Purchasing Analyst

selectmilk; La Crosse (WI); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Off

Paid Holidays

Uniform Program

Shoe Allowance

Onsite Gym

Career Advancement

Leadership Development

Community Support

Sustainability initiatives

Job summary

Select Custom Solutions, from La Crosse, WI, is seeking a Purchasing Analyst to optimize inventory, forecast demand, and guide strategic purchasing decisions. This onsite/hybrid role partners with Purchasing, Planning, Operations, and Logistics to balance service levels and working capital while driving improvements across locations.

The position emphasizes data-driven insights, KPI tracking, and collaboration with cross-functional teams to enhance supply reliability and cost efficiency in a

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in SCM, analytics, or related field.
• Experience in inventory and purchasing analysis.
• Strong data interpretation and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Analyze inventory levels, consumption trends, and demand across locations to identify risks and optimization opportunities.
• Develop inventory recommendations by SKU and location, including safety stock and reorder points.
• Evaluate inventory health metrics and provide insights and action plans.
• Translate demand and inventory analysis into purchasing direction (quantity, timing, location).
• Support buyers with analytical inputs to improve decisions and reduce reactive buying.
• Assess trade-offs between inventory positioning, transport costs, and supplier constraints.
• Identify process gaps in inventory planning and drive data-driven improvements.
• Build dashboards and reports to support purchasing and inventory decisions.

Skills

Inventory analysis

Demand forecasting

Data interpretation

Power BI

Excel

Education

Bachelor's degree in SCM / analytics

Tools

Excel

Power BI

ERP systems

Job description

Shape What's Next at Select Custom Solutions

At Select Custom Solutions, we don't just make ingredients-we create possibilities. From La Crosse, WI, our team brings innovation and expertise to contract manufacturing, branded dairy and non-dairy ingredients, custom blends, and ingredient distribution. With modern facilities and cutting-edge capabilities, we help some of the world's most trusted brands deliver products that make a difference in people's lives.

With a strong focus on growth, innovation, and excellence, Select Custom Solutions offers opportunities to be part of meaningful work that impacts industries worldwide. Whether you're working hands-on in manufacturing or supporting operations, your contributions help drive the future of food and nutrition.

We're proud to be partnered with Select Milk Producers, one of the nation's most progressive dairy cooperatives. With over 110 family-owned dairies and multiple processing plants and joint ventures nationwide, our partnership connects us to a powerful network driving the future of food and nutrition.

Join us-and help shape what's next.

What Select offers you:

• Paid Time Off
• Paid Holidays Off
• Uniform Program
• Shoe Allowance
• Onsite gym
• Career Advancement Opportunities
• Leadership Development
• Opportunities to support our local communities
• Chance to apply best practices in sustainability and environmental initiatives
• Commitment to producing high quality nutritious products and providing nourishment around the world

What this role is all about:

We are looking for a Purchasing Analyst in La Crosse, WI.

Schedule: Monday - Friday, Normal Business Hours

Location: Onsite/Hybrid

The Purchasing Analyst is a strategic, data-driven role responsible for analyzing demand, inventory, and supply performance across multiple locations to drive optimal purchasing decisions. This role goes beyond transactional purchasing to evaluate what to buy, when to buy it, and where to position inventory to balance service levels, working capital, and total landed cost.

The Purchasing Analyst partners closely with Purchasing, Planning, Operations, and Logistics to translate data into actionable insights that improve inventory health, reduce risk, and support business growth. This role is expected to challenge assumptions, identify trends, and proactively recommend improvements-not simply execute purchase orders.

Job Duties:

• Analyze inventory levels, consumption trends, and demand forecasts across multiple locations to identify risks, excess, shortages, and optimization opportunities.
• Develop inventory recommendations by SKU and location, including safety stock, reorder points, and stocking strategies.
• Evaluate inventory health metrics (turns, days on hand, excess & obsolete, service levels) and provide clear insights and action plans.
• Translate demand and inventory analysis into purchasing direction, including quantity, timing, and delivery location.
• Support buyers and purchasing coordinators with analytical inputs to improve purchasing decisions and reduce reactive buying.
• Assess trade-overs between inventory positioning, transportation costs, lead times, and supplier constraints.
• Analyze inter-plant inventory imbalances and recommend transfers or alternate sourcing strategies.
• Support network-level inventory optimization, not just single-site decision making.
• Partner with Logistics and Operations to align purchasing decisions with production plans and warehouse capacity constraints.
• Build and maintain analytical tools, dashboards, and reports (Excel, Power BI, ERP extracts) to support purchasing and inventory decisions.
• Identify trends, anomalies, and improvement opportunities using data and intelligence-not just historical norms.
• Present findings and recommendations clearly to purchasing leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Identify process gaps and inefficiencies in purchasing and inventory planning and drive data-based improvements.
• Support standardization of inventory policies and purchasing rules across locations.
• Contribute to strategic initiatives such as working capital reduction, service level improvement, and supply risk mitigation.
• Understand and adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices and Safety Protocol.
• Stop any observed unsafe acts and obey facility safety rules and procedures.
• Correct or report any observed safety hazards.
• Support safety policies and programs.

Qualifications:

• Education Required: Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Analytics, Operations, Finance, or a related field required.
• Equivalent combination of education and/or experience may be considered.