Senior Buyer

Position Summary

The Senior Buyer is responsible for managing the complete purchasing process for assigned product lines and vendor partners, ensuring the timely procurement of inventory, direct-order materials, and project-specific purchases while maintaining optimal inventory levels, maximizing supplier performance, and supporting company profitability.

The Senior Buyer is responsible for managing the complete purchasing process for assigned product lines and vendor partners, ensuring the timely procurement of inventory, direct-order materials, and project-specific purchases while maintaining optimal inventory levels, maximizing supplier performance, and supporting company profitability. Each Senior Buyer maintains equal authority and responsibility within the Purchasing Department and is assigned specific manufacturers, vendors, and product categories.

Senior Buyers are responsible for the day-to-day operational relationship with assigned suppliers, purchasing execution, forecasting, inventory optimization, replenishment planning, and continuous improvement initiatives. The Senior Buyer works closely with the Director of Operations, Sales, Warehouse, Accounting, Branch Managers, and Operations Leadership to ensure exceptional customer service, efficient inventory management, and alignment with Wayne Pipe & Supply's operational and financial objectives.

The Director of Operations retains responsibility for strategic supplier partnerships, contract negotiations, rebate programs, preferred supplier agreements, department budgeting, and overall purchasing strategy.

• Manage replenishment purchasing for assigned product lines using Prophet 21 recommendations, inventory analysis, customer demand, supplier lead times, and established purchasing strategies.
• Purchase stock, direct-order, emergency, and project-related materials while ensuring purchase orders are accurate and released promptly.
• Monitor inventory availability, shortages, fill rates, turns, aging, excess inventory, dead stock, and overall inventory investment.
• Maintain and recommend adjustments to Min/Max levels, purchasing parameters, replenishment quantities, and inventory forecasts.
• Identify inventory-balancing opportunities, including transfers between branch locations.
• Evaluate alternate suppliers, manufacturers, and product substitutions to reduce supply disruptions and meet customer commitments.
• Maintain accurate and complete purchasing records in Prophet 21.

• Analyze historical sales, purchasing trends, customer buying patterns, seasonal fluctuations, and business conditions to forecast inventory requirements.
• Monitor forecast accuracy and adjust purchasing quantities and inventory investment recommendations accordingly.
• Identify supply chain risks and support annual inventory-planning initiatives.
• Recommend strategies to improve inventory availability while reducing excess and obsolete inventory.

• Serve as the primary day-to-day operational contact for assigned suppliers and maintain productive working relationships.
• Monitor supplier performance, responsiveness, and lead times and assist with supplier performance reviews and scorecards.
• Resolve routine supplier, availability, substitution, and delivery issues.
• Provide supplier performance feedback and elevate pricing, contracts, rebates, and strategic supplier matters to the Director of Operations.

• Coordinate purchasing activities, release schedules, material availability, and milestones for customer projects and direct orders.
• Partner with Sales to understand project requirements, customer schedules, and delivery commitments.
• Identify and resolve purchasing or supply issues that could affect project timelines or customer deliveries.

• Collaborate with Sales, Warehouse Operations, Accounting, Branch Managers, and the Director of Operations to address customer demand, inventory planning, material availability, and purchasing discrepancies.
• Work closely with the Buyer, Purchasing Assistant/Expeditor, and RMA Specialist to support effective department operations.
• Participate in cross-functional initiatives that improve purchasing, inventory management, and customer service.

• Analyze purchasing and inventory performance, including inventory investment, fill rates, turns, forecasting accuracy, supplier performance, and departmental KPIs.
• Identify cost-saving, automation, process-improvement, and inventory-optimization opportunities.
• Support Prophet 21 enhancements, purchasing analytics, and department reporting.
• Participate in the development and revision of purchasing policies, procedures, and SOPs.
• Promote purchasing accuracy, accountability, consistency, and departmental best practices.

• Serving as the subject-matter expert for assigned product and supplier lines.
• Assisting with the training and…