: getting quotes, raising requests in Procurify, placing orders, and chasing vendors and fabricators until material is on site and accepted. You will work with our small engineering team, pulling the right engineer in when a technical query, deviation or substitution needs a decision, and keeping the engineering lead informed on cost, delivery and ongoing risks. The role covers the procurement and expediting work a buyer and expeditor does on a mid-sized EPCM project, scaled to our lean sized, flat, quick moving startup: each procured scope runs as a package with placement of an initial RFQ, bid comparison and purchase order; every open order is chased against its promised date by phone, email and potentially local shop visits; imported specialty components are moved through our contracted logistics companies (freight forwarders and customs brokers) for transit, import clearance and delivery to site; vendor drawings, material certificates and data books are tracked to approval; and vendors deal with one contact, with engineers brought in only for technical decisions. The ideal candidate has routinely done this on industrial capital projects, is comfortable reading basic fabrication drawings and P&IDs well enough to buy against it with a supporting BOM and/or specification, and keeps a tidy, current record of every order. Roles and responsibilities Procurement Own the procurement package list for our laser furnace and sulfur system, keeping each line current: scope, vendor, quote, PO, promised date, actual date, status. The list currently holds about 40 to 50 items. Issue RFQs from engineering specifications, data sheets and BOMs; gather and compare quotes; prepare short bid summaries for engineering and commercial sign-off; then place the order once authorized. Raise spend requests in Procurify with the right backup, and track them through approval and PO release. Place and manage orders for custom fabricated weldments, piping, fittings, valves, pumps, insulation, instrumentation, bulk materials, and consumables. Source and set up service and labour contracts (field welders and pipe fitters, electrical contractors, rigging suppliers, third-party consultants) with engineering defining the scope. Expediting Hold regular check-ins with vendors and fabricators on open orders; confirm drawing approvals, material receipt, fabrication progress, inspection and ship dates. Flag delivery slips early, with the schedule rows they affect, and propose recovery options (partial shipment, alternate source, air freight, re-sequencing). Interface with our contracted logistics companies on imported specialty components: book transit, supply commercial invoices and packing lists, confirm HS codes and incoterms with the vendor, resolve customs holds, and track each shipment to delivery at site. Arrange receiving at site: check deliveries against PO and packing list, log and photograph damage or shortages, and get the responsible engineer to accept or reject. Vendor management and interfacing Act as the day-to-day point of contact for vendors, so engineers are pulled in for technical decisions rather than order status. Route technical queries, deviation requests, substitutions and vendor document submittals to the right engineer, and close the loop with the vendor. Track vendor documents due (GA drawings, data books, mate…

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