Purchasing Agent

Job Description Job Description Position Title: Purchasing Agent Classification: Exempt Reports To: Purchasing & Inventory Control Manager Date Created: 2026 Summary/Objective: The Purchasing Agent role requires a detail-oriented candidate who supports procurement operations in a fast-paced wholesale distribution environment. This role is highly administrative and plays a critical part in ensuring accurate purchasing, vendor coordination, and inventory integrity. You will work cross-functionally with vendors, warehouse operations, and accounting to resolve discrepancies, manage purchase orders, and maintain accurate system data. Key Responsibilities: Purchasing & Order Management Supervise all inbound shipments, ensuring accurate verification against purchase orders. Review and manage purchase orders to ensure accuracy in pricing, quantities, and delivery timelines. Obtain and track vendor confirmations; resolve discrepancies in cost, quantity, or ship dates. Monitor open POs and communicate delays or issues proactively. Create purchase orders for assigned vendors. Manage and coordinate special order PO approvals. Vendor Coordination and Issue Resolution Maintain positive relationships with suppliers and vendors. Act as a primary contact for vendors on routine purchasing matters. Investigate and resolve shipping discrepancies (damaged, short, or missing product). Coordinate with warehouse teams and vendors on claims, returns, and replacements. Partner with Accounts Payable to resolve invoice discrepancies. Coordinate with Sales on Customer Special Order RMA requests. Manage Vendor Return processes from initiation through resolution. Inventory & Warehouse Collaboration Assist with maintaining item statuses, i.e., stocking and non-stocking, ROPs, PSLs, Purchasing Lead Times, and Safety Stock levels. Partner with warehouse teams to resolve receiving and inventory discrepancies. Research and correct negative inventory issues. Support cycle counts, investigate variances, and process inventory adjustments. Help maintain accurate inventory records across the ERP (Net Suite) system. Vendor & Item Maintenance (ERP/ Data Management) Maintain and update vendor records, contacts, terms, and compliance requirements. Maintain item data, including setup, product descriptions, units of measure, and item classes. Manage item pricing updates to ensure accurate costs and margins. Assign and maintain item classes/categories for reporting and organization. Support new item setup and vendor onboarding processes. Data Management & Reporting Review and analyze reports related to purchasing activity, inventory discrepancies, item issues, and vendor performance. Conduct regular audits of receiving and inventory processes. Identify and help implement process improvements. Competencies High attention to detail and strong organizational skills. Effective communication and follow-up abilities. Strong Excel skills (xlookup). Experience working with inventory management, distribution workflows and warehouse operations. Proficiency in NetSuite WMS and related inventory management systems or similar software. Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. Strong problem-solving and analytical mindset. Education & Experience High school diploma or equivalent required. 2–4 years of purchasing, procurement, or inventory control experience in a distribution environment. CPIM preferred. Experience in high volume, administrative environments. Physical Requirements and Work Environment Sitting, standing and walking intermittently throughout the day; may stand for long periods. May occasionally use office equipment such as computer, mouse, keyboard, printer. Frequent exposure to warehouse operations with noise levels that may vary and include large trucks, forklifts, groups of construction workers, etc. Ability to stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls, reach with hands and arms, climb stairs, balance, stoop kneel, crouch or crawl, talk or hear. Use specific vision abilities, including close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. Expected Hours of Work: This role is considered full-time working approximately 40 hours per week. This position is expected to work an 8-hour shift Monday through Friday, between the hours of 6:00am and 5:30pm. Occasional overtime and longer shifts may be required to fulfill Purchasing Agent position obligations. Travel to other branches may be required.