Purchasing Assistant

Max Distributing • Little Rock, AR

8h

About The Position

The Purchasing Assistant supports cross-functional operations and vendor coordination, with responsibilities spanning purchasing, inventory management, vendor and order management, product and sales support, sales analysis, merchandising, and event support. The role involves working with internal teams and external vendors, managing multiple priorities, and helping maintain accurate inventory, product information, and order fulfillment.

Requirements

• Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to engage professionally with internal teams and external vendors.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage multiple responsibilities.
• Proficiency in Excel or willingness to learn quickly.
• Proactive mindset and positive, team-oriented attitude.
• Confident, adaptable, and comfortable handling varied responsibilities.
• Ability to negotiate effectively when required.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting sales teams and/or operations in a fast-paced environment.
• Willingness to collaborate with Sales, Marketing, IT, and Warehouse Operations.
• Flexibility to travel up to 20% to support tradeshows and customer events.

Responsibilities

• Submit purchase orders for identified products from the daily watch list.
• Conduct warehouse walk-throughs or review potential product distributions before submitting purchase orders.
• Pull daily inventory and open purchase order reports from the company ERP software.
• Submit orders received via Distribution Forms.
• Review, document, and report daily issues affecting inventory levels or order fulfillment.
• Communicate daily with vendors to obtain Bills of Lading and tracking information.
• Provide open purchase order status updates to the sales team on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
• Process vendor setup documentation for new vendor opportunities.
• Communicate vendor out-of-stock notifications to key stakeholders weekly.
• Manage vendor credits related to expired or out-of-code products.
• Manage product setup and maintenance within the company ERP software.
• Ship product samples to sales teams or customers as requested.
• Coordinate new item communications with sales teams and vendors.
• Work with the warehouse to resolve receiving discrepancies and confirm daily product receipts.
• Update the product catalog monthly with Marketing and IT to help ensure website accuracy.
• Review sales trends across key categories using internal reporting tools.
• Support planogram development by sourcing required products or materials.
• Coordinate shipment of products and support materials for tradeshows and events.
• Travel to and support up to two industry tradeshows annually.
• Support the call center by providing timely product and inventory updates when needed.
• Assist with product force-outs and special projects as required.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation
• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Short-Term Disability
• Long-Term Disability
• 401(k) with employer contribution
• Paid time off
• Paid holidays
• Stable, supportive, and growth-oriented work environment

What This Job Offers

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