Headwater Companies Purchasing Agent - Hickory, NC

Headwater Co.; Hickory (NC); Hybrid; USD 45,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Headwater Companies, LLC is the largest national wholesaler of water equipment components in the United States, serving residential, commercial, and irrigation systems through professional contractors. This role identifies suppliers, processes orders, verifies deliveries, and builds long-term supplier relationships.

Responsibilities include negotiating pricing, maintaining transaction records, coordinating transportation, and managing inventory with ERP tools.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to read and understand documents such as manuals, policies, and procedures.
• Writes routine reports and correspondence.
• Ability to analyze market trends for buying decisions.

Responsibilities

• Prepares and processes purchase orders, updating management on order status.
• Interacts with vendors and internal customers throughout the procurement process.
• Maintains records of all transactions, purchase orders, receipts, and payments.
• Builds long-term relationships with suppliers and negotiates best pricing.
• Controls inventory using ERP logic to align supplier schedules with demand.
• Arranges transport of goods and tracks orders for timely delivery.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Skills

Communication

Confidentiality

Reading comprehension

Reporting

Arithmetic

Following instructions

Problem solving

Planning work

Decision making

Attention to detail

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

Headwater Companies, LLC is the largest national wholesaler in the United States, specializing in water equipment components for the residential, commercial, and irrigation systems installed by our customer, the professional contractor. We are known in our local markets as having quality service, long-term quality people, and only representing the top manufacturers in the industry. Headwater Companies is a Division of Franklin Electric, a publicly-traded company on the NASDAQ stock market under the symbol FELE.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF POSITION:

Responsible for identifying suppliers, researching materials and products, processing purchase orders, and verifying delivered items.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Prepares and processes purchase orders, and updates management on status of orders.
• Interacts with vendors and inter-departmental customers throughout the procurement process.
• Maintains records of all transactions, purchase orders, receipts, and payments.
• Build positive, long-term relationships with suppliers and initiate negotiation for the best pricing.
• Control inventory through use of ERP logic to reduce incoming inventory levels and align supplier schedules to customer demand.
• Arrange transport of goods and track orders to ensure timely delivery.
• Analyze market trends and apply this knowledge to make insightful buying decisions.
• Assess quality of stock received and escalation any discrepancies to suppliers and management.
• Coordinate with inventory team, management, and stockroom as required.
• Performs other related duties as required or assigned.
• If hired as a fully remote employee, quarterly travel is required to work in a Headwater branch for five business days.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS:

Skills and Abilities:

• Effectively communicates information and responds to questions in person-to-person and small group situations with customers, clients, the general public, and other employees of the organization.
• Maintains confidentiality and uses discretion with business information.
• Reads and understands documents such as policy manuals, safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.
• Writes routine reports and correspondence.
• Adds, subtracts, multiplies, and divides numbers (using currency and other forms of measurement).
• Utilizes common-sense understanding to carry out written, oral, or diagrammed instructions.
• Deals with problems involving several known variables in situations of routine nature.
• Plans the time, method, manner, and/or performance sequence of own work; may also occasionally assist in planning work assignments performed by others within a limited area of operation.
• Frequently makes decisions of both minor and major importance, which may affect the work operations of other employees and/or clientele to a moderate degree.
• Completes some moderately repetitive tasks.
• Uses noncomplex machines and equipment (adding machines, calculators, copy/fax machines, etc.).
• Works with persons at all levels in a distribution operation.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES:

While performing the functions of this job, the employee is:

• Regularly required to sit and to talk or hear
• Frequently required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel and to reach with hands and arms
• Occasionally required to stand or walk and to climb or balance
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision
• The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.

The company will make reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions and expectations.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $45,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year