Purchasing Associate

Thompson Safety; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 42,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

Thompson Safety in Houston, TX is seeking a Purchasing Associate to accurately process purchase orders and related activities for an assigned region. This role is highly administrative with a strong focus on data accuracy, order processing, vendor communication, documentation, and follow-up.

The ideal candidate is organized, comfortable with repetitive transactional work in a high-volume environment, and committed to timely completion of tasks.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED required; associate or bachelor's degree preferred.
• Experience in purchasing support, order entry, or high-volume transactional environments preferred.
• Exceptional attention to detail and data-entry accuracy.
• Ability to perform repetitive, process-driven work consistently and accurately.
• Ability to manage a high volume of transactions, requests, and follow-up items.

Responsibilities

• Create, process, and maintain purchase orders accurately and within established timelines.
• Review purchasing requests for completeness and accuracy before processing.
• Enter and maintain purchasing, vendor, item, pricing, and order information within company systems.
• Monitor open purchase orders and follow up with vendors regarding order status, availability, backorders, shipping, and expected delivery dates.
• Communicate order updates, delays, and purchasing issues to internal teams.
• Research and resolve discrepancies involving pricing, quantities, invoices, shipments, and purchase orders.
• Maintain accurate purchasing records and supporting documentation.
• Follow established purchasing procedures, approval requirements, and company policies.
• Coordinate with vendors and internal departments to ensure orders are processed and fulfilled correctly.
• Assist with vendor setup, documentation, pricing updates, and other administrative purchasing functions.
• Identify recurring order or vendor issues and elevate appropriately.
• Maintain strong attention to detail while managing multiple requests and priorities.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Data entry

Vendor communication

Purchase orders

Record keeping

Education

High School Diploma

Associate or Bachelor's preferred

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

Job Summary

The Purchasing Associate is responsible for the accurate and timely processing of purchase orders and related purchasing activities for an assigned region. This position is highly administrative and detail-oriented, with a strong focus on data accuracy, order processing, vendor communication, documentation, and follow-up.

The ideal candidate is organized, comfortable performing repetitive transactional work, able to manage a high volume of requests, and committed to accuracy and timely completion of tasks. This role supports the purchasing process rather than serving as a strategic sourcing or procurement position.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• None

Essential Job Functions

• Create, process, and maintain purchase orders accurately and within established timelines.
• Review purchasing requests for completeness and accuracy before processing.
• Enter and maintain purchasing, vendor, item, pricing, and order information within company systems.
• Monitor open purchase orders and follow up with vendors regarding order status, availability, backorders, shipping, and expected delivery dates.
• Communicate order updates, delays, and purchasing issues to internal teams.
• Research and resolve discrepancies involving pricing, quantities, invoices, shipments, and purchase orders.
• Maintain accurate purchasing records and supporting documentation.
• Follow established purchasing procedures, approval requirements, and company policies.
• Coordinate with vendors and internal departments to ensure orders are processed and fulfilled correctly.
• Assist with vendor setup, documentation, pricing updates, and other administrative purchasing functions.
• Identify recurring order or vendor issues and elevate appropriately.
• Maintain strong attention to detail while managing multiple requests and priorities.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Experience & Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED required; associate or bachelor's degree preferred.
• Previous experience in purchasing support, order entry, administrative operations, logistics, inventory, customer service, accounts payable, or another high-volume transactional environment preferred.
• Exceptional attention to detail and data-entry accuracy.
• Ability to perform repetitive, process-driven work consistently and accurately.
• Ability to manage a high volume of transactions, requests, and follow-up items.