Purchasing Manager Job Columbus area,Ohio USA,Supply Chain/Logistics

Position Summary

The Purchasing Manager leads day-to-day procurement for AFS Group, supporting 10 store locations with timely product availability, responsible inventory investment, and competitive purchasing costs. Reporting to the Director of Purchasing, this position supervises purchasing staff and coordinates vendor relationships, purchase orders, inbound delivery timelines, globally sourced products, and stocking and reorder decisions. The role identifies opportunities to improve purchasing efficiency and vendor performance while supporting the needs of multiple business channels.

Key Responsibilities Leadership & Strategy

Lead, coach, and develop purchasing staff; establish clear expectations, coordinate workloads, and support performance accountability.

Identify cost-saving opportunities and purchasing process improvements through vendor relationships, pricing analysis, and sourcing decisions. relationships.

Coordinate purchasing priorities across AFS business channels to support product availability and operational needs.

Partner with sales, operations, warehouse, and location leaders to anticipate product needs and resolve availability issues.

Vendor & Order Management

Place and manage purchase orders with flooring vendors for stock and special-order needs.

Monitor inbound shipment ETAs, communicate with vendors regarding delays, and notify sales and store personnel promptly of any changes to expected delivery dates.

Manage assigned vendor programs and promotions, and report on their performance.

Review vendor performance (on-time delivery, accuracy, claims) and report scorecard results to the Director.

Manage globally sourced products, including international vendor relationships, lead times, shipping and import logistics.

Inventory & Demand

Monitor on-hand inventory and sales demand to set reorder points and quantities for stocking programs.

Forecast demand and analyze purchasing trends to meet established stock-on-hand targets while balancing inventory investment.

Reduce aged and excess inventory in coordination with location teams through transfers, markdowns and returns.

Cost & Pricing

Maintain vendor cost and price-level data, ensure vendor invoices and purchase orders comply with agreed costs, and review pricing changes against current sell prices.

Reconcile receiving and vendor invoices, and resolve discrepancies with vendors and accounting.

Monitor purchasing and inventory indicators, including product availability, aged inventory, vendor delivery performance, order accuracy, and cost-saving opportunities; recommend corrective actions.

Evaluate vendor pricing, purchasing terms, and service performance; elevate commitments requiring Director approval.

Qualifications

5+ years of purchasing, buying, or inventory management experience; demonstrated team leadership experience preferred. Flooring or building-products and international sourcing experience preferred.

Strong Excel skills, including pivot tables and lookups; comfortable working with large sales and inventory reports.

Ability to leverage technology, reporting tools, and AI-assisted solutions to improve purchasing analysis and efficiency.

Experience with an ERP or retail system such as RFMS preferred.

Strong communication and vendor relationship skills; able to collaborate effectively with sales teams, direct reports, and outside vendors.

Detail-oriented, organized, and able to manage many open orders at once across different channels and lines of business.

Bachelor's degree in business, supply chain or a related field preferred, or equivalent experience.

Position Details

Reports to:

Director of Purchasing

Location:

Columbus, Ohio

Travel:
Light travel to other locations