Buyer

Border States • Fargo, ND

9d • Onsite

About The Position

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.

Requirements

• 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 times
• Competency with Excel or another spreadsheet application
• Previous knowledge of SAP or an MRP platform is preferred

Nice To Haves

• Multitasking, organization, and time management skills
• Excellent customer service skills include being competent, accurate, responsive, and engaged

Responsibilities

• 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 services 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
• May work in close connection with our alliance customers
• Assist in training new team members
• Participates in training document reviews and creation
• Participates 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 designate

Benefits

• Health, Dental and Vision Benefits
• Accident, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity
• FSA & HSA
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
• Disability Benefits
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Volunteer Time
• Personal Leave time
• bonuses to their employee-owners upon the achievement of branch and company goals

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree