Buyer

Buyer Location: Port Arthur, TX Job Type: Temp-to-Hire Schedule: Monday – Friday | 40 Hours per Week Pay: $31.00–$36.00 per hour Openwork is seeking an experienced Category Buyer to support our client at their Port Arthur manufacturing facility. This is an excellent opportunity for a procurement professional with a strong manufacturing background who enjoys working in a fast-paced industrial environment and partnering with operations, maintenance, engineering, and leadership to keep plant operations running efficiently. This is an immediate opening with the opportunity to transition into a full-time role. About the Role As a Category Buyer, you will manage the full procurement lifecycle—from sourcing suppliers through procure-to-pay—for a wide variety of materials and services that support daily plant operations. You'll be responsible for negotiating with suppliers, administering RFx processes, managing purchase orders, supporting capital projects, and ensuring materials and services are delivered on time and within budget. What You’ll Do Lead the procure-to-pay process for assigned purchasing categories. Source and negotiate with suppliers for: MRO (Maintenance, Repair & Operations) materials Industrial gases Capital equipment Equipment leases Contract labor Office supplies Travel and miscellaneous operational purchases Manage spot purchases up to $500,000, including capital equipment. Prepare and administer RFIs, RFQs, and RFPs. Evaluate supplier proposals and negotiate pricing, delivery schedules, and commercial terms. Create and maintain purchase orders, blanket orders, service orders, and supplier agreements. Monitor supplier performance and resolve delivery, quality, and service issues. Partner with Maintenance, Operations, Engineering, Finance, and other departments to support plant purchasing needs. Ensure compliance with procurement policies, safety standards, ISO requirements, and company procedures. Maintain accurate purchasing records and documentation while ensuring procurement data is organized and easy for others to access. Identify opportunities for cost savings, supplier improvements, and process efficiencies. What We’re Looking For Required Qualifications Minimum 5 years of procurement or purchasing experience. Strong procurement experience within a manufacturing, chemical, petrochemical, refinery, or heavy industrial environment. Experience managing the full Procure-to-Pay (P2P) and Source-to-Pay (S2P) process. Experience purchasing MRO materials, capital equipment, contract labor, industrial supplies, or similar categories. Experience negotiating pricing, supplier agreements, and commercial terms. Experience managing RFIs, RFQs, and RFPs. Strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills. Proficiency with Microsoft Office. Preferred Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Economics, Accounting, or a related field (or equivalent experience). Experience with ERP systems such as Great Plains or SAP. Experience using SharePoint or similar collaboration tools. Please apply to be considered for this role or visit our website to search for other opportunities that are currently available. Please contact the lead recruiter, Jessika Briggs, at View email address on click.appcast.io. #J-18808-Ljbffr