Purchasing Specialist

GRUMA•Irving, TX

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Under limited supervision, this role is responsible for assisting the Corporate Procurement Team with functions critical to the Procurement Department and other Corporate Departments. This position provides support to the Sourcing Team, as needed, to ensure vendors are properly set up in the system and to assist with issues that vendors might encounter. The Purchasing Specialist functions as the primary liaison for vendor and internal stakeholder inquiries, ensuring timely and professional communication on Procurement-related matters. This role coordinates with internal departments to manage vendor re-onboarding, record updates, and account unblocking activities in alignment with established procedures. It also supports Accounts Payable and Procurement by addressing vendor management issues that may affect payment accuracy, timeliness, or operational continuity. The position oversees vendor documentation maintenance to promote data integrity, policy compliance, and audit readiness. Additionally, it provides onboarding support to vendors, internal teams, and Ariba stakeholders by facilitating issue resolution and guiding users as per company policies. Maintaining verification records and supporting documentation is necessary to meet internal control, compliance, and audit requirements. The role manages updates to the Vendor Management tracking file to ensure visibility into active tasks, pending actions, and process status. It generates reports and presentations for Vendor Management activities and communicates key information promptly and professionally. The Purchasing Specialist delivers high-quality service to vendors and internal customers while safeguarding confidential information and representing the organization professionally. This role delivers expert-level support to vendors for ARIBA and SAP platform-related inquiries, troubleshooting technical issues, coordinating resolutions, and facilitating successful vendor participation in procurement processes. It maintains and updates the Vendor Management SOP, Vendor Management SharePoint site, and training resources, while delivering in-person and virtual (Microsoft Teams) training to employees as needed to ensure adherence to vendor management procedures. The position provides backup support for the Purchasing Clerk and Administrative Team to sustain continuity of key procurement support functions. Additional administrative and procurement support responsibilities are performed that contribute to departmental effectiveness and role development.

Requirements

Associate’s degree or equivalent combination of education, training, and relevant professional experience required, with demonstrated ability to support administrative, procurement, or business operations functions.
Minimum of 2 years of progressive experience in Procurement, Accounting, Sales, Project Management, Customer Service, or a related business support environment, preferably with exposure to vendor management, stakeholder communication, documentation control, and processes coordination.
Bilingual proficiency in Spanish required, with the ability to communicate effectively and professionally with internal teams, vendors, and business partners in a service-oriented environment.
Demonstrated ability to coordinate and maintain effective purchasing systems and procedures.
Ability to interpret information accurately and make decisions in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and company policies.
Strong adaptability, flexibility, and critical thinking skills.
Ability to collaborate effectively with executive leadership, management, and employees at all levels.
Excellent customer service skills.
Strong verbal and written communication skills in English and Spanish.
Strong organizational skills and ability to remain professional under pressure, including when managing high volumes of email correspondence.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Teams, Excel, Word, and Outlook.
High attention to detail and accuracy when managing significant workloads.
Ability to quickly learn vendor portals and provide knowledgeable support for vendor onboarding inquiries.
Professional communication skills and ability to represent the company appropriately.
Ability to follow up on emails regularly and help resolve vendor issues timely.
Ability to always maintain strict confidentiality.

Responsibilities

Function as the primary liaison for vendor and internal stakeholder inquiries, ensuring timely, professional communication across Procurement-related matters.
Coordinate with internal departments to manage vendor re-onboarding, record updates, and account unblocking activities in alignment with established procedures.
Support Accounts Payable and Procurement by addressing vendor management issues that may affect payment accuracy, timeliness, or operational continuity.
Oversee vendor documentation maintenance to promote data integrity, policy compliance, and audit readiness.
Provide onboarding support to vendors, internal teams, and Ariba stakeholders by facilitating issue resolution and guiding users as per company policies.
Maintaining verification records and supporting documentation is necessary to meet internal control, compliance, and audit requirements.
Manage updates to the Vendor Management tracking file to ensure visibility into active tasks, pending actions, and process status.
Generate reports and presentations for Vendor Management activities and communicate key information promptly and professionally.
Deliver high-quality service to vendors and internal customers while safeguarding confidential information and representing the organization professionally.
Delivers expert-level support to vendors for ARIBA and SAP platform-related inquiries, troubleshooting technical issues, coordinating resolutions, and facilitating successful vendor participation in procurement processes.
Maintains and updates the Vendor Management SOP, Vendor Management SharePoint site, and training resources, while delivering in-person and virtual (Microsoft Teams) training to employees as needed to ensure adherence to vendor management procedures.
Provides backup support for the Purchasing Clerk and Administrative Team to sustain continuity of key procurement support functions.
Perform additional administrative and procurement support responsibilities that contribute to departmental effectiveness and role development.