Inventory and Purchasing Specialist

Description

Interested in working with a dynamic, growing company? Are you organized, enjoy a fast-paced environment, and like to work as part of a team? Do you love cheese? If you answered YES to any of these questions, then read on.

Owned by the Giacomini family Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company (PRFC) is known for its award-winning artisan cheese produced right on the farm where the cows are raised. PRFC offers a truly unique work environment -- and one where the employees work hard, have fun and enjoy a lot of very special (and delicious) benefits.

This position is based at our production facility located in Petaluma, CA.

As the Inventory and Purchasing Specialist, you will manage all inventory-related transactions, including placing purchase orders, receiving shipments, warehousing labels, maintaining bills of materials, posting finished goods production consumption, conducting month-end inventory counts and coordinating inter-location distribution of materials. You will serve as the liaison in negotiations between Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese and its suppliers. It is your responsibility to evaluate vendors, negotiate new agreements, renegotiate expiring contracts, and place orders for products in collaboration with other department managers. 

Requirements

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

• Select the most suitable suppliers in terms of reliability and cost.
• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of forecast/demand planning (e.g. run rates, inventory on hand, and SKUs.)
• Collaborate with operations team for routine inventory counts (monthly, quarterly, annual). 
• Request cost proposals and negotiating contracts and prices.
• Prepare and process purchase orders – update ERP system and notify affected departments of critical delivery revisions communicated by vendors.
• Maintain accurate records of all transactions, purchase orders, receipts, and payments – including internal materials transfers between departments and job sites.
• Develop and implement processes and procedures related to materials requests from other departments, reinforcing best practices to maintain real-time inventory stock counts.
• Schedule and verify deliveries.
• Manage Bills of Materials in ERP system
• Post daily finished goods materials consumption
• Build and maintain positive, long-term supplier relationships.
• Ensure no material is misplaced and suitable space is staged for deliveries.
• Follow up on expected deliveries with Vendors and Operations team.
• Act as receiver and materials handler
• Manage and post inter-location inventory transfers
• Other duties as assigned. 

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES 

• Exceptional internal and external customer service required
• Ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines
• Excellent interpersonal and clerical skills - ability to develop good working relationships with strong communication skills
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
• Exceptional attention to detail and ability to follow through on all details of the job to ensure completeness and accuracy
• Experience with ERP systems. Experience with Microsoft Dynamics a plus
• Proficiency in Windows and Microsoft Office, specifically strong Excel capabilities, is required.
• Strong negotiation skills
• Strong research and analytical skills
• Minimum 2 years experience in a purchasing role.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and business ethics
• Excellent internal and external customer service required
• Experience in entering data with attention to detail 
• Comfortable in a deadline-driven, project-focused, and fast-paced environment
• Strong multitasking and superior organizational skills are paramount
• Skills in logistics and warehouse planning/management
• Experience with, or a willingness to be trained on, use of forklift

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This job operates in an office & warehouse environment – including cold temperatures in refrigerated/freezer areas and containers. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. 

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand, bend, walk, use hands to finger, handle or feel and reach with hands and arms. Must be able to regularly lift 50 lbs.; occasionally up to 75 lbs.

POSITION TYPE AND EXPECTED DAYS OF WORK

Full Time Position – 5 days a week (Monday - Friday)

TRAVEL

Some travel between both PRFC locations maybe needed from time to time.

EEO STATEMENT

The law makes it illegal to discriminate against someone based on race, color, religion, national origin, or sex. The law also makes it illegal to retaliate against a person because the person complained about discrimination, filed a charge of discrimination, or participated in an employment discrimination investigation or lawsuit. The law also requires that employers reasonably accommodate applicants' and employees' sincerely held religious practices, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the operation of the employer's business.

OTHER DUTIES

Please note this job description is not designed to cover a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Salary Description

$32-$35/hour