Purchasing/Inventory Manager

Are you a leader that excels in managing and developing a team? Are you an excellent negotiator and communicator? Do you enjoy analyzing trends and developing strategies for success? If so, we’d like you to join our dedicated team as a Purchasing and Inventory Manager. 

About the Role:

    You will:

• Manage, recruit, hire, develop and train a team of Purchasing teammates, who will be responsible for the replenishment and maintaining of inventory levels of private label product lines for the Profit Centers they are assigned to.  
• Set clear performance expectations and goals for teammates and conduct regular performance evaluations to assess progress and provide feedback. Provide the strategic direction needed to penetrate accounts and close opportunities.

• Develop and execute a strategy to sustainably grow VMI sales, exceeding growth and profitability targets.

• Manage negotiations with vendors to obtain the best pricing, delivery, and terms of purchase ensuring optimal order fill rates and customer satisfaction.
• Develop and implement long-term strategies for inventory control and purchasing that align with business objectives of sustainably growing vendor managed inventory sales, and exceeding growth and profitability targets.
• Identify and evaluate trends and best practices in inventory management to enhance purchasing strategies.
• Help create and enforce inventory and purchasing policies and procedures to ensure efficiency, consistency and compliance.
• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with key suppliers and vendors.
• Conduct negotiations and manage contracts with suppliers to secure the best possible terms and pricing.
• Analyze product on hand and projected product sales.
• Develop and implement contingency plans to ensure business continuity with inventory needs.
• Provide insights and recommendations based on data analysis to support decision making.
• Ensure that the VMI team members meet or exceed the Profit Center targets for fill rates/service levels, in stock rates, annual inventory turns, and slow-moving/devalued/overstock inventory levels.
• Perform required file maintenance to products, buy lines, price and buy matrices; communicate with Product File Administrator as necessary.
• Successfully complete required safety and compliance training programs as assigned.
• Perform other reasonably related duties as assigned by immediate supervisor and other management as required.

About You:

• • 5+ years of purchasing and inventory control experience, wholesale distribution experience preferred
  • 1+ year of leadership experience
  • Knowledge of products sold in the Profit Center preferred

Our ideal candidate will also:

• Possess leadership qualities and be viewed as a leader.
• Have experience promoting a productive and positive team environment, coaching staff to do their best work.
• Effectively use Microsoft Office software (Outlook, Word, Excel) to communicate via email, to maintain vendor contact files and appointment calendars, and to analyze vendor purchases and sales data.
• Be able to analyze sales and procurement data and understand market trends to make the best purchasing decisions.

• Possess excellent verbal communication and negotiation skills.
• Be able to build and maintain influential relationships with vendors, customers and co-workers.
• Be energetic, self-motivated and able to work independently.
• Be able to learn and operate the computer related systems used to create, process and expedite purchase orders, to control inventory, and to produce reports for analysis.
• Read, write, speak, and understand English.
• Be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.