Senior Buyer

Position Summary

The Senior Buyer is responsible for managing the complete purchasing process for assigned product lines and vendor partners, ensuring the timely procurement of inventory, direct-order materials, and project-specific purchases while maintaining optimal inventory levels, maximizing supplier performance, and supporting company profitability.

Each Senior Buyer maintains equal authority and responsibility within the Purchasing Department and is assigned specific manufacturers, vendors, and product categories. Senior Buyers are responsible for the day-to-day operational relationship with assigned suppliers, purchasing execution, forecasting, inventory optimization, replenishment planning, and continuous improvement initiatives.

The Senior Buyer works closely with the Director of Operations, Sales, Warehouse, Accounting, Branch Managers, and Operations Leadership to ensure exceptional customer service, efficient inventory management, and alignment with Wayne Pipe & Supply's operational and financial objectives.

The Director of Operations retains responsibility for strategic supplier partnerships, contract negotiations, rebate programs, preferred supplier agreements, department budgeting, and overall purchasing strategy.

Essential Job Functions

Purchasing and Inventory Management

• Manage replenishment purchasing for assigned product lines using Prophet 21 recommendations, inventory analysis, customer demand, supplier lead times, and established purchasing strategies.
• Purchase stock, direct-order, emergency, and project-related materials while ensuring purchase orders are accurate and released promptly.
• Monitor inventory availability, shortages, fill rates, turns, aging, excess inventory, dead stock, and overall inventory investment.
• Maintain and recommend adjustments to Min/Max levels, purchasing parameters, replenishment quantities, and inventory forecasts.
• Identify inventory-balancing opportunities, including transfers between branch locations.
• Evaluate alternate suppliers, manufacturers, and product substitutions to reduce supply disruptions and meet customer commitments.
• Maintain accurate and complete purchasing records in Prophet 21.

Forecasting and Demand Planning

• Analyze historical sales, purchasing trends, customer buying patterns, seasonal fluctuations, and business conditions to forecast inventory requirements.
• Monitor forecast accuracy and adjust purchasing quantities and inventory investment recommendations accordingly.
• Identify supply chain risks and support annual inventory-planning initiatives.
• Recommend strategies to improve inventory availability while reducing excess and obsolete inventory.

Supplier Coordination

• Serve as the primary day-to-day operational contact for assigned suppliers and maintain productive working relationships.
• Monitor supplier performance, responsiveness, and lead times and assist with supplier performance reviews and scorecards.
• Resolve routine supplier, availability, substitution, and delivery issues.
• Provide supplier performance feedback and escalate pricing, contracts, rebates, and strategic supplier matters to the Director of Operations.

Project and Direct-Order Purchasing

• Coordinate purchasing activities, release schedules, material availability, and milestones for customer projects and direct orders.
• Partner with Sales to understand project requirements, customer schedules, and delivery commitments.
• Identify and resolve purchasing or supply issues that could affect project timelines or customer deliveries.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with Sales, Warehouse Operations, Accounting, Branch Managers, and the Director of Operations to address customer demand, inventory planning, material availability, and purchasing discrepancies.
• Work closely with the Buyer, Purchasing Assistant/Expeditor, and RMA Specialist to support effective department operations.
• Participate in cross-functional initiatives that improve purchasing, inventory management, and customer service.

Continuous Improvement and Reporting

• Analyze purchasing and inventory performance, including inventory investment, fill rates, turns, forecasting accuracy, supplier performance, and departmental KPIs.
• Identify cost-saving, automation, process-improvement, and inventory-optimization opportunities.
• Support Prophet 21 enhancements, purchasing analytics, and department reporting.
• Participate in the development and revision of purchasing policies, procedures, and SOPs.
• Promote purchasing accuracy, accountability, consistency, and departmental best practices.

Technical Leadership

Although this position does not have direct supervisory responsibility, the Senior Buyer provides technical leadership by:

• Serving as the subject-matter expert for assigned product and supplier lines.
• Assisting with the training and onboarding of purchasing team members.
• Providing guidance and support to the Buyer and Purchasing Assistant/Expeditor.
• Sharing purchasing knowledge, tools, and best practices across the department.
• Supporting departmental initiatives and encouraging collaboration and accountability.
• Leading by example through professionalism, integrity, and reliability.

Key Responsibilities by Frequency

Daily

• Execute stock replenishment, direct-order, project, and emergency purchasing.
• Review purchasing recommendations, exceptions, inventory availability, shortages, fill rates, and customer commitments.
• Monitor supplier lead times and respond to vendor communications.
• Coordinate with Sales and resolve routine supplier or purchasing issues.
• Review inventory-transfer and alternate-sourcing opportunities.

Weekly

• Review inventory turns, dead stock, surplus inventory, fill-rate exceptions, and inventory-balancing opportunities.
• Analyze purchasing trends, forecast accuracy, supplier performance, and alternate sourcing options.
• Meet with the Director of Operations regarding purchasing priorities, risks, and performance.
• Provide technical assistance to other purchasing team members.

Monthly

• Complete comprehensive inventory, forecasting, and inventory-investment reviews.
• Analyze excess and obsolete inventory and recommend corrective action.
• Review supplier scorecards and departmental KPIs.
• Recommend purchasing-parameter and inventory-investment adjustments.
• Present cost-saving, process-improvement, and reporting opportunities.

Decision-Making Authority

The Senior Buyer is authorized to:

• Execute purchasing decisions within approved budgets, policies, and purchasing strategies.
• Prioritize purchasing activities for assigned product and supplier lines.
• Adjust replenishment quantities based on demand and inventory requirements.
• Resolve routine supplier, availability, and purchasing issues.
• Recommend alternate suppliers, manufacturers, product substitutions, and branch inventory transfers.
• Recommend changes to purchasing parameters and inventory-investment levels.
• Provide technical direction to purchasing team members.
• Escalate pricing, contractual, rebate, supplier-strategy, and other significant decisions to the Director of Operations.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Advanced knowledge of purchasing, inventory management, forecasting, and demand planning.
• Strong analytical, organizational, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to analyze purchasing, inventory, forecasting, and supplier-performance reports.
• Ability to manage competing demands and respond effectively to changing priorities.
• Strong written and verbal communication and customer-service skills.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel proficiency and working knowledge of Prophet 21.
• Ability to train, mentor, and provide technical guidance to others.
• Commitment to accuracy, accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

Education and Experience

Required

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• At least five years of purchasing experience.
• Experience using an ERP purchasing system.
• Strong inventory-management background.

Preferred

• Experience in industrial distribution or the PVF industry.
• APICS certification or comparable professional training.
• Experience with forecasting, inventory optimization, or project purchasing.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to perform prolonged periods of seated computer work.
• Ability to occasionally lift and carry up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to safely access warehouse and operational areas.
• Ability to travel occasionally between branch locations.