Strategic Steel Purchaser

North-Shore-Steel; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

North Shore Steel is seeking a driven Purchasing Specialist to secure steel materials and MRO supplies, balancing availability, cost, and service across the supply chain. You will analyze market conditions, negotiate with mills and distributors, and collaborate with sales, production, and logistics to optimize inventory and costs.

The role emphasizes market intelligence, supplier relationships, and operational decision-making to support profitability and procurement excellence in a dynamic steel

Qualifications

• 0–3 years of experience in purchasing, procurement, inventory management, supply chain, steel distribution, manufacturing, or a related field.
• Associate’s or bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Exposure to steel, metals, manufacturing, industrial distribution, or commodity purchasing is strongly preferred.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to evaluate pricing, inventory, market information, and supplier performance.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to develop effective supplier and internal business relationships.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced operational environment.
• Demonstrated ability to take ownership of projects and follow initiatives through completion.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel; experience working within an ERP or purchasing system is preferred.
• Interest in developing deeper knowledge of steel commodities, sourcing strategy, supplier negotiations, and inventory management.

Responsibilities

• Manage purchasing activities for assigned steel commodities and MRO categories, from identifying requirements and sourcing suppliers through negotiation and purchase execution.
• Build and maintain productive relationships with steel mills, service centers, distributors, and MRO suppliers to support competitive pricing, quality, availability, and service.
• Monitor steel market conditions, including plate, sheet, HRC, scrap, freight, mill lead times, and import activity, and translate market movement into actionable purchasing insights.
• Partner with sales, production, maintenance, warehouse, logistics, and operations teams to anticipate material requirements and maintain appropriate inventory levels.
• Analyze purchasing history, inventory position, supplier performance, business demand, and market trends to support sourcing and inventory decisions.
• Identify opportunities to reduce cost, improve supplier terms, optimize inventory, and strengthen procurement processes.
• Support supplier negotiations involving pricing, rebates, freight, payment terms, lead times, availability, and service expectations.
• Evaluate supplier performance and help resolve delivery delays, shortages, quality concerns, invoice discrepancies, and other supply-related issues.
• Maintain accurate purchasing, pricing, supplier, contract, and inventory information within company ERP systems.
• Collaborate with Quality, Finance, Receiving, Logistics, Production, and other Purchasing team members to ensure procurement activities support broader company objectives.
• Support inventory reconciliation and optimization initiatives while maintaining appropriate material availability for the business.
• Ensure purchasing activities and documentation comply with company policies and applicable industry and regulatory requirements.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Organized

Commercial awareness

Data literacy

Negotiation

Communication

Time management

Education

Associate’s degree

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Excel

ERP system

Microsoft Office

Job description

North Shore Steel is seeking a driven Purchasing Specialist to secure steel materials and MRO supplies, balancing availability, cost, and service across the supply chain. You will analyze market conditions, negotiate with mills and distributors, and collaborate with sales, production, and logistics to optimize inventory and costs.

The role emphasizes market intelligence, supplier relationships, and operational decision-making to support profitability and procurement excellence in a dynamic steel