Buyer - Customer Service Team

Buyer

Hollingsworth is seeking a customer-focused Buyer to join our Purchasing Department's Customer Service Team. This role supports multiple customer accounts by managing purchasing activities, coordinating with suppliers, resolving customer concerns, and ensuring materials are available to meet customer demand.

The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys building relationships, and can successfully balance the needs of multiple customers while maintaining supplier performance, inventory levels, and service expectations.

Key Responsibilities

Customer Account Management

• Serve as the primary purchasing contact for assigned customer accounts.
• Build strong relationships with customers through responsive communication and proactive problem-solving.
• Manage multiple customer programs simultaneously, prioritizing urgent requests and changing requirements.
• Review customer forecasts, demand changes, and inventory needs to ensure material availability.
• Investigate and resolve customer concerns related to pricing, shortages, delivery issues, or supplier performance.

Purchasing & Supplier Management

• Create and manage purchase orders to support customer demand and inventory requirements.
• Negotiate pricing, lead times, and delivery schedules with suppliers.
• Follow up proactively with suppliers to ensure on-time delivery and compliance with customer requirements.
• Coordinate supplier recovery plans when shortages or delays occur.
• Identify and source alternative suppliers when necessary.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Operations, Inventory Control, Accounting, and Sales teams to support customer programs.
• Communicate material risks, supply constraints, and delivery concerns to stakeholders.
• Escalate issues and provide recommendations to minimize customer impact.

Reporting & Process Management

• Maintain accurate purchasing and customer account information within company systems.
• Monitor key performance indicators related to inventory, supplier performance, and customer service.
• Analyze purchasing trends and identify opportunities for cost savings and process improvements.
• Document procedures and support continuous improvement initiatives.

Qualifications

Required

• Associate degree in Business, Supply Chain, Purchasing, or a related field; equivalent experience may be considered.
• 2+ years of purchasing, supply chain, customer service, or account management experience.
• Experience managing multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and organizational abilities.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, especially Excel.

Preferred

• Experience supporting multiple customer accounts.
• Manufacturing, automotive, logistics, or supply chain experience.
• Experience using ERP systems such as SAP.
• Purchasing or supplier management experience.

What Makes Someone Successful in This Role?

• Customer-first mindset
• Strong sense of urgency
• Ability to balance competing priorities
• Excellent follow-through and accountability
• Confidence communicating with customers, suppliers, and internal teams
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, service-driven environment

Equal Employment Opportunity: Hollingsworth provides equal opportunity in employment, maintains a diverse workforce, and prohibits all forms of unlawful discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions, policies, and practices will comply with applicable federal, state, and local anti-discrimination laws and regulations. We intend to maintain a work environment that is free of harassment, discrimination, or retaliation because of age, race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation (including transgender status, gender identity, or expression), pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation, and related medical conditions), physical or mental disability, genetic information (including testing and characteristics), veteran status, uniformed service member status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws. Hollingsworth is dedicated to the fulfillment of this policy regarding employment including but not limited to recruiting, hiring, placement, transfer, training, promotion, rates of pay and other compensation, termination, and all other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.

Substance-Free Employer:

• Hollingsworth does not hire employees who smoke or use tobacco products in states where this restriction is permitted.
• Hollingsworth does not hire individuals who use illegal drugs. This includes use of marijuana/cannabis which may be legal locally but is prohibited under US federal law.