Purchasing Operations Buyer

Rio Hotel & Casino Las Vegas•Las Vegas, NV

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Purchasing Operations Buyer is part of the Supply Chain Purchasing organization and handles transactional purchasing to support the daily operational needs of Rio Las Vegas. This role involves converting approved requisitions into purchase orders, confirming with suppliers, tracking deliveries, resolving order issues, and maintaining purchasing system documentation. Buyers operate under a shared-duty model, covering other departments and categories as needed, while strategic sourcing and major negotiations are handled by the Supply Chain Director and Manager.

Requirements

Two or more years of purchasing, buying, procurement, supply chain or closely related experience.
Demonstrated ability to manage purchase orders, supplier communications, delivery tracking and problem resolution.
Working knowledge of purchasing controls, competitive quotes, commercial terms and invoice/receiving reconciliation.
Strong organization, attention to detail, prioritization, customer service and written and verbal communication skills.
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and purchasing, inventory or ERP systems.
Ability to calculate unit costs, extensions, percentages, price variances, freight impact and basic quote comparisons accurately.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, hospitality or a related field; equivalent relevant experience will be considered.
Hospitality, gaming, resort, food and beverage, engineering, OS&E or FF&E purchasing experience.
Experience with MMS, Stratton Warren, Coupa, Oracle or comparable purchasing systems.
Experience supporting multiple categories and cross-covering other buyers.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary transactional purchasing contact for assigned operating departments and routine requirements.
Review purchase requests for completeness, approved specifications, funding, business need, and required delivery timing.
Translate department requirements into accurate purchase orders and clear supplier instructions.
Maintain regular communication with internal customers regarding order status, risks, substitutions, delays, and required decisions.
Cross-cover other departments and purchasing assignments using common procedures, shared documentation, and established escalation paths.
Create, issue, revise, and close purchase orders accurately and within established service levels.
Obtain supplier confirmations and verify pricing, quantities, units of measure, terms, lead times, ship-to locations, and delivery dates.
Track open orders, expedite critical requirements, and resolve backorders, substitutions, shortages, damages, and invoice discrepancies.
Coordinate delivery requirements with suppliers, Warehouse Operations, operating departments, and project teams.
Maintain accurate notes and supporting documentation for a complete audit trail for each order.
Routinely review open purchase orders, follow up on overdue acknowledgments and delivery dates, and close or cancel stale commitments with appropriate approval.
Review usage, par levels, reorder points, inventory availability, and upcoming operational demand with departments, Warehouse Operations, and Inventory Control.
Anticipate seasonal events, promotions, holidays, projects, and business-volume changes that may affect routine purchasing requirements.
Identify potential stockouts, long lead times, allocations, and supply disruptions early and escalate them with practical alternatives.
Coordinate approved emergency purchases in accordance with after-hours, authorization, and documentation procedures.
Obtain and compare supplier quotations in accordance with competition and approval requirements.
Confirm routine pricing, freight, lead times, minimums, and service terms against approved agreements or documented quotations.
Prepare clear quote comparisons covering cost, availability, quality, delivery timing, and operational impact for manager review.
Escalate strategic, high-value, high-risk, sole-source, or noncompetitive purchases to the Supply Chain Purchasing Manager or Director.
Provide transactional support for sourcing events, supplier reviews, and contract implementation when requested.
Maintain productive supplier relationships and hold vendors accountable for confirmations, pricing, quality, and delivery commitments.
Monitor recurring supplier issues and coordinate corrective actions with the Purchasing Manager and internal stakeholders.
Support new-vendor onboarding and ensure required commercial, tax, insurance, and system information is complete before purchasing.
Coordinate FF&E support activities—including quotes, confirmations, logistics, and delivery tracking—when assigned.
Coordinate returns, replacement orders, return authorizations, freight claims, damage claims, credits, and supplier corrective actions.
Maintain current supplier contacts, order instructions, delivery requirements, minimums, lead times, and approved ordering methods.
Confirm that requisitions and purchase orders contain clear product or service specifications, approved brands, pack sizes, and units of measure.
Coordinate product samples, demonstrations, or operational evaluations when requested and document stakeholder approval before substitution or conversion.
Verify that proposed substitutions meet operational, quality, safety, brand, and budget requirements before routing them for approval.
Communicate discontinued products, packaging changes, minimum-order changes, and other supplier updates to affected departments.
Execute purchasing transactions accurately in MMS/Stratton Warren and other approved systems.
Support item setup and maintain accurate descriptions, units of measure, pack sizes, pricing, vendors, and delivery information.
Follow approved BPO, requisition, approval, and purchase-order workflows and promptly correct system or data exceptions.
Support No PO, No Pay by preventing unauthorized commitments and escalating noncompliant requests or deliveries.
Protect confidential pricing, contract, supplier, and business information.
Maintain purchasing records in accordance with document-retention requirements, including requisitions, quotes, approvals, confirmations, changes, and supplier correspondence.
Follow ethical purchasing, conflict-of-interest, gift, and supplier-interaction policies.
Verify purchases align with approved contracts, pricing, rebates, budgets, and delegated authority.
Prevent split transactions, duplicate orders, unsupported emergency purchases, and other control circumvention.
Research invoice and receiving discrepancies and coordinate timely resolution with Accounts Payable, Warehouse Operations, and suppliers.
Document savings, cost avoidance, and recoveries using Finance-approved rules; do not claim unvalidated benefits.
Track applicable rebates, credits, freight recoveries, returns, and pricing corrections through final resolution.
Support month-end purchasing close by reviewing open commitments, unresolved receipt or invoice issues, and purchase orders requiring closure or accrual follow-up.
Maintain open-order, overdue-delivery, exception, and workload reports for assigned operational areas.
Provide status updates on critical orders, shortages, supplier risks, unresolved discrepancies, and required management decisions.
Organize competing requests by operational criticality, approved need, lead time, and service impact while communicating realistic completion dates.
Participate in team coverage planning, purchasing huddles, supplier meetings, and continuous-improvement activities.
Place routine orders with approved suppliers within established contracts, competition rules, and delegated authority.
Return incomplete or noncompliant requests and require necessary approvals or supporting documentation.
Recommend substitutions or alternative suppliers when service, availability, quality, or cost is at risk.
Escalate material price changes, sole-source requests, contractual exceptions, critical shortages, and supplier failures.