Buyer

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title: Buyer
Location: Houston, TX

About Us

Sycamore Life Sciences, established in 2015, is a fast‐growing Houston‐based company dedicated to providing laboratory consumables, reagents, and equipment. We are building the world’s largest marketplace focused on laboratory sample preparation workflows. Our mission is to deliver a delightful, efficient, and purpose‐built buying experience for scientists worldwide.

Position Overview:
The Buyer is responsible for purchasing laboratory equipment, consumables, reagents, and specialty products to support customer orders and inventory needs. This role manages the full purchasing cycle, builds strong supplier relationships, and makes sure products are sourced at competitive cost and delivered on time. The Buyer works closely with sales, order processing, and warehouse teams to keep supply aligned with customer demand.

Key Responsibilities:

Purchasing & Order Placement

• Create, issue, and manage purchase orders to support customer orders, stock replenishment, and drop-ship requests.
• Confirm pricing, lead times, and delivery dates with suppliers, and keep order status current in the ERP system.
• Expedite open orders, resolve backorders, and source alternatives when products are delayed or discontinued.

Supplier Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with manufacturers and suppliers.
• Negotiate pricing, terms, minimums, and freight to reduce cost and protect margin.
• Monitor supplier performance on fill rate, lead time, and accuracy, and escalate issues as needed.

Inventory & Demand Planning

• Maintain appropriate stock levels across Houston and Arlington warehouses based on usage, forecasts, and customer commitments.
• Manage temperature-sensitive and short-dated products to minimize waste and expiration.
• Partner with the warehouse team on receiving discrepancies, returns, and vendor credits.

Collaboration & Coordination

• Work with sales and customer service to provide accurate pricing, availability, and lead-time information for quotes and orders.
• Support order processing in resolving order holds, substitutions, and delivery issues.
• Coordinate with accounting on invoice matching, pricing discrepancies, and supplier credits.

Reporting & Process Improvement

• Track and report on open POs, backorders, purchasing spend, and supplier performance.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities and recommend improvements to purchasing workflows.
• Follow and help refine purchasing SOPs to ensure accuracy and compliance with company policies.

Qualifications & Skills:

• Minimum of 2 years of purchasing, procurement, or buying experience, preferably in distribution.
• Experience with laboratory, scientific, medical, or life sciences products strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of ERP or purchasing systems and Microsoft Excel.
• Strong negotiation and communication skills.
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to make data-driven purchasing decisions.

Benefits:

• PTO
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Job Type:

• Full-time

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday
• In person

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, or a related field (preferred)

Established in 2015, Sycamore Life Sciences is a Houston based, Fast Growing distributor focused on providing the best selection of laboratory consumables, reagents and lab equipment. We are building the world’s largest marketplace focused primarily on laboratory sample preparation workflows. Our mission is to provide the scientist with a delightful, efficient, and purpose-built buying experience to earn their recurring business.

Company Description

Established in 2015, Sycamore Life Sciences is a Houston based, Fast Growing distributor focused on providing the best selection of laboratory consumables, reagents and lab equipment. We are building the world’s largest marketplace focused primarily on laboratory sample preparation workflows. Our mission is to provide the scientist with a delightful, efficient, and purpose-built buying experience to earn their recurring business.