Production Manager- Lumber

Ganahl Lumber Co•Anaheim, CA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

Ganahl Lumber is seeking an experienced Lumber Buyer to manage the purchasing, inventory planning, and supply-chain coordination of lumber and related building-material products. This role is responsible for maintaining the right product mix and inventory levels while balancing customer demand, product availability, quality, lead times, transportation costs, and market conditions. The ideal candidate has strong knowledge of the lumber industry, established mill and supplier relationships, and demonstrated experience in forecasting demand, negotiating purchases, managing inventory, and coordinating transportation. This position requires sound commercial judgment, strong analytical skills, and the ability to build productive relationships with mills, vendors, sales teams, operations personnel, and transportation partners.

Requirements

Several years of professional buying or purchasing experience within the lumber, building-materials, forest-products, construction-supply, or a closely related industry.
Strong working knowledge of lumber products, grades, dimensions, species, applications, pricing, and supply channels.
Demonstrated experience managing inventories, forecasting demand, placing purchase orders, and coordinating inbound transportation.
Proven ability to negotiate effectively with mills, suppliers, brokers, and freight providers.
Established industry relationships and a strong understanding of mill operations and lumber-market dynamics.
Ability to interpret sales, inventory, purchasing, and market data and translate it into sound buying decisions.
Strong mathematical, analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, vendors, and product categories in a fast-paced environment.
High level of accuracy and attention to detail.
Proficiency with purchasing, inventory, ERP, and spreadsheet applications.
Ability to work collaboratively with sales, operations, accounting, receiving, and leadership teams.
Ability to work full-time, in person at the Anaheim location.

Nice To Haves

Five or more years of lumber-buying or closely related purchasing experience.
Experience purchasing high volumes directly from mills and manufacturers.
Familiarity with Western lumber markets and suppliers.
Experience coordinating truck, rail, intermodal, or other freight arrangements.
Knowledge of inventory-planning methods, margin management, replenishment practices, and supply-chain performance metrics.
Experience supporting multiple yards, branches, or distribution locations.
Bachelor’s degree in supply-chain management, business, finance, forestry, construction management, or a related discipline. Equivalent industry experience will also be considered.

Responsibilities

Purchase lumber and related products in accordance with sales forecasts, inventory targets, customer requirements, and company objectives.
Manage inventory levels across assigned product categories, balancing product availability with inventory turns, carrying costs, and exposure to market fluctuations.
Develop accurate demand forecasts using sales history, seasonal trends, current orders, market intelligence, and input from sales and operations teams.
Build, maintain, and strengthen long-term relationships with lumber mills, wholesalers, manufacturers, brokers, and other supply partners.
Negotiate pricing, purchase terms, freight arrangements, delivery schedules, product specifications, and volume commitments.
Monitor lumber-market conditions, including pricing trends, mill production, availability, transportation constraints, regional demand, and other factors affecting supply and cost.
Identify purchasing opportunities and supply risks, communicating recommendations to company leadership and other stakeholders.
Coordinate inbound transportation with mills, carriers, brokers, distribution teams, and receiving locations to support timely and cost-effective delivery.
Evaluate freight options and consolidate shipments when appropriate to reduce transportation costs and improve efficiency.
Track open purchase orders, shipment schedules, backorders, lead times, and delivery performance.
Work closely with receiving and operations teams to resolve shortages, overages, damaged materials, specification issues, and other discrepancies.
Collaborate with sales teams to understand customer demand, upcoming projects, special-order requirements, and changing product needs.
Analyze inventory performance, including stock levels, turns, aging, service levels, excess inventory, and slow-moving products.
Recommend transfers, promotions, purchasing adjustments, or other actions to address inventory imbalances.
Maintain accurate product, vendor, pricing, purchasing, and lead-time information within company systems.
Review supplier performance based on product quality, pricing, reliability, responsiveness, delivery accuracy, and overall value.
Support product-line reviews, vendor evaluations, annual planning, budgeting, and purchasing-strategy development.
Ensure purchased materials meet applicable grades, dimensions, quality standards, and company requirements.
Respond quickly and professionally to supply disruptions, transportation delays, urgent customer needs, and changing market conditions.
Perform other purchasing, inventory-management, and supply-chain duties as assigned.