Strategic Purchasing & Vendor Relations Lead

Meritage Homes Corporation; Draper, Northern (UT, KY); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Meritage Homes is seeking a Purchasing Agent in its Salt Lake City Division to own vendor relationships, drive cost savings, and optimize procurement processes. You will partner with Construction, Sales, Finance, Design, and Land Development to influence decisions and improve performance.

The role supports strategic sourcing and negotiation efforts, with opportunities for growth within a growing homebuilding organization. Strong Excel skills and blueprint reading are valued.

Qualifications

• 0–3 years of relevant experience; internship experience, construction industry exposure, supply chain projects, leadership experience, or demonstrated business accomplishments are highly valued.
• Advanced Excel skills preferred and a willingness to learn JD Edwards, BuildPro, and other business reporting systems.
• Ability to read and interpret blueprints and construction documents is a plus.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
• Demonstrated ownership, accountability, and follow-through.
• Intellectual curiosity and a bias for action, with the ability to learn quickly and operate effectively with limited direction.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and collaborate across multiple functions.
• Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.

Responsibilities

• Own vendor and trade partner issues through resolution, identifying root causes and implementing solutions to prevent recurring pricing, invoicing, and contract discrepancies.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with existing trade partners while identifying and cultivating new trade sources to strengthen capacity, improve performance, and increase competition.
• Lead assigned bid events, evaluate proposals based on total value, negotiate terms, and present recommendations to leadership.
• Analyze costs, specifications, and purchasing opportunities to identify and drive measurable savings through strategic sourcing, negotiation, and value engineering initiatives.
• Review house budgets, identify cost anomalies and margin risks, and recommend corrective actions to improve financial performance.
• Collaborate across Construction, Sales, Finance, Design, and Land Development teams to ensure successful project execution and achievement of business objectives.
• Communicate product, specification, and pricing changes to internal stakeholders and trade partners.
• Identify purchasing and trade partner issues that may impact starts, cycle times, quality, production flow, or customer experience and recommend solutions.
• Assist with month-end cost analysis and accrual processes to support accurate financial reporting.
• Utilize data and reporting tools to evaluate purchasing performance, support decision-making, and uncover process improvement opportunities.
• Lead special projects and present recommendations to division leadership, providing opportunities for future growth and advancement within Purchasing.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Construction Management, Business, Finance, Economics, Engineering, or related field

Tools

JD Edwards

BuildPro

Job description

Meritage Homes is seeking a Purchasing Agent in its Salt Lake City Division to own vendor relationships, drive cost savings, and optimize procurement processes. You will partner with Construction, Sales, Finance, Design, and Land Development to influence decisions and improve performance.

The role supports strategic sourcing and negotiation efforts, with opportunities for growth within a growing homebuilding organization. Strong Excel skills and blueprint reading are valued.