Buyer

Are you looking for your forever career? Do you strive for success? Come join our Pan-Oston family and enjoy a great working experience with us

Pan-Oston Company is an industry leader in providing metal and wood fixtures to some of retails largest members and is a Houchens Industries Employee-Owned Company - when the company does well, the employees do too

What We Offer:

ESOP Retirement (Entirely employer funded retirement)

Competitive health insurance prices

Employer paid Dental and Vision Insurance

Opportunities for growth

Employer provided group Short and Long Term Disability

Employer provided Life and AD&D Insurance

Pan-Oston is seeking high-potential, highly motivated and skilled team players to join our team

We have an immediate opening for the following position:

BUYER

POSITION OVERVIEW:

The Buyer is a key member of a small, collaborative procurement and planning team, responsible for ensuring the timely and cost-effective purchasing of materials, supplies, and indirect items that support daily manufacturing operations. This role is unique in that it blends foundational purchasing responsibilities—such as MRO ordering and maintaining operating supplies—with strategic thinking around inventory health, order timing, and material flow.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE POSITION:

Procurement & Materials Management

• Manage purchasing for assigned commodities, components, or materials to support production and customer demand.
• Execute purchase orders, releases, and schedule adjustments aligned with MRP signals and manufacturing plans.
• Maintain appropriate inventory levels, balancing service, lead times, and cash flow.
• Administer blanket purchase orders, safety stock strategies, and reorder parameters.

Supplier Management

• Serve as primary point of contact for assigned suppliers, maintaining strong working relationships.
• Monitor supplier performance related to delivery, quality, responsiveness, and cost.
• Coordinate issue resolution related to shortages, quality concerns, and delivery disruptions.
• Support sourcing and supplier transition activities as needed.

Planning & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with Manufacturing, Planning, Engineering, Quality, and Accounting to align purchasing activity with production needs.
• Participate in demand and supply reviews to proactively identify risks and constraints.
• Support new product introductions and engineering changes through timely material planning.

Cost & Continuous Improvement Support

• Identify opportunities for cost reduction, lead-time improvement, and inventory optimization.
• Analyze purchasing data to identify trends, root causes, and improvement opportunities.
• Support automation and process improvement initiatives within procurement and planning workflows.
• Contribute to standard work development and documentation.

Compliance & Data Integrity

• Ensure purchasing activities comply with company policies, contracts, and audit requirements.
• Maintain accurate supplier, pricing, and lead-time data in ERP/MRP systems.
• Support inventory accuracy and reporting efforts.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Operations, or related field preferred.
• 3-5 years of purchasing or supply chain experience in a manufacturing environment.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong understanding of MRP, inventory control, and manufacturing processes.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to perform data-driven decision making.
• Advanced communication skills.
• Proficient in ERP systems and Microsoft Excel.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and capable of managing multiple priorities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in discrete or make-to-order manufacturing environments.
• Familiarity with inventory optimization approaches (EOQ, safety stock methodologies, reorder point planning, etc.)