Purchasing Operations Supervisor or Purchasing & Open Order Supervisor
About The Position
The Purchasing Operations Supervisor, also referred to as Purchasing & Open Order Supervisor, oversees purchasing activities and supplier management for assigned Third Party suppliers while leading a team responsible for expediting open orders and resolving back orders. The role manages and develops three employees and ensures effective execution of purchasing and open-order activities, including backlog oversight, priority setting, supplier and order issue resolution, and cross-functional coordination to support timely product delivery and a positive customer experience. The supervisor identifies trends and root causes, improves operational processes, and develops tracking and reporting. The role provides leadership during quarter-end, year-end, and other critical business initiatives and drives continuous improvement across supplier and open-order operations. It combines purchasing and supplier-management responsibilities with backlog management, supplier resolution, reporting, and team training.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Science, or a related field.
- At least 3 years of relevant buying or purchasing experience.
- Experience managing supplier relationships and resolving purchasing, order, or supply-related issues.
- Ability to coach, support, and develop team members and manage competing team priorities.
- Ability to investigate and resolve issues independently and escalate appropriately when necessary.
- Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities and meet demanding schedules.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Strong computer skills and proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
- Experience with Mainframe, AS400, or similar purchasing/order-management systems.
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment and adapt to changing requirements and priorities.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively across teams and functions.
Nice To Haves
- Previous people leadership, supervisory, or demonstrated team leadership experience.
Responsibilities
- Manage, coach, and develop a team responsible for expediting and resolving open orders.
- Oversee daily team activities, set priorities, balance workloads, and ensure timely follow-up and resolution of open-order issues.
- Manage purchasing activities and relationships with assigned Third Party suppliers.
- Review, approve, and process direct-ship purchase orders within established turnaround expectations.
- Evaluate and process stock orders to support appropriate inventory availability.
- Maintain customer-specific pricing, evaluate sell-price adjustments when appropriate, and maintain Specials data.
- Manage the open-order and backorder portfolio, focusing especially on past-due, high-dollar, and customer-impacting orders.
- Analyze backlog trends, supplier performance, and operational reports to identify root causes, risks, and improvement opportunities.
- Work with suppliers to obtain invoices, shipment information, promise dates, and other details needed to resolve outstanding orders.
- Collaborate with Buyers, Category Management, internal suppliers, and other cross-functional partners to resolve purchasing and supply issues.
- Develop and maintain reporting on backlog status, trends, risks, supplier performance, team productivity, and progress against goals.
- Monitor performance against departmental goals and metrics and take appropriate action when results are off target.
- Provide leadership and support during quarter-end, year-end, vendor conversions, and other key business initiatives.
- Escalate significant supplier, customer, or operational issues when appropriate.
- Improve customer experience by identifying and implementing process efficiencies, enhanced tracking and reporting, standardized workflows, and other operational improvements.
- Identify recurring issues and partner with stakeholders on corrective actions to prevent future backorders.
- Promote consistent processes, documentation, knowledge sharing, and best practices across the Open Order team.
- Provide ongoing coaching, training, feedback, and development opportunities to strengthen individual and team capabilities.
- Complete assigned projects and other duties as required.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
