Purchasing Operations Partner

Opaa!•Chesterfield, MO

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Purchasing Operations Partner serves as a key connection between the Purchasing team, vendors, and the field. This role supports day-to-day purchasing operations, receiving and invoicing processes, vendor and field issue resolution, reporting, and process improvement. The role helps diagnose and resolve purchasing issues, develops field-facing processes and training, and ensures vendor and purchasing needs are effectively communicated and addressed. Demonstrate and promote behavior that is consistent with Opaa!’s Core Values of 1.) “Act in the Best Interest of the students, schools and communities we serve, 2.) Be honest in everything we do, 3.) Have a passion to serve others, and 4.) Commit to continuous improvement.

Requirements

5+ years of relevant professional experience in food service, operations, purchasing, vendor management, inventory, or a related field.
Experience working with vendors, ordering systems, inventory, invoices, or purchasing processes preferred.
Experience troubleshooting operational and vendor-related issues and identifying solutions.
Experience developing training, processes, or tools to improve operations.
Experience using business systems and analyzing data to identify issues and opportunities.
Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
Proficient in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.
Strong organizational and project management skills.
Detail-oriented with strong follow-through and accountability.
Able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Collaborative, proactive, and customer-service oriented.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in related field preferred, but not required

Responsibilities

Serve as a direct conduit between Purchasing and the field.
Partner with Directors of Nutrition Services, field leadership, and Home Office team members to understand and resolve purchasing and vendor-related needs.
Build strong internal relationships across the organization to support effective communication and problem resolution.
Support the field with ordering, purchasing, receiving, invoicing, and related processes.
Help diagnose issues and determine the appropriate internal or external solution.
Ensure issues are communicated, followed through, and resolved.
Help ensure purchasing processes are clear, consistent, and easy for the field to follow.
Identify process gaps and recommend improvements.
Partner with Purchasing and Operations leadership on purchasing initiatives and needs.
Develop and maintain a strong understanding of the BOSS receiving process and distributor pricing as it relates to invoicing.
Monitor receipts in BOSS for exceptions and ensure exceptions are cleared and approved for export to Accounts Payable.
Track and manage invoices that have been received but not approved for export within BOSS to support the Accounts Payable team.
Communicate with field team members regarding receipt errors and exceptions and continually improve the process for identifying, communicating, and resolving these issues.
Serve as a liaison on receipt exceptions related to pricing errors.
Communicate pricing errors to the DSR when BOSS exceptions identify discrepancies.
Assist with entering credits and rebills into BOSS as needed.
Run and analyze reports to identify trends and recurring exceptions resulting from improper field entry of products, pricing, and other purchasing information.
Prepare meaningful reports and insights for the Director of Purchasing & Supplier Relations and other stakeholders.
Pull weekly produce pricing from BOSS to support the fruit and vegetable bar plan-ogram.
Support the Pricing Coordinator and Financial Analyst – Purchasing with data gathering, analysis, and report formatting as needed.
Prepare and maintain purchasing-related reports and data, including: Commodity reconciliation pivots, Weekly and monthly receipt pivots, Buy American Provision tracking, Manufacturer coupon data pulls.
Use data and trends to identify recurring issues and opportunities to improve purchasing and vendor performance.
Manage day-to-day vendor relationships and communication.
Address vendor service issues such as late trucks, incorrect or missing products, substitutions, and other delivery concerns.
Partner with vendors and internal teams to resolve issues and improve service.
Monitor recurring vendor issues and identify opportunities for improvement.
Build and deliver training for field teams related to purchasing, ordering, receiving, invoices, vendors, and related processes.
Create field-friendly resources, guides, and tools.
Help translate Home Office processes into practical direction for the field.
Develop and implement tools and processes that improve visibility, communication, accuracy, and follow-through.
Develop and maintain vendor issue tracking in Zoho, including implementation, training, reporting, and ongoing improvements.
Continuously evaluate processes and systems to make the field experience easier and more efficient.
Assist with the collection of Shoes for Crews shoe order forms.
Attend all company meetings.
Perform other duties as assigned.