Purchasing Agent

Purchasing Agent

The Purchasing Agent is responsible for sourcing and procuring goods and services—including raw materials, consumables, and MRO supplies, while ensuring cost, quality, delivery, and compliance requirements are consistently achieved. This role supports manufacturing operations through effective supplier management, inventory control, and cross-functional collaboration.

Specific Duties

• Source and procure raw materials (steel, aluminum, rubber, plastics), consumables, and MRO supplies to support production and operational needs.
• Build and maintain strong supplier relationships through open communication, performance monitoring, issue resolution, and enforcement of quality, delivery, and compliance standards.
• Review and process approved purchase requisitions, verifying pricing accuracy and appropriate vendor selection.
• Obtain product information from suppliers, including pricing, availability, and delivery schedules.
• Negotiate competitive pricing, favorable terms, and overall best value for the organization.
• Analyze daily MRP recommendations to determine purchasing requirements; convert planned orders into firm purchase orders while maintaining optimal inventory levels and supporting production schedules.
• Benchmark pricing against market conditions by obtaining a minimum of three competitive quotes in compliance with corporate purchasing policies.
• Prepare and issue purchase orders and requests for quotation (RFQs); maintain accurate documentation of transactions and supplier quotes.
• Evaluate RFQ responses to ensure alignment with budget constraints and purchasing authority limits; escalate approvals to the Purchasing Manager as required.
• Maintain accurate manual and electronic procurement records, including purchase history, pricing, delivery performance, and quality data.
• Resolve non-conforming or defective goods/services by collaborating with Quality Control, internal stakeholders, and suppliers to identify root causes and implement corrective actions.
• Monitor open purchase orders and scheduled receipts; expedite deliveries and correct discrepancies, as necessary.
• Review completed purchase orders and ensured timely closure of all applicable PO's.
• Reconcile invoices by resolving pricing discrepancies, shortages, and billing errors directly with suppliers.
• Adhere to all environmental, health, and safety policies; promptly report unsafe conditions, near-misses, or injuries.

Other Duties

This job description is not intended to provide a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties, or responsibilities required. Duties and responsibilities may change at any time with or without notice.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, or related field preferred; or a minimum of five (5) years of purchasing or supply chain experience.
• Five to ten (5–10) years of purchasing experience, including ERP system experience.
• Strong negotiation, presentation, and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently with demonstrated strengths in decision-making, analytical thinking, organization, and workload management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and technical documents.

Work Environment

This position operates in a professional office and manufacturing plant environment. On-site, five (5) days per week.

Keywords

Purchasing Agent, Buyer, Supply Chain, Raw Materials, Steel, Aluminum, Rubber, Plastics, Consumables, MRO Supplies, ERP, Manufacturing