Senior Purchasing Agent – Employee-Owned Manufacturing

Suburban Enterprises, Inc.; Appleton (WI); On-site; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Team Member Ownership (ESOP)

401(k) with employer match

Competitive pay

Career growth opportunities

Job summary

Suburban Enterprises, Inc. is seeking a Sr Purchasing Agent - Manufacturing to lead daily procurement of raw materials, components, and supplies while optimizing inventory levels to prevent stockouts and excess costs.

This role collaborates with Production and Operations to align demand forecasts with supply readiness. Ideal candidates have 3+ years in manufacturing purchasing, ERP/MRP experience, and strong vendor negotiations.

Qualifications

• 3+ years purchasing or buying in a manufacturing setting.
• Experience with inventory management and ERP/MRP systems.
• Familiarity with production scheduling and demand forecasting.
• Strong vendor relationships and transactional negotiation skills.
• Able to collaborate closely with production and operations teams.
• Capable of coaching peers and holding team members accountable to metrics.
• Proven ability to build performance metrics and support a culture of improvement.

Responsibilities

• Issue purchase orders for raw materials and components.
• Source and price materials to meet manufacturing demand.
• Monitor supplier lead times and adjust orders to avoid delays.
• Support New Product Introduction sourcing as needed.
• Maintain min/max inventory levels and reorder points.
• Conduct cycle counts and inventory accuracy checks.
• Manage aging/obsolete inventory and disposition.
• Reconcile inventory records in the system.
• Place and track orders with approved suppliers.
• Verify pricing against budgeted costs before issuing POs.
• Flag price discrepancies or supply risks to Purchasing Supervisor.
• Partner with Production/Operations on forecasts and schedule changes.
• Communicate material availability and delays proactively.
• Support production planning meetings with material status updates.
• Coordinate PO documentation with Purchasing team.
• Create standard processes for PO issuance, approvals, and routing.
• Ensure smooth transition from plan to procurement and inventory.

Skills

Purchasing experience

ERP/MRP systems

Production scheduling

Vendor relations

Collaboration with operations

Accountability & metrics

Performance metrics

Education

Supply chain / operations degree

Job description

Suburban Enterprises, Inc. is seeking a Sr Purchasing Agent - Manufacturing to lead daily procurement of raw materials, components, and supplies while optimizing inventory levels to prevent stockouts and excess costs.

This role collaborates with Production and Operations to align demand forecasts with supply readiness. Ideal candidates have 3+ years in manufacturing purchasing, ERP/MRP experience, and strong vendor negotiations.