Purchasing Associate

Description

The Purchasing Associate supports GMHC’s purchasing operations by coordinating purchase orders, vendor communication, documentation, and administrative workflow for the Purchasing Department. This role works closely with the Managing Director, Purchasing & Special Projects to help ensure purchasing activities are processed accurately, efficiently, and in compliance with agency procedures.

The Purchasing Associate provides administrative and operational support for purchasing functions, including purchase order processing, vendor communication, bid collection, documentation management, and follow-up on purchasing-related matters. The role is responsible for maintaining accurate electronic and paper records, responding to staff and vendor inquiries regarding purchasing transactions, and assisting with inventory-related activities as needed.

This position requires strong organizational, communication, and follow-up skills, attention to detail, math proficiency, discretion, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced nonprofit environment.

The Purchasing Associate will be responsible for the following duties:

• Process purchasing requests and related transactions in Intacct or other designated purchasing systems.
• Support the purchase order workflow from requisition through invoice processing.
• Enter purchase order requests for supplies, services, and other approved purchasing needs.
• Communicate with staff and vendors to support approvals, receiving, invoicing, and timely resolution of purchasing matters.
• Monitor purchase order status and follow up on pending items, delays, discrepancies, damages, returns, and related issues.
• Investigate, track, and elevate issues that may delay or interrupt purchasing workflow.

• Serve as a liaison between staff and vendors regarding order status, pricing, tracking, returns, and related purchasing matters.
• Maintain professional vendor relationships to support timely service, accurate orders, and appropriate pricing.
• Assist with obtaining bids, conducting comparison shopping, and supporting effective cost management.
• Stay informed of supply needs, purchasing options, and product availability to help ensure the agency is appropriately stocked.

• Maintain accurate electronic and paper purchasing records, including requisitions, bids, purchase orders, packing slips, invoices, vendor files, and related spreadsheets.
• Organize purchasing documentation to support internal review, audit readiness, and compliance requirements.
• Retrieve purchasing records and supporting documentation for audits, internal requests, and management review.
• Create, format, and maintain spreadsheets to track purchasing activity, vendor information, inventory, and other department needs.
• Complete forms and prepare purchasing-related documentation for submission.
• Provide purchasing data, reports, and basic analytics to management as requested.

• Assist with annual physical inventory and oversight of packing for AIDS Walk New York (AWNY) and periodic inventory counts.
• Provide administrative support to the Purchasing Department, including filing, data entry, document preparation, and follow-up communication.
• Support special projects and department initiatives as assigned.
• Provide backup support for related fiscal or purchasing operations as needed.

• Provide assistance with special projects and perform other related duties as assigned by the supervisor, including cross-coverage and backup support for other fiscal operations functions.

In addition to the above-listed job responsibilities and educational requirements, the ideal candidate for this position possesses most or all of the following:

• Strong attention to detail with exceptional organizational and follow-up skills.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision as well as collaboratively within a team environment.
• Strong math, clerical, and data entry skills with a high level of accuracy.
• Excellent…