Purchasing Associate

Purchasing Associate

The Purchasing Associate is responsible for supporting the purchasing function through procurement, supplier management, inventory coordination, and ERP system maintenance. This role ensures timely and cost-effective acquisition of materials to support business operations.

Supervisory Responsibilities: None

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Review the ERP system (SyteLine) to place and monitor purchase orders for sales samples, production, customer, and warehouse requirements.
• Review and resolve supplier invoices.
• Review and resolve goods receipts.
• Set-up logistics for purchase order arrival.
• Enter, update, and maintain supplier pricing.
• Assist with product sourcing and purchasing projects.
• Adjust planning/purchasing parameters based on analytical review.
• Monitor and track supplier non-conformance issues for supplier quality.
• Track the accuracy of purchase orders and monitor on-time delivery metrics to ensure supplier performance meets expectations.
• Monitor inventory including managing minimum and maximum stocking levels.
• Establish and manage stocking agreements using customer forecasts, supplier MOQs, and lead times, while monitoring performance and notifying Sales of over- or under-utilization
• Resolve supplier shipping issues or damage that occurred within transportation.
• Ability to identify seasonal trends in commodity purchasing and adjust accordingly.
• Cross-functional team player with Sales, Customer Service, Production, Accounting, and Warehouse.
• Assist the Production Coordinator in daily purchasing, scheduling, and logistics activities.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Proficiency in companies operating software, MS-Word and MS-Excel. ERP experience preferred.
• Strong analytical and mathematical skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrate sense of urgency, strong organizational skills, sense of ownership, and possess follow-up / follow through skills.
• Strong attention to detail and appropriate sense of urgency, when working both independently and as a team.

Education and Experience:

• High School diploma or equivalent required. Bachelor's degree in a related field preferred but not required.
• Prior purchasing experience in a distribution / manufacturing environment preferred.

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Working conditions are normal for an office environment.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Occasional travel to other Illing locations or supplier sites as required.
• Work location: In-office at Illing Headquarters, Richfield, WI.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.