Senior Buyer
About The Position
Devil Mountain Wholesale Nursery is seeking an experienced Senior Buyer to secure prebook commitments of seasonal plant material and help develop reliable, cost-effective sources of supply across our nursery operations. Reporting to the Purchasing Manager, the Senior Buyer works closely with Sales, Purchasing, and Production teams to plan seasonal purchasing needs, coordinate the distribution of allocated vendor product, and align purchasing plans with grow schedules. This role negotiates prebook quantities, pricing, terms, and availability with vendors, with prebook pricing helping support seasonal SKU pricing decisions. The Senior Buyer also identifies, develops, and maintains strong grower and vendor relationships to strengthen the supply chain, expand available sources of supply, and support long-term sourcing strategy. Success in this role requires strong negotiation skills, sound purchasing judgment, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple vendor relationships and seasonal purchasing priorities simultaneously.
Requirements
- Minimum of 5 years of experience in purchasing, buying, or vendor management, ideally within nursery, horticulture, or agriculture
- Strong negotiation skills and experience managing vendor relationships
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple prebook orders and vendor relationships simultaneously
Nice To Haves
- Associate degree (AA) or higher
- Experience creating and managing purchase orders within inventory or ERP systems
- Experience with prebook or forward-buy purchasing for seasonal or perishable products
- Experience coordinating with production or growing operations to plan purchasing needs
Responsibilities
- Plan and secure prebook commitments for seasonal plant material in advance of demand based on sales forecasts, historical trends, and market conditions
- Provide vendor prebook pricing to the Purchasing Manager to support seasonal SKU pricing decisions
- Coordinate with Sales and Purchasing teams on the distribution of allocated vendor product and communicate availability and allocation updates
- Work with onsite Production teams to align purchasing plans with grow schedules and procure reliable quality for production needs
- Partner with Production to determine whether additional plant material can be grown internally when market supply is limited
- Coordinate purchasing into California, including scheduling, documentation, and agricultural compliance requirements for shipping plant material into the state
- Identify, evaluate, and onboard new vendors to expand and strengthen the vendor base, and actively scout and qualify new growers to reduce single-source risk
- Develop and maintain vendor relationships, including negotiating pricing, terms, and availability commitments for prebooked and seasonal material
- Negotiate and formalize prebook and forward-buy agreements, including pricing, volume, and cancellation terms, with key vendors
- Monitor prebook order status, production timelines, and vendor commitments and proactively resolve delays, shortages, or changes in availability
- Maintain accurate vendor records, purchase orders, pricing agreements, and prebook order documentation
- Serve as a liaison between Sales, Production, Purchasing, and vendors to support purchasing and product distribution needs
Benefits
- 401(k) with 4% company match (when eligible)
- Kaiser HMO and Anthem EPO medical plans (employer contribution provided)
- Basic Life Insurance
- Dental, Vision, and voluntary insurance options
- Vacation, Sick, and Holiday pay
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
Associate degree
