Purchasing Agent

Character Companies•Alexandria, VA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

Character Companies builds custom and spec homes from $1M to $3M on infill lots in Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax County. We run three defined product lines, Classic, Signature, and Legacy, so pricing and specs are settled before we break ground. Every house is built to a written standard covering all nine phases. Our promise to a client is on time and on budget. This role exists to solve the problem of schedule loss due to late bid requests, unclear scope in trade awards, and material delays. The Purchasing Agent will own buyout, ensuring every trade and every house is bought out complete and on time, at a defendable cost. This involves concurrent bidding with permitting, awards tied to plan approval milestones, and ensuring all trades are awarded and long lead items have confirmed dates before a job starts. The role reports to the General Manager and collaborates with preconstruction, estimating, and the field.

Requirements

Ability to read a plan set and spec and identify missing scope.
Understanding that scope gaps and overlaps cost money.
Ability to spot scope gaps or overlaps before award.
Understanding the difference between a cheap bid and a good one.
Enjoyment of detail work, such as normalizing proposals into clean comparisons.
Desire to own a number and be held accountable for it.
Capacity to run buyout on multiple houses simultaneously without dropping trades.
Ability to document processes as they happen.
Skill in holding vendors to prices and dates without damaging relationships.
Ability to provide a recommendation with a problem when surfaced.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the construction industry.
Familiarity with JobTread software.

Responsibilities

Own buyout for every trade, for every house, ensuring complete and on-time procurement at a defendable cost.
Run bidding concurrently with permitting.
Ensure trade awards are tied to plan approval milestones.
Confirm all trades are awarded and long lead items have confirmed dates before a job is ready to start.
Manage buyout status for active and upcoming jobs, tracking what is bid, awarded, open, and remaining days before issues arise.
Write bid packages before sending them out, ensuring understanding of plans and specifications.
Write invitations to bid to ensure three vendors bid the same house.
Build line item comparisons in JobTread for proposals, normalizing scope for accurate comparison.
Classify trades as price comparable, spec driven, or sole source.
Document reasons for awarding a bid that is not the lowest.
Analyze turnkey versus split bids, accounting for hidden costs like material ordering and chasing.
Track long lead items (trusses, windows, cabinets, appliances, specialty millwork) using a calendar based on approval dates.
Ensure material is on site before the trade arrives and in the correct quantity.
Document material waste or unauthorized changes for backcharging.
Provide a weekly buyout report by job, detailing awarded vs. open, buyout to budget, at-risk items, and action plans.

Benefits

Base salary of $80,000 to $105,000 depending on experience.
Profit share.
401(k).
Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance.
120 hours of PTO (15 days).
9 paid holidays.
3 floating holidays.
6 sick days.
Bereavement leave.
Parental leave.
Company-provided phone and laptop.
Opportunity to work with defined product lines and a structured system (JobTread).
Defined quality standards.
Leadership that supports holding vendors accountable.
Monthly coaching.
Quarterly Conversations.
Fast, actionable feedback.