Buyer​/Planner

Buyer / Planner within the Parts & eCommerce team

NCS supports car wash operators who wash millions of vehicles every year. As a leading full-service fluids and systems provider to the vehicle care industry, NCS has served customers in North America for more than 50 years. The company provides comprehensive systems and aftermarket support, including service, parts, and environmentally friendly cleaning fluids.

As a Buyer / Planner within the Parts & eCommerce team, you will be responsible for the daily purchasing and planning activities of service parts required to enable SKU availability (by defining and maintaining optimal inventory levels at the NCS Parts Hub in Flower Mound, TX); on‑time order fulfillment (to both external and internal customers, on both stocking and non‑stocking SKUs);

and cost‑effectiveness (required to drive both SKU and Customer level profitability). You will join an existing team of Buyer / Planners and will routinely interface with the Parts Customer Service team, as well as the Distribution and Service organizations. Successful candidates will demonstrate excellent analytical and communication skills, very high level of attention to detail, and the ability to react and multitask in a fast‑paced and ever‑changing business environment.

Job Duties:

• Place purchase orders (for both stocking and non‑stocking SKUs) and manage the entire procurement process from order placement to receipt, in order to ensure order accuracy, fulfillment timeliness and overall customer satisfaction.
• Approve supplier invoices, while resolving PO discrepancies in a timely manner to guarantee product availability and timely payment to suppliers.
• Coordinate the end‑to‑end Return to Vendor (RTV) process for non‑conforming inventory, including documentation, physical tracking, and shipping to ensure inventory removal and enable credit recovery and/or product replacement.
• Analyze sales/usage trends and develop inventory replenishment strategies required to maintain appropriate inventory in‑stock levels consistent with company‑defined goals, while minimizing overall excess and obsolete inventory.
• Maintain accurate planning metrics on a SKU level basis including purchasing information, costing, lead times, MOQ/EOQ, and safety stock levels.
• Respond to customer (both external and internal) inquiries promptly and professionally.
• Act as a liaison between customers and suppliers to resolve procurement related issues.
• Identify risks to the supply chain, such as material shortages or production delays.
• Escalate all issues pertaining to supplier performance (Cost, Quality, and Availability) to the Supply Chain Management leadership team.
• Identify process improvement opportunities in Purchasing, Planning and Inventory Management and participate in the implementation of best practices and tools to streamline operations and drive efficiency improvements.

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management or related field/major.
• Minimum of 2 years’ experience in a Purchasing and/or Planning capacity, preferably in the Car Wash, Automotive, HVAC or adjacent industries space.
• Demonstrated practical knowledge of Purchasing principles and practices.
• Proficiency in Planning and Inventory Management principles and techniques.
• Strong negotiation skills and ability to build effective relationships with suppliers.
• Excellent analytical and problem‑solving abilities, with superior attention to detail.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with a professional and courteous demeanor, and capable of successfully working cross‑functionally.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and manage time effectively in a fast‑paced environment.
• Proficiency in relevant software and technology, namely:
  • Oracle Net Suite (Required)
  • MS Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint), namely in analyzing and manipulating data
  • Adobe PDF Creator, namely in creating/manipulating PDFs
• Ability to work independently, as well as part of a broader team, with a proactive, positive, resourceful and efficient attitude.
• Strong work ethic and commitment to excellence.
• Flexibility to adapt to changing priorities and willingness to take on additional responsibilities (as needed).
• Ma…