Inventory / Purchasing Manager

Who we are and why we are successful

The Electrical Equipment Company (EECO) is not your average industrial full-line electrical distributor. We are a passionate, customer-centered service organization crazy about building a better tomorrow by serving the manufacturing plants, machine builders, and construction teams that make our communities strong.

We are committed to placing people and their ideas before products, solving problems, and helping our community realize its full potential. To achieve this, we are looking for talented people who want to make a positive difference.

The Inventory Manager is responsible for a targeted $6M inventory distributed across 11 total branch warehouses in VA, NC, and SC. This manager is responsible for purchasing, inventory performance, and supplier relationships. Implements replenishment strategy, providing for supplier negotiations, fill rate performance, surplus management and execution of activities related to purchasing policy, associated ERP process and parameters, rebates and supplier returns.

The role has full leadership responsibility of a departmental team of six direct reports, including buyers and admins, and reports directly to the Director of Inventory Management. The primary objective is to exceed customer satisfaction by increasing fill rate and product selection while balancing turns and DSI to defined targets.

The span of accountability includes the following areas:

1. Leadership: Recruit, develop, and train assigned team, implementing procedures to improve department efficiencies. Lead performance updates with management, communicating plans and corrective actions to support business goals.
2. Performance Management: Increase performance metrics including fill rates, inventory turns, aging purchase orders, outstanding back orders, and excess inventory levels. Execute inventory investment policy, promptly correcting surplus and expanding inventory selection where warranted.
3. Replenishment System Ownership: Oversee operation of the replenishment system, optimizing inventory replenishment system behaviors, collaborating with ERP analysts, industry professionals, and others to identify root problems, make corrections, and maximize performance.
4. Supplier Management: Rationalize the supplier base, overseeing negotiation and management of supplier terms, conducting periodic evaluations of suppliers, ensuring compliance to established terms and performance expectations.

Position Requirements:

1. BA/BS in business, supply chain management, industrial distribution, industrial engineering or related field preferred. Six Sigma (green belt) or Lean certification a plus.
2. Minimum 5+ years of purchasing and inventory management experience in B2B wholesale distribution or similar industry.
3. Hands on experience with purchasing and inventory control activities, working directly with purchasing, inventory control, and warehouse teams.
4. Applied experience with ERP replenishment systems, working with processes in areas of purchasing, inventory control, warehouse, and supplier system integrations.
5. High proficiency with data management and data analytics, working with complex spreadsheets and business intelligence reporting tools such as Power BI.
6. Demonstrated ability to influence and communicate at all levels, simplifying complex information and responding to questions with confidence.
7. Experience negotiating and managing supplier contracts, including performance and volume rebates, service commitments, returns, and commodity planning.
8. APICS, CPIM, CCP, or ISM certification desired.

EECO offers a competitive compensation and benefit program. We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.