Buyer

About the role

This position will be located in: Fargo, ND
Application Deadline: July 20, 2026

Responsibilities

• Maintains collaborative relationships with branch sales, warehouse, and operations staff.
• Provides proactive and responsive support for branch staff and deliver excellent customer service in response to branch inventory requests.
• Responds to actual or predicted stock-outs and identifies larger trends in supplier service levels that affect the supply chain.
• Makes trade-off decisions with respect to inbound freight expenses, inventory services levels and inventory turnover.
• Maintains collaborative relationships with suppliers and manufacturer’s representatives.
• Evaluates excess inventory on products or product families with low inventory turnover and takes action to improve inventory turns including supplier returns, order point or order quantity adjustments, branch to branch stock transfers, de-expediting inbound supply orders, or sales promotion opportunities.
• Maintains expected delivery dates on inbound supplier orders to improve date confidence with branch teams and customers.
• Responds and resolves invoice, shipping, and carrier discrepancy issues in a timely manner

Qualifications

• Four-year business or technical degree or the equivalent in work experience.
• Prior procurement, inventory management, or supply chain management experience with knowledge of electrical, utility, industrial products preferred.
• Solid understanding of customer service and conflict resolution, purchasing, purchase order management and supplier returns, inventory management and stocking parameters, such as reorder points and lead times
• Certification in SAP or an MRP platform is preferred

Skills and Abilities

• Multitasking, organization, and time management skills
• Excellent customer service skills including being competent, accurate, responsive, and engaged

Physical Requirements

• Lift from Waist:
  • 10 to 25 lbs. - Not at all
  • 26 to 50 lbs. - Occasionally
  • 51 to 75 lbs. - Not at all
  • 75 to 100 lbs. - Not at all
  • 100+ lbs. - Not at all
• Lift from Floor:
  • 10 to 25 lbs. - Frequently
  • 26 to 50 lbs. - Occasionally
  • 51 to 75 lbs. - Not at all
  • 75 to 100 lbs. - Not at all
  • 100+ lbs. - Not at all
• Carried for Distance:
  • 10 to 25 lbs. - Not at all
  • 26 to 50 lbs. - Not at all
  • 51 to 75 lbs. - Not at all
  • 75 to 100 lbs. - Not at all
  • 100+ lbs. - Not at all

Additional Information

This job description is a summary of the job duties and responsibilities and is not intended to cover all possible job duties and is subject to change at the employer’s discretion. Employees must be able to perform the essential job duties and satisfy job requirements either with or without a reasonable accommodation.

Our History

Border States is a leader in the electrical supply distribution industry with approximately 130 locations in 31 states. Our employee-owners are second to none in delivering top-notch customer service and in demonstrating extraordinary people skills. We are one of the largest independent electrical distributors in the United States providing products and services to the construction, industrial and utility industries. Border States has a competitive benefit package and is a 100 percent employee-owned company. Employee-ownership is a significant part of our culture and our success stems from the dedication of our employee-owners. We practice open-book management and our employee-owners are empowered with clearly defined levels of authority to be innovative and decisive, allowing us to respond quickly to the needs of customers. Employee-owners understand their roles in the success of the company and care about customers’ needs, which drives our focus on adding value to everything we do. We recognize that not all customers are the same and each has specific requirements. Our employee-owners understand these diverse needs and have the commitment, resourcefulness and flexibility to outperform all others.

Values

As a Border States employee-owner, you’re responsible for living our mission, service philosophy and service standards.

Our Purpose

We believe unstoppable businesses shouldn't go it alone. We are owners - of relationships, of outcomes, of every moment these unstoppable businesses need to deliver.

Service Philosophy

We earn customer loyalty and confidence by caring about their needs and adding value to everything we do.

Service Standards

Border States employee-owners are competent, accurate, responsive, and engaged.

Your career

Join an experienced team at one of the largest electrical distributors in the United States. What are you waiting for?

Benefits

• Health, Dental and Vision Benefits
• Accident, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity
• FSA & HSA
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
• Disability Benefits
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Volunteer Time
• Personal Leave time and more!

Equal Opportunity For All

It’s not just the law. It’s something we’ve believed in since our founding. We value the diversity of all of our employee-owners and will always be an equal opportunity employer.

Drug Free/Smoke Free workplace

Employment may be contingent on the offered candidate successfully passing one or more of the following pre-employment screenings:

• Criminal background check (required for all positions)
• Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) check (required for positions involving driving)
• Drug testing