What are the responsibilities and job description for the Procurement Specialist position at Ashley Furniture Industries?
Split Location: Verona, MS and Ecru, MS
Work Schedule: Monday – Friday, 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM CT
Position Overview
The Procurement Specialist is responsible for the strategic purchasing of raw materials, components, and Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO) supplies. This role serves as a vital link between Manufacturing Operations, Design, Engineering, and suppliers to ensure the best-delivered value to Ashley Furniture Industries. The ideal candidate will manage inventory levels, negotiate pricing, and drive cost reduction strategies while maintaining strong supplier relationships.
Primary Job Functions
Strategic Purchasing & Inventory Management
Work Schedule: Monday – Friday, 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM CT
Position Overview
The Procurement Specialist is responsible for the strategic purchasing of raw materials, components, and Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO) supplies. This role serves as a vital link between Manufacturing Operations, Design, Engineering, and suppliers to ensure the best-delivered value to Ashley Furniture Industries. The ideal candidate will manage inventory levels, negotiate pricing, and drive cost reduction strategies while maintaining strong supplier relationships.
Primary Job Functions
Strategic Purchasing & Inventory Management
- Procure a specific set of assigned raw materials, components, and MRO supplies based on internal customer requirements.
- Manage the full order lifecycle, including following up on status, expediting, deferring, or canceling orders to ensure materials are available for production on time.
- Ensure accurate and timely completion of inventory transaction data entry and scanning.
- Develop and execute inventory strategies to achieve annual inventory turn objectives.
- Facilitate communication between internal departments to support the selection of primary and secondary suppliers offering the best value.
- Perform initial price negotiations and serve as the company representative to prospective suppliers.
- Place Requests for Quotation (RFQs), evaluate quotes, and recommend suppliers for business awards to the Global Commodity Manager.
- Initiate negotiations to mitigate price increases and develop plans to offset costs when necessary.
- Partner with Design, Engineering, and Manufacturing in the development of materials for production.
- Evaluate Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) to ensure correct costing and supplier information; generate Purchasing Change Orders (PCOs) and Counter Measures (ICM’s) to reflect accurate costs.
- Facilitate the resolution of supplier proposals for component changes and present recommendations to Purchasing Management.
- Work cross-functionally to resolve invoice issues related to cost.
- Train suppliers on the use of ashleysupplier.com to ensure proper data capture regarding PO data, collaboration, planned requirements, and ASNs.
- Monitor and report on supplier capacities, project completion, and problem resolution.
- Evaluate supplier performance through monthly scorecards and plant visits.
- Facilitate communication between the company and suppliers to resolve quality issues.
- Develop and execute cost reduction strategies to achieve annual objectives for assigned commodity groupings.
- Research and develop new raw material sourcing options as necessary.
- Demonstrate the Company’s Core and Growth values in the performance of all job functions.
- Experience in purchasing, procurement, or supply chain management within a manufacturing environment.
- Strong negotiation and communication skills.
- Proficiency in data analysis and inventory management systems.
- Ability to work collaboratively across Design, Engineering, and Operations teams.