Procurement Specialist - Phoenix, AZ

Outlast • Phoenix, AZ

2d • $65,000 - $100,000 • Remote

About The Position

Outlast is disrupting the bulk recyclables industry, a ~$1 trillion market that is largely a technological desert. Our platform transforms recyclables trade through technology, enabling suppliers and buyers to safely and effortlessly transact materials. We also provide global logistics, financing, and quality control, focusing on optimizing customer experience and promoting recycling. The company is poised for explosive growth, having completed several funding rounds and secured contracts that can scale to hundreds of millions in revenue. This role is for a Procurement Specialist to own scrap aluminum purchasing for Outlast. It is a hands-on buying role involving phone calls with suppliers, negotiating pricing and terms, placing orders, and meeting procurement targets. The role reports directly to the VP of Finance & Business Operations and collaborates with operations, sales, and technology teams. This is a new role where the individual will establish new supplier relationships and implement basic procurement processes.

Requirements

• Experience in buying: Personally sourced goods or materials, negotiated with suppliers, and placed orders in any industry. Must be a buyer, not an analyst.
• Negotiation skills: Comfortable discussing price, terms, and delivery with suppliers; able to think on your feet and hold firm when needed.
• Self-starter: Does not wait for instructions, sees what needs to happen and does it, and reports results.
• Comfortable with ambiguity: Ability to act without fully defined SOPs in a startup environment.
• Fast learner: Ability to quickly get up to speed in a new market through direct engagement.
• High energy: Proactive in interactions with suppliers and teammates.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with physical goods or commodity procurement (metals, chemicals, agricultural products, manufacturing inputs).
• Background in the scrap metal, recycling, or secondary materials industry.
• Experience in a startup or early-stage company.
• Comfort with AI tools, data analysis, or workflow automation.
• Experience in markets with volatile or frequently changing prices.

Responsibilities

• Buy scrap aluminum: Source, negotiate, and purchase material at volumes and pricing that meet targets.
• Build supplier relationships: Identify, qualify, and onboard new suppliers, grow the sourcing network, and visit yards.
• Learn the market fast: Become fluent in aluminum alloy grades, ISRI scrap specifications, pricing dynamics, and the supplier landscape.
• Set up procurement workflows: Establish simple, repeatable processes for supplier communication, order tracking, pricing records, and reporting, and integrate with platform and financial systems.
• Coordinate across the team: Work with sales on material specs and timing, operations on logistics and quality, and finance on pricing and margins.
• Use technology to work smarter: Leverage AI tools, data, and automation to be more productive.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Bonus
• Equity
• Ground-floor opportunity at a company building the future of a massive, fragmented industry
• Direct impact — work drives revenue and shapes operations
• A team that uses AI and technology as a competitive advantage
• Equity in a high-growth company
• A leadership team that values action over credentials and results over process

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed