Purchasing Agent

Job Description

Job Description

Department: Maintenance / Operations
Classification: Hourly, Non-Exempt
Reports To: Maintenance Manager
Location: Dothan, AL

Position Summary

The Purchasing Agent – Maintenance is responsible for supporting the Maintenance Department by purchasing, receiving, tracking, and maintaining appropriate inventory levels of maintenance parts, supplies, tools, equipment, and services required to support plant operations.

This position works closely with Maintenance, Production, Engineering, and approved vendors to ensure critical parts and materials are available when needed. The Purchasing Agent plays an important role in controlling costs, reducing equipment downtime, maintaining accurate inventory records, and ensuring purchasing activities follow company policies and approval requirements.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Purchasing & Procurement

• Purchase maintenance parts, supplies, tools, equipment, and services needed to support plant operations.
• Process approved purchase requisitions and create purchase orders in accordance with company procedures.
• Obtain pricing, availability, lead times, and freight information from vendors.
• Obtain competitive quotes when required and assist in identifying cost-saving opportunities.
• Confirm purchase orders, delivery dates, quantities, and pricing with vendors.
• Expedite critical or emergency maintenance purchases to minimize production downtime.
• Communicate delays, backorders, substitutions, and other supply issues to Maintenance leadership.
• Coordinate with Maintenance technicians and supervisors to ensure the correct parts and specifications are ordered.
• Assist with sourcing replacement parts for saws, CNC equipment, presses, conveyors, material-handling equipment, dust collection systems, compressors, motors, gearboxes, electrical components, and other manufacturing equipment.
• Purchase general MRO supplies, including bearings, belts, fasteners, lubricants, filters, hydraulic and pneumatic components, electrical components, welding supplies, and other maintenance consumables.
• Ensure proper authorization is obtained before placing orders.

Maintenance Parts & Inventory

• Maintain organized and accurate inventory of maintenance parts and supplies.
• Receive, verify, label, and properly store incoming maintenance materials.
• Match received items against purchase orders and packing slips.
• Maintain appropriate minimum and maximum inventory levels for frequently used and critical spare parts.
• Monitor inventory levels and initiate replenishment of approved stock items.
• Assist Maintenance leadership in identifying critical spare parts for production equipment.
• Conduct periodic physical inventory counts and reconcile discrepancies.
• Maintain accurate part numbers, descriptions, vendor information, equipment associations, and storage locations.
• Help organize and maintain the maintenance parts room, tool crib, and storage areas.
• Track repairable components and parts sent to outside vendors for repair or rebuild.

Vendor Management

• Develop and maintain professional working relationships with approved suppliers and service providers.
• Assist with identifying alternative vendors for critical parts, cost savings, or improved delivery times.
• Maintain vendor contact information, pricing, quotes, and purchasing documentation.
• Coordinate vendor deliveries and service visits with Maintenance personnel when necessary.
• Assist in resolving pricing, shipping, quality, or invoice discrepancies.
• Monitor vendor performance related to quality, responsiveness, pricing, and on-time delivery.

Purchasing Administration

• Maintain accurate purchasing records, purchase orders, receipts, quotes, and related documentation.
• Verify pricing and quantities before submitting documentation for invoice processing.
• Work with Accounting to resolve purchase order and invoice discrepancies.
• Track open purchase orders and follow up on outstanding or overdue items.
• Maintain records necessary for purchasing analysis, inventory control, budgeting, and audits.
• Assist the Maintenance Manager with monitoring maintenance spending and identifying unusual purchasing trends.
• Follow established approval levels and purchasing procedures.
• Ensure company purchasing accounts and vendor relationships are used only for authorized business purposes.

Plant & Maintenance Support

• Maintain regular communication with Maintenance leadership regarding urgent needs, critical spare parts, and expected deliveries.
• Assist with planned shutdowns and preventive maintenance activities by ensuring required parts and materials are ordered in advance.
• Coordinate purchasing needs for maintenance projects, equipment installations, and facility repairs.
• Work closely with Production, Engineering, Safety, Quality, and other departments as needed.
• Deliver or stage parts and supplies for maintenance personnel when required.
• Perform other purchasing, inventory, administrative, and maintenance-support duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Associate degree, technical training, or purchasing/supply-chain coursework preferred.
• Previous purchasing, inventory, maintenance parts, warehouse, or manufacturing experience preferred.
• Experience purchasing MRO or industrial maintenance parts strongly preferred.
• Experience working in a manufacturing or industrial environment preferred.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Basic understanding of industrial maintenance parts and terminology.
• Ability to read part numbers, equipment information, vendor quotes, and basic technical specifications.
• Strong organizational and recordkeeping skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and respond appropriately to urgent maintenance needs.
• Strong communication and vendor-relations skills.
• Ability to compare pricing, lead times, freight costs, and product specifications.
• Basic mathematical skills.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to use Microsoft Outlook, Excel, and other business software.
• Experience with ERP, purchasing, inventory, or CMMS systems preferred.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality regarding company pricing, vendors, and purchasing information.
• Ability to work independently while maintaining close communication with Maintenance leadership.
• Must demonstrate reliability, good judgment, professionalism, and a sense of urgency.

Physical & Work Environment Requirements

• Ability to work in both an office and active manufacturing environment.
• Ability to frequently walk through production and maintenance areas.
• Ability to stand, walk, bend, reach, and perform routine material-handling activities.
• Ability to lift and/or move maintenance parts and supplies up to 50 pounds , with assistance or mechanical lifting devices as appropriate.
• Must be able to wear required personal protective equipment while in designated plant areas.
• May be exposed to noise, dust, moving equipment, temperature changes, and other conditions typical of a mass timber manufacturing facility.

Schedule

This is an hourly, non-exempt position . Regular attendance and punctuality are essential. The position may occasionally require overtime, early arrival, or schedule adjustments to support emergency maintenance needs, shutdowns, inventory activities, or critical plant operations.

Key Performance Expectations

Successful performance in this position includes:

• Maintaining accurate maintenance inventory.
• Ensuring critical parts are available when needed.
• Reducing delays caused by unavailable maintenance parts.
• Timely processing and follow-up of purchase orders.
• Maintaining accurate purchasing and receiving documentation.
• Controlling costs through competitive sourcing and appropriate inventory levels.
• Maintaining an organized and functional maintenance parts area.
• Providing responsive support to the Maintenance Department.
• Following company purchasing authorization and approval procedures.

Accountability

The Purchasing Agent is expected to protect company resources by ensuring purchases are properly authorized, competitively sourced when appropriate, accurately documented, and used for legitimate company business. Unauthorized purchases, failure to follow purchasing procedures, or inaccurate purchasing and inventory records may result in corrective action.

Disclaimer

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications. Duties and responsibilities may be modified based on business and operational needs.

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

SmartLam North America is an equal opportunity employer and makes all employment decisions without regard to race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, disability, age, genetic information, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, benefits, compensation, and training. We seek to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws related to discrimination and will not tolerate interference with the ability of any of the Company’s employees to perform their job duties.

Americans with Disabilities

SmartLam North America endeavors to make a reasonable accommodation to the known physical or mental limitations of qualified employees with disabilities unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business.