Director of Inventory & Purchasing

Why Join our Team? At Vallen, we embrace what makes us unique. We thrive on the diversity of our associates and the different ways each of us contributes to Vallen’s success.

We pride ourselves on being an inclusive company that values the growth of our associates. When you join Vallen, you become part of our winning team.

Our vast network of connections is here to help you transform your job into a career. Vallen is an industry leader in delivering flexible supply chain solutions while creating value for our customers, our supply partners, and our associates.

Your Benefits at Vallen :

• Medical, Dental, Vision
• Paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick days)
• 401K with discretionary company match - ( US positions only )
• Employer-paid Basic Life for Employee, Spouse, and Dependents
• Employer-paid Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
• Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
• Vitality Wellness Program
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Resource Groups for networking and team building
• Tuition Reimbursement Program
• Employee Referral Program
• Safety Shoe and Safety Glasses reimbursement
• Employee Discounts through BenefitHub
• Advancement Opportunity.

Position Summary :

Vallen is seeking a dynamic Director of Inventory & Purchasing to oversee and lead the corporate Inventory & purchasing functions.

This leadership role is responsible for ensuring that all systems, processes, and vendor relationships for procuring products, goods, and materials (both stock and non-stock) align with the organization's standards for price, quality, timing, and reliability.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities :

Strategic Planning :

• Contribute to the strategic planning, direction, and goal-setting for the department.
• Develop and implement policies, practices, and procedures that significantly impact the organization.

Inventory Management :

• Oversee inventory management activities and implement best practices with fiscal responsibility.
• Ensure inventory levels are optimized to meet demand while minimizing carrying costs.
• Develop strategies for efficient inventory turnover and reduced obsolescence.
• Monitor and analyze inventory data to identify trends and areas for improvement.

Process Improvement :

Lead ongoing functional and / or system-related process improvement initiatives that contribute to the company's profitability.

Staff Management :

• Interview, select, hire, coach, counsel, and discipline associates.
• Enforce company policies, procedures, and productivity standards.

Quality and Cost Control :

Ensure purchasing activities meet quality standards and service level agreements while minimizing company costs.

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Issue Resolution :

• Collaborate with functional leaders (e.g., Operations, Strategic Initiatives, Marketing, Vendor Relations, and Product Strategy) to manage preferred suppliers / vendors, contractual terms / conditions, and delivery obligations.
• Work with team leaders on escalated issues, providing guidance on root cause analysis, corrective action plans, and resolution.
• Partner with Finance on inventory control and valuation, physical inventories, and cycle counting.

Vendor Negotiations :

• Collaborate with Sales, Marketing and Product Strategy on vendor negotiations for Core Vendors.
• Oversee vendor cost negotiations and approve new or unique terms and conditions for Non-Core Suppliers stocked in the logistics network.

Budgeting :

Provide input into the corporate budgeting process.

Job Qualifications :

Bachelor’s degree in a related field (e.g., Business, Finance, etc.) or equivalent experience. 10+ years procurement related experience;

CPM certification preferred. Other relevant experience should include :

• Demonstrated knowledge of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Inventory Management applications;
• Effective staff management and development skills.
• Mathematical aptitude for basic calculations.
• Demonstrated strong attention to detail, organizational and execution skills.
• Proficiency with MS-Office products.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

Work Environment & Physical Demands :

Reasonable accommodations will be evaluated and may be implemented to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions of this position.

• This job operates in a professional office environment and routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, etc.
• Long periods of time working on a computer and performing repetitive key-boarding activities.
• Occasional evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand and may include little to no advanced notice.
• Regularly required to talk and hear.
• Frequently is required to sit.
• Occasionally required to stand and walk.
• May be required to occasionally lift and / or move up to 10 pounds.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and ability to adjust focus.

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