Purchasing Specialist

Excel Partners, Inc.; Connecticut; On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Excel Partners, Inc. is seeking a Purchasing Specialist to execute the purchase plan and maintain uninterrupted supply of materials, packaging, and finished goods. You will use SAP for buy plans, purchase orders, and delivery tracking while serving as the main point of contact with suppliers.

The role requires 2+ years in purchasing or related fields, strong MRP and scheduling skills, and proficiency in MS Excel. Team collaboration and proactive problem solving are essential to success.

Qualifications

• Requires a Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent work experience.
• 2+ years of purchasing, procurement, supply planning or inventory management experience.
• Excellent MRP (SAP required), scheduling, capacity management and organizational skills.
• Excellent analytical and communication skills.
• Proficient in MS Excel and intermediate level experience with other MS Office applications.

Responsibilities

• Generate and review buy plans from SAP to identify purchasing requirements.
• Create and release purchase orders based on approved buy plans and inventory requirements.
• Monitor open purchase orders and manage order status throughout the procurement lifecycle.
• Maintain Master Inventory tracker and collaborate with Sales planning on issues, alerts, shortfalls.
• Act as primary day‑to‑day contact for assigned suppliers and track acknowledgements.
• Monitor supplier production schedules and shipment status to ensure on-time delivery.
• Communicate supply risks, shortages, and delays that may impact customer orders.
• Coordinate with suppliers and logistics to resolve delivery issues.
• Maintain accurate purchase order information and supplier commitments in SAP.

Skills

Purchasing

Procurement

Supply planning

Inventory management

MRP

Scheduling

Capacity management

Analytical skills

Communication

Teamwork

Education

Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent

Tools

SAP

MS Excel

MS Office

Job description

The Purchasing Specialist is responsible for executing the purchase plan to ensure uninterrupted supply of materials, packaging, and finished goods. This role utilizes SAP to generate buy plans, create and manage purchase orders, track supplier commitments, monitor inbound shipments, and maintain accurate delivery information. The Purchasing Specialist serves as a key point of contact with suppliers, ensuring timely communication and proactive resolution of supply issues.

Purchase Planning and Order Management:

• Generate and review buy plans from SAP to identify purchasing requirements.
• Create and release purchase orders based on approved buy plans and inventory requirements.
• Ensure purchase orders are placed in a timely manner to support production and customer demand.
• Monitor open purchase orders and manage order status throughout the procurement lifecycle.
• Maintain Master Inventory tracker and work with Sales planning on issues, alerts, shortfalls.
• Act as the primary day-to-day contact for assigned suppliers.
• Obtain and track supplier order acknowledgements to confirm quantities, pricing, and delivery dates.
• Follow up with suppliers on late acknowledgements, shipment delays, and order discrepancies.
• Maintain effective working relationships with suppliers to support service, quality, and supply objectives.

Shipment & Delivery Tracking:

• Monitor supplier production schedules and shipment status to ensure on-time delivery.
• Communicate supply risks, shortages, and delays that may impact customer orders.
• Proactively identify potential supply disruptions and communicate risks to internal stakeholders.
• Coordinate with suppliers and internal logistics team to resolve delivery issues.
• Track inbound shipments and provide visibility to expected arrival dates.

SAP Data Management:

• Maintain accurate purchase order information within SAP.
• Update confirmed delivery dates and supplier commitments in SAP based on order acknowledgements and shipment updates.
• Ensure system data integrity to support accurate inventory planning and reporting.
• Review and reconcile open order reports to maintain accurate supply visibility.

Desired Skills/Experience:

• Requires a Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent work experience
• 2+ years of purchasing, procurement, supply planning or inventory management experience.
• Excellent MRP (SAP Required), scheduling, capacity management and organizational skills
• Excellent analytical and communication skills
• Proficient in MS Excel and intermediate level experience with other MS Office applications
• Detail orientated with the ability to manage multiple priorities
• Ability to work and communicate in a team environment