Get ready to grow with us!

Northwest Pipe Company is the nation’s leading manufacturer of water infrastructure products and with over 50 years of experience, we’re just getting started! Our business is growing, and we’re looking for great people to grow with us. We’re immediately seeking a Purchasing Manager to join our Northwest Pipe team in Houston, TX.

We Offer:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, AD&D Insurance
• Paid Vacation, Holidays, and Sick Time
• 401k Retirement Savings Plan with Employer Match
• Bonus Potential (2x per year)
• Up to $5,000 per year Tuition Reimbursement
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Opportunities for Career Advancement
• Values-Driven Culture Committed to Diversity, Inclusion, and Safety

Our Values:

• Accountability is evident when we do what we say we are going to do and people accept responsibility for their actions. We do not point fingers and blame others. We own our actions.
• Commitment is not only promising to do something, but actually investing in the necessary effort and actions to make it happen.
• Teamwork is essential for competing in a challenging and constantly changing business environment. Working together across all job functions is critical to achieving our success.

SUMMARY OF JOB PURPOSE

Responsible for implementing and following purchasing processes and strategies that aim to Supply Chain integration through our ERP system. Manage the purchase of direct materials for production planning, warehousing, and shipping/receiving while also overseeing these departments. Responsible for supplier negotiations involving pricing, quality, and lead time. Support production and Sales.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and implement strategic sourcing plans.
• Negotiates contracts, prices and delivery times that support the company goals.
• Ensure appropriate and efficient delivery of goods to meet production requirements.
• Develop strong relationships and partnerships with key suppliers for direct and indirect materials.
• Drive continuous improvement through the supply base for cost, quality, delivery, lead-time, and service.
• Recommend and continually improve, develop, and implement purchasing strategies and procedures.
• Recommend and continually improve, develop, and implement inventory control strategies and procedures.
• Communicate Supply Chain issues and changes with appropriate personnel.
• Prepare analysis and presentation materials as needed.
• Develop metrics to define effectiveness of procurement function.
• Establish benchmarking tools to compare against similar businesses.
• Manages appropriate inventory levels for safety stock, mins, and maxes.
• Collects and analyzes market conditions to assess present and future material availability and costs.
• Verifies requisitions with MRP to ensure need of orders and inventory levels.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

This position is responsible for supervising the Buyers, the Warehouse team, and the Inventory Control team.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

The Procurement Manager must be a self-starter, highly motivated, eager to learn fast and efficiently and proactively seek opportunities to add value to the organization, both individually and as a team player. Should be able to work with cross-functional teams and in projects set by upper management.

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Material Management, Supply Chain Management, or related field
• 10 years Procurement Experience
• Strong negotiation and leadership skills
• Solid and ethical judgement along with decision making skills.
• Previous Management Experience preferred
• Experience in dealing with inventory in a manufacturing industry.
• Exceptional organizational skills
• Strong oral and written communications skills
• Intermediate proficiency with Excel, PowerPoint, and Word
• Knowledge of governmental and regulatory standards and issues
• Knowledge of pipe, valves, and fittings a plus

• Experience using SAP in a manufacturing environment preferred
• Knowledge of the water management industry i.e. Stormwater, wastewater, process water, etc. are a plus.

INTERPERSONAL CONTACTS:

This position may interact within all levels of the organization. Additionally, this position may have contact with business partners, customers, vendors and visitors.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES:

To perform the duties and responsibilities of this position successfully, individuals must demonstrate:

• Basic math skills: Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide and percentages
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.
• Ability to write reports and business correspondence.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of manager, clients, customers and the general public.
• Possess the ability to effectively work with varying personality styles and maintain a sense of humor.
• Highly detail oriented.
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardizations exist.
• Agility and able to change directions easily and professionally.
• Intermediate skills working with computers and software packages such as, Outlook, Word, Excel, SAP.
• Communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing with clarity and professionalism.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks and projects.

Our organization maintains a drug-free workplace. Except where prohibited by state law, all offers of employment are conditioned upon successful passing of a drug test and background check.

Northwest Pipe Company is committed to equal employment opportunity and affirmative action. Minorities, females, veterans, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Northwest Pipe Company reserves the right to close the position, with or without notice, if a qualified candidate is identified prior to the close date.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by the employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Project timelines and work volume / deadlines may often require working outside of standard office hours, weekend, or evening work.

Regular, reliable and predictable attendance is necessary in order to perform the essential functions of this position.

Physical Activity

Over 2/3 of the time

• Standing/Sit: Remaining upright in a stationary position, particularly for sustained periods.
• Fingering: Picking, pinching, typing or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with whole hand or arm as in handling to complete computer work.

Up to 2/3 of the time:

• Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word; those activities where detailed or important spoken instructions must be conveyed to others accurately.
• Communicating: Expressing or exchanging ideas and information accurately, in written or diagram form.
• Repetitive motions: Making substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers such as typing on a keyboard
• Walking: Moving about to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another
• Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction, and having the ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and making fine discriminations in sound.

Less than 1/3 of the time:

• Reaching: Grabbing things from a distance above or from the side.

Physical Requirements

• Sedentary work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling or otherwise moving objects, including the human body

Visual Acuity

• The worker is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; and visual inspection involving small defects at distances close to the eyes.
• For up to 2/3 of the amount of time, the worker is required to have close vision (clear vision at 20 inches or less).
• For less than 1/3 of the amount of time, the worker is required to have color vision (ability to identify and distinguish colors).

Weather Conditions

• The worker is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions (as in typical office or administrative work)

Noise Levels

Over 2/3 of the time

• Quiet conditions (examples: library, private office)
• Moderate noise (examples: business office with computers and printers, light traffic)

Less than 1/3 of the time:

• Loud noise (examples: manufacturing departments, large forklifts)