Purchasing Associate

Johnstone Supply, North America's leading wholesale distributor of HVACR equipment, parts, and supplies, has a great opportunity to join our team. Over the last seven decades, Johnstone has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry leader with over 470 distributor branches and 6 distribution centers throughout North America. We work with some of the largest companies in the world, including Daikin/Goodman, Bosch, Copeland, Honeywell, Johnson Controls, and Fujitsu, to provide contractors with world-class products, technical expertise, and quality service.

Now is the best time to join Johnstone Supply. Relationship-building is the key to our success, and it shows in everything we do. The Power of Johnstone is everyone who works with us. Our customers, our partners, and our people. Johnstone is growing, and so can you.

Purchasing Associates supports the business through inventory planning, purchasing, and supplier coordination while delivering excellent internal and external customer service. This role ensures inventory is optimized to meet service goals, improve turns, and reduce excess stock by leveraging data and supplier performance to issue timely purchase orders. The goal is to drive solutions and success that improve customer satisfaction, maximizes customer retention and increase profitability.

Essential Job Functions:

• Forecast inventory needs and align purchasing to maximize service levels and inventory turns.
• Manage material flow to ensure timely delivery and support capacity requirements, including purchases from suppliers and the Johnstone distribution centers.
• Partner with Product Managers to build and maintain supplier relationships.
• Resolve purchasing and inventory issues across departments, including branches and Accounts Payable.
• Maintain ownership of assigned products and regions and build product knowledge.
• Drive continuous improvement and cost reduction across the supply chain.
• Collaborate within a team to achieve company and departmental goals.
• Perform additional duties as needed to support overall business success.

Internal Relationships: Work closely with internal teams (purchasing, warehouse/branch management, sales, and marketing teams) to ensure appropriate support and increase customer satisfaction.

External Relationships: Customers and vendors

Final Decision Maker: Works independently within internal process and seeks appropriate approval from Product Category Managers and/or Inventory Pricing Manager

Education, Work Experience & Specialized Skills or Knowledge:

• Typically requires bachelor’s degree in supply chain management or Business-related field, or equivalent experience.
• Approximately two years of experience in purchasing, planning, or inventory management preferred.
• This position requires a highly focused, detail-oriented, analytical results-driven individual that has the ability to work with a variety of analytics tools.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel is required, with aptitude to learn new computer applications.
• Experience with Eclipse is a plus.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and enjoys working in a team environment.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee spends significant time sitting, or standing, walking the facility and is occasionally required to climb or balance; stoop kneel, crouch, or crawl; taste or smell; and lift up to 50 pounds.

We’re also interested in hiring a great candidate that holds these values so we can further build a strong company culture:

• Safety: Always prioritizes safety, both at work and at home, while ensuring those who work for you work safely.
• Customer Focused: Take the perspective of those we serve, anticipate their needs, and responding quickly.
• One Team: We win together by collaborating with each other, focusing on the common goal, and leveraging the strengths of the team.
• Own It: Take the initiative, act with a sense of urgency and pride, do things right the first time, and always act with integrity.
• Innovate: Embrace and create change that drives continuous improvement and…