Purchasing Manager

Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan since 1955, Lumbermen’s operates in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Minnesota.  A leading distributor and manufacturer, we are driven by our mission to enrich lives by intentionally caring for all who experience us.  We are employee owned and relationship powered.

Based in Byron Center, the person in this role defines and executes the purchasing strategy for the building materials segment.  This position balances relationship building, execution, and leadership, offering opportunities to drive sales and profitability every day.   Day-to-day responsibilities include:

• Providing overall leadership and direction for the purchasing team while modeling Lumbermen’s MVP
• Recruiting, hiring, training and developing a best-in-class team
• Managing, providing ongoing feedback to, and facilitating performance check ins for direct reports
• Building and fostering strong vendor relationships
• Developing, leading, and executing purchasing strategies
• Effectively determining quantity and timing of product deliveries
• Conducting forecasting and data analysis
• Negotiating contracts with key suppliers, including costs and terms of supply, service, and quality
• Working with vendors to place orders and negotiate promotions
• Managing vendor rebate programs
• Analyzing and calculating procurement costs and developing cost reduction strategies
• Driving purchasing decisions based on cost and scenario analysis, as well as market trends
• Conducting market research, as well as creating cost estimates and forecasts
• Assessing, managing, and mitigating risk
• Communicating and rolling out programs to respective teams
• Maintaining accurate inventory of part numbers in all locations
• Working with leadership to conduct product line reviews
• Collaborating with the procurement department to identify and pursue new supplier opportunities
• Selecting suppliers that can act as long-term partners and help the company meet its growth objectives
• Evaluating sourcing procedures and presenting improvement strategies to senior management for approval
• Organizing/facilitating training on new products
• Other duties and tasks as assigned

At Lumbermen’s, our mission is to intentionally care for people.  Ideal candidates for this role possess strong strategic leadership skills and are motivated by the opportunity to facilitate the purchasing process from beginning to end.  They are very detail-oriented and results-focused.  As a leader, they are driven by the opportunity to build strong teams and foster individual and team growth to, in turn, deliver exceptional results. 

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, logistics, or business or commensurate experience strongly desired
• 1-3 years’ leadership experience
• 1-3 years’ experience in purchasing and/or inventory control

• Analytical abilities to assess the performance of suppliers against criteria such as quality, cost, reliability, ability to innovate and financial stability
• Financial skills to assess the total cost of dealing with a supplier, including price and factors such as the costs of delivery, administration quality control and inventory
• Advanced ability to collaborate and negotiate
• Excellent organizational and time management skills
• Exceptional analytical and strategic thinking abilities
• Driver of processes
• Strong internal motivation
• Ability to make decisions independently
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Inclination to handle tasks with a sense of responsibility and urgency
• Ability to effectively manage conflict while maintaining good relationships
• Ability to work independently and with others
• Intermediate or above proficiency in MS Office products (Word, Excel, Outlook)