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[POSITION FILLED] November 1, 2021 – Schaffer Associates is recruiting for a Director of Purchasing for a building products distributor. Based in Indianapolis and reporting to the Managing Director, the Director of Purchasing is responsible for managing the purchasing and procurement activities related to all business units of the Company. Areas of responsibility will include supplier/vendor negotiations, planning, inventory control, and quality.

Essential Duties & Tasks: 

• Develop and manage the purchasing organization for the Company
• Manage purchasing KPIs
• Develop and build relationships with key suppliers and customers, both domestic and international
• Negotiate supplier contracts
• Responsible for planning, developing, and buying products on a timely schedule in the most cost-effective manner, taking corrective and preventative action and managing unavailable inventory
• Manage the budget
• Manage the vendor qualification process
• Manage all vendor rebate programs
• Manage inventory levels
• Manage the approval process for purchasing documents and ensure proper approvals
• Identify and implement various cost savings strategies and standardize, where appropriate, processes, products and systems
• Track and control inbound and outbound freight and average versus standard costs
• Manage new product setups and communicate to the sales team
• Work with vendors to create selling tools for field sales
• Work with Accounts Payable team to ensure accurate and timely payment of invoices as necessary for the business with the supplier
• Responsible for providing the sales team, through the vendor, the necessary technical expertise to enable them to sell the product. This involves printed and electronic promotional material, product training, and relevant spec information
• Responsible for reviewing product data to ensure that field sales is kept up to date on new products regarding competitor’s products
• Work with General Managers to develop the annual marketing plan for controlling advertising, promotions, and sales aids in accordance with the annual budget

Additional Responsibilities: 

• Track market information to ensure company is competitive
• Review current vendors to ensure they are competitive for the company and find alternatives if they are not
• Review product lines to ensure they are profitable for the company
• Source specialty products as requested
• Identify and develop training opportunities for both employees and product systems

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience
• 10 – 15 years’ experience in the construction field
• Prefer product knowledge in fastening markets
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Team player, self-driven, takes initiative, is enthusiastic
• P21 experience a plus

This job posting is for information purposes only. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer or guarantee of employment.

Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Schaffer Associates is a national management consulting firm specializing in executive search and organizational strategies for the hardware, home improvement, building materials, and consumer products industries. As the premier management consulting firm serving the industry, we help build organizations and leadership teams that foster corporate growth and success well into the future.

Call us at (704) 535-9939 or find us at www.SchafferAssociates.com