Buyer - Commodities
Be part of a growing, successful company in an exciting and challenging field. Border States is 100% employee-owned, which means you're empowered to make decisions, find solutions and receive rewards for your hard work. This position will be located in : Maple Grove, MN or Kansas City, MO, or Salt Lake City, UT.
Job Summary
Facilitates daily purchasing and inventory management activities. Administers and coordinates the SAP / GAINS purchasing and inventory system functions on assigned product families including, but not limited to, stock purchase orders, branch to branch stock transfers, and related maintenance of SAP master records. Manages supply flow on assigned product families through consistent communication with applicable branch and supplier contacts. Utilizes inventory service management tools and other exception reports and tools to identify critical low inventory situations. Improves inventory performance through reduction of overstock and non-stock inventories. Analyzes inventory requests from sales or marketing teams and implement stocking parameter changes determined to be appropriate to support sales growth.
Responsibilities
Essential Functions
- Maintains collaborative relationships with branch sales, warehouse, and operations staff.
- Provides proactive and responsive support for branch staff and deliver excellent customer service in response to branch inventory requests.
- Responds to actual or predicted stock-outs and identifies larger trends in supplier service levels that affect the supply chain.
- Monitors and takes steps to ensure healthy inventory service levels on high velocity items, and products important to key customers.
- Facilitates review, submission, and expediting of stock purchase orders.
- Makes trade-off decisions with respect to inbound freight expenses, inventory service levels and inventory turnover.
- Maintains collaborative relationships with suppliers and manufacturer's representatives.
- Evaluates excess inventory on products or product families with low inventory turnover and takes action to improve inventory turns including supplier returns, order point or order quantity adjustments, branch to branch stock transfers, de-expediting inbound supply orders, or sales promotion opportunities.
- Maintains expected delivery dates on inbound supplier orders to improve date confidence with branch teams and customers.
- Responds and resolves invoice, shipping, and carrier discrepancy issues in a timely manner
Non-essential Functions
May work in close connection with our alliance customersAssist in training new team membersParticipates in training document reviews and creationParticipates in inventory & purchasing projects, such as data cleansing, branch startup plans, facility relocations, process improvement initiatives, etc.Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor or designateQualifications
Four-year business or technical degree or the equivalent in work experience.Prior procurement, inventory management, or supply chain management experience with knowledge of electrical, utility, industrial products preferred.Solid understanding of customer service and conflict resolution, purchasing, purchase order management and supplier returns, inventory management and stocking parameters, such as reorder points and lead timesCompetency with Excel or another spreadsheet applicationPrevious knowledge of SAP or an MRP platform is preferredSkills and Abilities
Multitasking, organization, and time management skillsExcellent customer service skills include being competent, accurate, responsive, and engagedPhysical Requirements
Frequency at which you would carry / lift in a typical day : Occasionally 0 33% Frequently 34 66% Continuously : 67 100%
Lift from Waist :10 to 25 lbs. - Not at all26 to 50 lbs. - Not at all51 to 75 lbs. - Not at all75 to 100 lbs. - Not at all100+ lbs. - Not at allLift from Floor :10 to 25 lbs. - Frequently26 to 50 lbs. - Occasionally51 to 75 lbs. - Not at all75 to 100 lbs. - Not at all100+ lbs. - Not at allCarried for Distance :10 to 25 lbs. - Not at all26 to 50 lbs. - Not at all51 to 75 lbs. - Not at all75 to 100 lbs. - Not at all100+ lbs. - Not at allPhysical Activity
Frequency at which you would do the following in a typical day :
Sitting (a continuous period of being seated) - ContinuouslyStanding (for sustained periods of time) - FrequentlyWalking (moving about on foot to accomplish tasks) - FrequentlyBending / stooping (downward and forward) - OccasionallyCrawling (moving about on hands and knees or hands and feet) - Not at allClimbing / Walking Stairs (ascending or descending) - FrequentlyReaching (extending arms in any direction) - FrequentlyCrouching / squatting (bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine) - OccasionallyKneeling (bending legs at knee to come to rest on knee(s)) - OccasionallyBalancing (maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling) - OccasionallyRepetitive motion (substantial movement (motions) or the wrists, hands, and / or fingers) - ContinuouslyPivoting (movement in any direction with one foot, keeping the other in contact with the floor) - FrequentlyPushing / Pulling (using upper extremities to press against or draw or tug) - OccasionallyGrasping (Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm) - ContinuouslyFingering (picking, pinching, typing; working with primarily fingers and not whole hand) - ContinuouslyTalking (expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word) - FrequentlyDriving (the control and operation of a motor vehicle) - OccasionallyDesk work (work usually performed at a desk) - ContinuouslyUse of a computer - ContinuouslyUse of a telephone - FrequentlyHearing (Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels) - ContinuouslyExposure (to adverse weather & temperature conditions) - Not at all