Purchasing and Inventory Supervisor

We are seeking an experienced Purchasing and Inventory Supervisor with strong business judgment, expert Microsoft Excel skills, and advanced analytical capabilities to support purchasing decisions and inventory performance.

The role is hands-on, responsible for evaluating purchasing requirements, analyzing inventory trends, resolving operational issues, and making informed decisions within established budgets and approval guidelines. The ideal candidate can independently assess situations, identify risks, evaluate options, and take ownership of outcomes.

The position includes Lead, Manage, and Accountability responsibilities, such as coordinating priorities, providing guidance, and monitoring deliverables. However, people supervision is secondary; the primary focus is purchasing execution, inventory analysis, and operational decision-making.

Key Responsibilities:

Purchasing and Decision-Making

• Evaluate purchasing requirements using inventory levels, demand trends, supplier lead times, and business priorities.
• Determine appropriate purchasing quantities and timing within established purchasing policies and approval limits.
• Assess supplier options based on pricing, quality, availability, delivery reliability, and overall value.
• Coordinate purchase orders, monitor outstanding orders, and resolve shortages, delays, and discrepancies.
• Make timely operational decisions and escalate exceptions with clear analysis and recommended actions.
• Identify opportunities to reduce costs while maintaining product availability and service expectations.

Inventory Planning and Control

• Monitor stock levels, inventory movement, and replenishment needs to support business continuity.
• Analyze historical usage and demand patterns to recommend reorder points, safety stock levels, and inventory adjustments.
• Identify slow-moving, excess, obsolete, or at-risk inventory and recommend corrective actions.
• Investigate inventory discrepancies and coordinate resolution with relevant teams.
• Maintain accurate purchasing and inventory records in the applicable systems.
• Balance inventory availability with carrying costs and working capital considerations.

Excel, Analysis, and Reporting

• Build and maintain Excel models, trackers, and reports that support purchasing and inventory decisions.
• Use advanced Excel capabilities, including PivotTables, lookup functions, complex formulas, conditional logic, and data validation.
• Consolidate, clean, reconcile, and analyze data from multiple sources, using tools such as Power Query where appropriate.
• Conduct trend, variance, and scenario analysis to evaluate purchasing options and inventory risks.
• Translate findings into clear recommendations, explaining the business impact and proposed next steps.
• Improve reporting accuracy and efficiency through standardized templates and repeatable processes.

Lead, Manage, and Accountability

• Coordinate daily priorities and assigned purchasing or inventory activities.
• Provide guidance and coaching to team members on procedures, analysis, and issue resolution.
• Set clear expectations for assigned work and follow through on deadlines, accuracy, and completion.
• Review deliverables, address recurring errors, and escalate performance concerns through the appropriate management channels.
• Promote ownership, consistent execution, and adherence to established processes.

Cross-Functional Coordination and Improvement

• Collaborate with operations, finance, warehouse personnel, and other stakeholders to align purchasing and inventory priorities.
• Communicate supply risks, inventory concerns, and recommended actions proactively.
• Document and improve purchasing, inventory control, and reporting procedures.
• Identify recurring problems, determine their causes, and implement practical improvements.