Lead Buyer

Vallen; Pasadena (TX); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

401K with company match

Paid Time Off

Tuition Reimbursement

Employee Discounts

Safety Shoes reimbursement

Safety Glasses reimbursement

Employee Referral Program

Job summary

Vallen Distribution, Inc. is seeking a Buyer Team Lead to train and mentor buyers, oversee procurement, and ensure cost, quality, and on-time delivery. You will manage replenishment decisions, forecast reviews in GAINS, and coordinate vendor relations across multiple sites.

The role requires strong leadership, negotiation, and ERP/WMS proficiency, with a focus on process improvement and team development.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, or related field; 5+ years in procurement preferred.
• CPM certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Train, coach, and mentor assigned buyers; contribute to performance evaluations.
• Coordinate vacation/leave schedules for the team and communicate updates.
• Monitor KPI initiatives and adjust courses as needed.
• Perform procurement to meet demand; review GAINS inventory forecasts.
• Place requisitions and vendor orders; assess expediting actions when needed.
• Negotiate prices and terms to benefit the organization; manage vendor returns.

Skills

Team leadership

Procurement

Vendor management

Negotiation

Excel

MS Office

GAINS ERP

WMS

ERP systems

Forecasting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, or related field

Tools

GAINS ERP

WMS

MS Excel

Job description

Vallen's Buyer Team Leads are responsible for training and providing mentorship to other company buyers. They are also responsible for purchasing products, goods, and materials (stock and/or non-stock) that meet the organization's standards of price, quality, timing, and reliability of supply. A Buyer Team Leads may be procuring product in support of a Vallen distribution center, warehouse, an assigned client, and/or an assigned vendor.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Train, coach, and mentor assigned company buyers; provide input into performance evaluations and under management oversight, assist with carrying out associate development plans.
• Coordinate vacation/leave schedules for the team.
• Keep the Purchasing leadership team abreast of daily activities; actively communicate.
• Identify and document best practices within the function; keep standard operating procedures current and relevant.
• Perform root cause analysis on escalated issues; define and oversee the implementation of root cause corrective action plans.
• Track and monitor team KPI initiatives; devise course corrections as required.
• Lead special projects as assigned.
• Perform procurement activities to ensure the organization's current and anticipated demand for products and materials (stock and non-stock) are met and in alignment with Vallen's purchasing strategies.
  • Review and approve assigned inventory forecasts produced by the GAINS application.
  • Review and approve daily replenishment recommendations produced by the GAINS application.
  • Assess existing orders to determine action for expediting or de-expediting for optimal delivery.
  • Place purchase requisitions and vendor orders.
• Research, assess, and make recommendations for vendors and/or specific items of request to ensure that they comply with specifications and meet the organization's quality, pricing, and delivery standards.
• Request and evaluate bids, quotations, and/or proposals for products and materials of request.
• Recognize and evaluate vendor sales, promotional campaigns, and other opportunities to secure reduced prices.
• May negotiate prices and delivery conditions and commit to purchases (within established limits of authority) with terms that are in the organization's best interest.
• Monitor the quality and timeliness of products and materials supplied; may coordinate the return of damaged goods and/or replacement items.
• Negotiate and coordinate vendor returns for aging, expired, or excess inventory; coordinate other liquidation activities as required.
• Follow-up on the status of purchase orders with vendors to ensure timely delivery; and communicate status of orders with internal and/or external customers.
• Communicates with vendors to resolve problems with timeliness and product quality.
• Maintain and cultivate relationships with one or more suppliers, vendors, internal or external customers.
• Assist with identifying opportunities to consolidate suppliers/vendors.
• Research and resolve account payables nonconformance with suppliers.

Requirements

Job Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in a related field (e.g., Business, Finance, etc.) or equivalent experience. 5+ years of experience in the field of Procurement preferred. CPM certification preferred. Other relevant experience includes:

• Excellent customer service. Attain and maintain Customer Service Professional certification.
• Background in WMS
• Computer skills and aptitude to learn Vallen's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Inventory Management applications; GAINS experience preferred.
• Mathematical aptitude for basic calculations.
• Self-starter with the ability to work independently.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Demonstrated strong attention to detail, organizational and execution skills.
• Proficiency with MS-Office products. Intermediate Excel skills required at a minimum.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

Work Environment (Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.):

• Long periods of time working on a computer and performing key-boarding activities.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and listen. The employee frequently is required to sit. The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk. The employee may be required to occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and ability to adjust focus.

Additional Locations

Bayport , Texas , United States

Bonus Eligibility

Ineligible

Eligible: Yes. Overtime must be approved by your Manager

• Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance for Single, Employee + Spouse or Children & Family Coverage
• 401K with discretionary company match of $.50 on the $1.00 up to 6% of pay - (US positions only)
• Employer-paid Basic Life Insurance for Employee, Spouse, and Dependents
• Employer-paid Short Term & Long Term Disability Benefits and Parental Leave (and any leave required under federal, state and local laws)
• Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
• Paid Time Off (Vacation & Sick Days) -
  80-160 hours of vacation time based on seniority, accrued each month and pro-rated from date of hire. 40-56 hours of sick time per year based on seniority and advanced upon hire.
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Resource Groups for networking and team building
• Tuition Reimbursement Program
• Employee Referral Program
• Safety Shoe and Safety Glasses reimbursement (based on position)
• Employee Discounts through BenefitHub

Vallen complies with all minimum wage laws