Purchasing Specialist

Collins McNicholas Recruitment; Leinster; On-site; EUR 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Collins McNicholas Recruitment in Ireland is seeking a Purchasing & Stock Administrator to support procurement, stock management and commercial operations. This detail-focused role involves supplier management, stock control, forecasting and cross-functional collaboration.

You will liaise with suppliers to ensure on-time delivery, maintain ERP records, and help optimise purchasing processes while collaborating with Sales, Warehouse, Accounts and QA teams.

Qualifications

• Experience in purchasing, procurement or stock management.
• Analytical with strong numerical skills.
• Experience using an ERP system, preferably SAP.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Highly organised and detail-oriented.
• Able to manage priorities across departments.
• Proactive in identifying improvements to processes.
• Lean principles knowledge would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Monitor stock levels and place purchase orders.
• Maintain ERP and database records (products, pricing, supplier lead times).
• Liaise with suppliers to ensure on-time delivery and accuracy.
• Support forecasting and inventory planning, considering demand and lead times.
• Prepare and analyse purchasing, stock and supplier performance reports.
• Support procurement activities, including sourcing and supplier negotiations.
• Monitor supplier performance in quality and delivery.
• Coordinate with Sales, Warehouse, Accounts and QA to resolve issues.
• Support new supplier and product approvals and regulatory requirements.
• Assist with stock counts, reconciliation and accuracy.
• Identify opportunities to improve purchasing processes and ERP functionality.
• Manage incoming calls and emails professionally.
• Provide general administrative support to the Purchasing team.

Skills

Purchasing

Stock management

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Organisational skills

Deadline-driven

Cross-functional collaboration

Process improvement

Lean principles

Tools

SAP

Excel

ERP systems

Job description

The Job

We are looking for a Purchasing & Stock Administrator to support our procurement, stock management and commercial operations. This is a detail-focused, analytical role involving supplier management, stock control, forecasting and cross-functional collaboration.

Key Responsibilities

• Monitor stock levels and place purchase orders in line with company requirements.
• Maintain accurate ERP and database records, including products, pricing and supplier lead times.
• Liaise with suppliers to ensure orders and shipments are delivered on time and to specification.
• Support forecasting and inventory planning, taking account of demand, seasonality, pricing and lead times.
• Prepare and analyse purchasing, stock and supplier performance reports.
• Support procurement activities, including sourcing, pricing and supplier negotiations.
• Monitor supplier performance in relation to quality and delivery requirements.
• Coordinate with Sales, Warehouse, Accounts and QA teams to resolve operational issues.
• Support new supplier and product approvals, including specifications, regulatory requirements and artwork.
• Assist with stock counts, reconciliation and inventory accuracy.
• Identify opportunities to improve purchasing processes, procedures and ERP functionality.
• Manage incoming calls and emails professionally and efficiently.
• Provide general administrative and project support to the Purchasing team.

Requirements

• Previous experience in purchasing, procurement or stock management.
• Commercially aware with strong numerical and analytical skills.
• Experience using an ERP system, ideally SAP.
• Experience with stock control, cycle counting and reconciliation.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Highly organised, methodical and attentive to detail.
• Able to prioritise and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Confident working across multiple departments and managing competing priorities.
• A proactive approach to identifying and improving processes.
• Understanding of lean principles would be advantageous.