Buyer/Purchasing Analyst

Buyer / Purchasing Analyst Position Summary The Buyer / Purchasing Analyst is responsible for analyzing product demand, purchasing requirements, supplier performance, and replenishment needs across assigned AlarMax locations. The position combines purchasing execution with strong analytical and problem-solving skills to ensure the right products are available at the right locations while maintaining appropriate inventory investment. This role requires an individual who is highly comfortable working with data and can quickly retrieve, manipulate, analyze, and interpret purchasing, sales, usage, inventory, and supplier information to make sound purchasing recommendations and decisions. The Buyer / Purchasing Analyst will manage purchase orders, review system-generated replenishment recommendations, evaluate Min/Max parameters, identify purchasing requirements, and work with suppliers and internal teams to maintain product availability while supporting company inventory, margin, and workingcapital objectives. Key Responsibilities Purchasing & Replenishment • Manage purchasing and replenishment for assigned locations, suppliers, and/or product categories. • Analyze system-generated purchasing recommendations and determine appropriate order quantities. • Create, review, modify, and release purchase orders based on demand, available inventory, open customer orders, supplier lead times, Min/Max parameters, and business requirements. • Combine customer-order requirements with replenishment purchases when appropriate. • Evaluate existing company inventory and transfer opportunities before placing additional purchase orders. • Monitor open purchase orders, backorders, supplier acknowledgments, expected delivery dates, and order exceptions. • Work directly with suppliers to resolve shortages, lead-time issues, order discrepancies, and fill-rate concerns. • Identify opportunities to consolidate orders, meet freight thresholds, and improve purchasing efficiency. Purchasing Analytics • Analyze sales history, product usage, demand trends, inventory levels, open orders, supplier lead times, and purchasing history. • Use data to identify purchasing requirements, potential shortages, excess inventory, unusual demand patterns, and purchasing opportunities. • Evaluate purchasing recommendations rather than relying solely on system-generated quantities. • Perform ad-hoc analysis to support purchasing and supply-chain decisions. • Identify trends and exceptions requiring corrective action. • Translate analysis into clear purchasing recommendations and actions. • Analyze supplier performance including fill rate, lead-time reliability, backorders, pricing, and order accuracy. • Support forecasting and purchasing requirements for promotions, projects, new products, supplier programs, and anticipated demand changes. Inventory & Working Capital • Maintain appropriate product availability while supporting company inventory investment and working-capital objectives. • Review inventory levels against established Min/Max and days-of-supply targets. • Identify excess, slow-moving, and potentially obsolete inventory created through purchasing activity. • Recommend inventory transfers when existing company inventory can satisfy demand before purchasing additional product. • Identify unusual sales spikes or project-related demand that should not automatically drive future replenishment. • Support periodic review and adjustment of replenishment parameters based on actual demand patterns. Supplier Management • Develop effective working relationships with assigned suppliers. • Monitor supplier lead times, fill rates, backorders, minimum-order requirements, freight policies, and purchasing programs. • Communicate projected requirements and significant changes in demand to suppliers. • Escalate recurring supplier performance issues. • Support supplier negotiations and purchasing initiatives by providing historical purchasing and performance data. Cross-Functional Collaboration • Work closely with Sales, Branch Operations, Supplier Relations, Pricing, and Supply Chain leadership. • Review unusual or project-specific purchasing requirements with appropriate stakeholders. • Communicate product availability risks, significant backorders, purchasing constraints, and supplier issues. • Support new product introductions, supplier conversions, promotions, and other initiatives affecting purchasing requirements. Analytical Expectations Strong analytical ability is a core requirement of this position. The successful candidate must be able to: • Retrieve, manipulate, analyze, and interpret large sets of purchasing, sales, and inventory data. • Identify trends, exceptions, and relationships within data. • Distinguish recurring demand from one-time or project-driven demand. • Evaluate multiple factors before making purchasing decisions. • Perform quantitative analysis and translate findings into actionable recommendations. • Investigate discrepancies and determine root causes. • Work confidently with large Excel datasets. • Clearly communicate conclusions and recommendations to management and business partners. Qualifications • 3+ years of experience in purchasing, procurement, replenishment, supply chain, distribution, or a related analytical role preferred. • Strong analytical and quantitative problem-solving skills. • Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including PivotTables, XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP, SUMIFS, filters, formulas, and analysis of large datasets. • Experience working with ERP or purchasing/replenishment systems. • Epicor Prophet 21 experience strongly preferred. • Experience analyzing demand, purchasing requirements, inventory levels, and supplier performance. • Strong attention to detail and data accuracy. • Ability to manage multiple suppliers, locations, priorities, and deadlines simultaneously. • Strong written and verbal communication skills. • Ability to independently analyze a problem, develop a recommendation, and execute the appropriate action. • Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Finance, Economics, Analytics, or related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience considered. Measures of Success Performance will be evaluated using a combination of purchasing and supply-chain metrics, including: • Product availability and stockout performance • Purchase order accuracy • Supplier fill rate and lead-time performance • Inventory days of supply • Inventory turns • Excess and slow-moving inventory • Purchasing exceptions and past-due purchase orders • Transfer-before-buy utilization • Forecast/replenishment accuracy • Freight and order consolidation opportunities • Adherence to company purchasing policies and replenishment parameters