Purchasing Associate

Job Title: Purchasing Associate

Job Description

The Purchasing Associate helps ensure the uninterrupted flow of materials and services that support manufacturing and business operations. In this role, you work closely with suppliers and internal teams to procure quality products at competitive costs, maintain accurate inventory and purchasing records, support compliance, and contribute to continuous process improvements. This position is ideal for someone who enjoys solving problems, managing details, working with data, and building effective supplier relationships in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Execute daily procurement activities, including purchase order creation, order placement, lead time verification, pricing validation, order acknowledgements, rescheduling, and supplier follow-up.

• Support procurement strategies that align with quality, cost, and delivery objectives.

• Build and maintain strong supplier relationships and assist with pricing and contract discussions.

• Evaluate supplier performance, including quality, reliability, delivery, and compliance with requirements.

• Identify supplier and supply chain risks and help implement actions to reduce those risks.

• Partner with internal teams to understand sourcing needs and support supplier selection decisions.

• Maintain accurate purchasing records, documentation, and data within ERP and related systems.

• Resolve purchasing, supplier, inventory, or invoice-related issues in a timely and professional manner.

• Track and report purchasing metrics, including cost data and supplier performance information, to support decision-making.

• Support continuous improvement of purchasing procedures, tools, and documentation.

• Receive, stock, organize, and issue inventory to support operational and manufacturing needs.

• Participate in cycle counts and physical inventory activities to support inventory accuracy and resolve discrepancies.

• Follow applicable quality procedures and support compliance with regulatory requirements, industry standards, and company policies.

• Use AI tools appropriately to improve productivity, decision-making, work quality, and cost efficiency, and critically evaluate AI-generated outputs.

• Perform other duties as assigned to support procurement, inventory, and operations functions.

Essential Skills

• Approximately 5 years of experience as a buyer or in purchasing, procurement, supply chain, inventory, or operations functions.

• Associate degree in Business, Supply Chain, Operations, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Hands-on experience with purchasing, procurement, and purchase order management.

• Experience with order processing, data entry, vendor support, and customer service related to procurement activities.

• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills, with the ability to manage large volumes of information accurately.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to use data to support decisions.

• Supplier relationship management and negotiation skills.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while meeting deadlines.

• Proficiency with ERP systems and Microsoft Office applications, including practical experience with tools such as MS Dynamics, Ariba, and Qlik.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills for working with suppliers and internal stakeholders.

• Demonstrated ability and willingness to use AI tools to improve productivity, decision-making, work quality, and to reduce costs.

• Ability to identify appropriate AI use cases and critically evaluate AI-generated outputs for accuracy and relevance.

• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and analytical approach to work.

Work Environment

This position is 100% onsite with a standard schedule of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You work as the sole member of the procurement function, providing end-to-end purchasing and inventory support while collaborating closely with operations and leadership. You regularly interact with suppliers and internal teams across operations, supply chain, and business functions. The role supports a manufacturing setting that operates under defined quality procedures and regulatory requirements, emphasizing accuracy, compliance, and continuous improvement.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Germantown, MD.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $43.27 - $52.89/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Germantown,MD.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 1, 2026.

About Aston Carter

Aston Carter provides world-class corporate talent solutions to thousands of clients across the globe. Specialized in accounting, finance, human resources, talent acquisition, procurement, supply chain and select administrative professions, we extend the capabilities of industry-leading companies. We draw on our deep recruiting expertise and expansive network to meet the evolving needs of our clients and talent community with agility and excellence. With offices across the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe, Aston Carter serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® Platinum Award winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on click.appcast.io (%View email address on click.appcast.io) for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.