Strategic Sourcing & Purchasing Coordinator

Strategic Sourcing & Purchasing Coordinator

Position Summary

The Strategic Sourcing & Purchasing Coordinator serves as the operational link between the Offshore Sourcing team and Offshore Purchasing team, ensuring inventory requirements are converted into the most effective supplier and container purchasing strategy.

This role works closely with Import Buyers to understand inventory replenishment needs and then determines the appropriate qualified mill, supplier allocation, and container mix based on negotiated cost, landed cost, supplier capacity, lead time, minimum order quantities, container utilization, and supply risk.

Rather than owning the inventory forecast or routine purchase order issuance, this position ensures that purchasing activity is aligned with established sourcing strategies and negotiated supplier agreements. This position will also place specialized or new product purchase orders when needed.

The role also supports inventory gap buy decisions, coordinates supplier follow-up when production, container, ETD, or ETA information is incomplete, and provides visibility into sourcing and supply exceptions that could impact inventory availability.

The ideal candidate is highly organized, analytical, detail-oriented, and comfortable working across purchasing, sourcing, operations, inventory data, ERP systems, international suppliers, and internal stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

Supplier Allocation & Purchasing Strategy

• Work with Director of Offshore Sourcing and Senior Manager of Offshore Sourcing to determine the appropriate qualified mill or supplier based on negotiated pricing, landed cost, capacity, lead time, MOQ, inventory position, supplier performance, and supply risk.
• Review inventory requirements and replenishment needs provided by Import Buyers and translate those requirements into recommended supplier purchasing plans.
• Ensure purchasing activity follows established sourcing awards, supplier allocation strategies, and negotiated agreements.
• Coordinate purchasing volume across incumbent, secondary, and newly qualified suppliers according to established sourcing strategy.
• Identify opportunities to shift purchases to more competitive suppliers while maintaining inventory availability and supply continuity.
• Communicate and build out recommended mill allocations and purchasing quantities to Import Buyers for purchase order execution.
• Identify situations where operational requirements require an exception to the established sourcing strategy and coordinate the appropriate response with Offshore Sourcing and Offshore Purchasing.

Container Planning & Optimization

• Translate SKU-level inventory requirements into recommended full-container and mixed-container purchasing plans.
• Coordinate SKU combinations across suppliers to maximize container weight and cube utilization while supporting inventory requirements.
• Balance supplier MOQs, production quantities, inventory needs, and container utilization when developing purchase recommendations.
• Identify opportunities to consolidate requirements and reduce partially utilized containers, unnecessary shipments, and freight expense.
• Work with Import Buyers and suppliers to resolve situations where inventory requirements do not align efficiently with container quantities.
• Support ongoing container optimization initiatives and provide visibility into opportunities to improve utilization.

Inventory Gap & Exception Buying

• Work with Import Buyers to identify potential inventory shortages and upcoming supply gaps.
• Contact and evaluate alternative qualified suppliers (domestic and international), supplier inventory, available production capacity, lead times, transit times, and landed costs when gap-buy requirements arise.
• Coordinate sourcing recommendations for expedited, alternative, or supplemental purchases needed to protect product availability.
• Identify situations where inventory risk may justify deviation from normal supplier allocation or sourcing strategy.

 

Supplier Coordination & Supply Visibility

• Follow up when required PO, production, container, booking, vessel, ETD, or ETA information is incomplete or inaccurate.
• Ensure suppliers provide timely updates needed for accurate ERP and inventory planning information.
• Identify discrepancies between supplier-provided information and system information and coordinate corrections.
• Follow up on production delays, container delays, capacity constraints, shipment changes, and other supplier exceptions.
• Escalate recurring supplier communication, performance, or data-quality issues to Director of Offshore Sourcing.

Sourcing Strategy Execution

• Serve as a control point between negotiated sourcing strategies and actual purchasing execution.
• Monitor purchasing activity to ensure volume is being directed to the appropriate suppliers according to negotiated sourcing plans.
• Assist with transitioning purchasing volume to newly qualified or more competitive mills.
• Compare recommended sourcing allocations to actual purchasing activity and identify material variances.
• Help ensure negotiated savings opportunities are converted into realized purchasing savings.

Purchasing & System Coordination

• Review purchase requirements and supplier recommendations for alignment with approved pricing, quantities, lead times, and sourcing strategy.
• Coordinate with Import Buyers regarding supplier changes, quantity adjustments, delivery timing, cancellations, substitutions, and sourcing exceptions.
• Help maintain accurate supplier scorecards, lead times, MOQs, pricing, production information, and other sourcing-related ERP data.
• Support resolution of supplier pricing, quantity, shipment, and purchasing discrepancies.
• Maintain sourcing and purchasing reports needed to provide visibility into supplier allocations, container planning, open requirements, and supply exceptions.

Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Develop and maintain reports that provide visibility into supplier allocations, open requirements, container utilization, inventory risks, and sourcing exceptions.
• Analyze purchasing and supplier data to identify cost-saving, container optimization, inventory, and supplier performance opportunities.
• Track whether negotiated sourcing awards and supplier allocations are being executed as intended.
• Identify recurring causes of gap buys, supplier delays, purchasing exceptions, or inefficient container utilization.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives across Offshore Sourcing and Offshore Purchasing.
• Assist with improving sourcing, purchasing, supplier communication, and system-data processes.

Internal Coordination

Work closely with:

• Import Buyers to understand inventory requirements, timing, and purchasing needs.
• Offshore Sourcing to execute negotiated supplier strategies and identify additional sourcing opportunities.
• Operations to understand space limitations or logistical complications.
• International Suppliers/Mills to coordinate production timing is being met, container planning, and shipment information.
• Freight/Logistics to notify of any logistical challenges on space or timing at locations learned through Ops. To close the loop on supplier asks when tracking is not completed in all categories or a timely manner.
• Accounts Payable and Receiving as needed to support resolution of supplier, PO, receipt, or pricing discrepancies.
• Operations, Sales, and other internal stakeholders when supply availability or purchasing decisions may impact the business.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in purchasing, sourcing, inventory planning, international supply chain, materials coordination, or a related field.
• Experience working with web-based ERP, SIOP process, and offshore sourcing/purchasing.
• Strong understanding of purchasing, inventory replenishment, and supply chain principles.
• Ability to analyze inventory requirements and translate them into supplier purchasing recommendations.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Strong organizational, follow-up, and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with suppliers and cross-functional internal teams.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, including formulas, filtering, lookups, and data analysis.
• Ability to identify exceptions and proactively coordinate solutions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with international or offshore purchasing and sourcing.
• Experience in a distribution, wholesale, manufacturing, or product-based environment.
• Experience coordinating purchases across multiple suppliers or manufacturing locations.
• Understanding of international lead times, containerized ocean freight, and full-container/mixed-container purchasing.
• Familiarity with landed-cost analysis, supplier allocation, inventory turns, days on hand, safety stock, MOQs, and excess/obsolete inventory.
• Experience working directly with overseas suppliers.

Key Success Measures

Success in this role will be measured by the ability to:

• Increase the percentage of purchases executed according to approved sourcing strategies and supplier allocations.
• Convert negotiated sourcing opportunities into realized purchasing savings.
• Improve container utilization and reduce inefficient or partially utilized container shipments.
• Reduce inventory gap buys and emergency purchasing requirements.
• Proactively identify and resolve potential inventory supply gaps.
• Improve communication of supplier production, container, ETD, and ETA information completeness and accuracy.
• Successfully transition purchasing volume to newly qualified or strategically selected suppliers.
• Provide reliable visibility into sourcing execution, supplier performance, container planning, and inventory risks.

Role Focus

Primary Focus: Supplier allocation, sourcing strategy execution, container planning and optimization, replenishment decisions, inventory gap-buy coordination, supplier follow-up, and purchasing/supply visibility.

Import Buyer Ownership: Inventory requirements, replenishment implementation, purchase order issuance, and ongoing PO management.

Offshore Sourcing Ownership: Supplier qualification, negotiations, sourcing strategy, commercial terms, and strategic supplier relationships.

Strategic Sourcing & Purchasing Coordinator Ownership: Converting inventory requirements into the appropriate supplier and container purchasing plan and ensuring the sourcing strategy is executed through purchasing activity.