What are the responsibilities and job description for the Purchasing Manager position at Estela Living LLC?
ABOUT ESTELA LIVING
Estela Living is a growing residential homebuilder developing single-family communities across Florida’s high-demand markets, including Ocala (Marion County) and Palm Coast. We are a lean, performance- driven team with a culture built on precision, accountability, and craftsmanship. As we expand our portfolio and increase our annual production pace, we’re building the operations team that will take us there.
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Purchasing Manager is one of the most important hires Estela Living will make. This role owns the full procurement function for our homebuilding operation — trade contracts, work order management, Variance Purchase Order processing, subcontractor compliance, and cost oversight — across our Ocala and Palm Coast communities. Reporting to the Operations Manager and directly overseeing the Purchasing Coordinator and Estimator, the Purchasing Manager is the engine of cost control in the field.
This is a role for a hands-on builder of systems — someone who knows how to contract trades, control costs, and run a tight purchasing operation in a production homebuilding environment. If you’ve done this before and want to own it completely, this is your opportunity.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
Lead the competitive bid process for all trade packages across both markets; evaluate proposals, prepare bid comparisons, and present recommendations to the Operations Manager.
Write and maintain trade scopes of work for every active subcontractor category; negotiate contract pricing and manage execution of all trade agreements.
Own work order (WO) creation and management in ECI Marksystem; ensure all WOs are entered completely and accurately for every released home before field work begins.
Receive, price, document, and submit Variance Purchase Orders (VPOs) for all field-originated scope changes; maintain the VPO log and provide monthly summaries to the Operations Manager.
Manage subcontractor compliance across both markets: license verification, certificate of insurance tracking, and executed scope documentation for every active trade.Estela Living
Directly manage the Purchasing Coordinator and Estimator; assign workload, review work product, and develop team capabilities over time.
Review community-level cost estimates prepared by the Estimator before submission; ensure accuracy and alignment with current trade pricing.
Build and maintain strong working relationships with trade partners; manage performance evaluations, resolve disputes at the first level, and identify new vendor opportunities.
Provide weekly updates to the Operations Manager on WO status, VPO pipeline, bid activity, and subcontractor compliance.
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
5 years of experience in purchasing, procurement, or construction management in residential homebuilding.
Production builder experience strongly preferred — you understand how a homebuilding operation runs and what it takes to keep trades moving.
Proven track record managing trade contracts, bid processes, and subcontractor compliance in a multi-community environment.
Experience with ECI Marksystem or a comparable construction ERP is a strong plus.
Demonstrated ability to manage and develop a small team.
Strong negotiation skills and the confidence to hold trades accountable to scope and price.
Detail-oriented with excellent organizational skills — you don’t let things fall through the cracks.
Clear communicator who can work effectively across operations, field, and finance.
WHAT WE OFFER
Competitive salary
Full-time, on-site role at our Coconut Grove corporate office.
Meaningful ownership of the purchasing function from day one — this is not a support role.
Direct access to senior leadership and the ability to shape how purchasing runs at a growing builder.
Opportunity to build and lead a team as the company scales.
High-performance, entrepreneurial culture where results are recognized and rewarded.
Benefits:
Health insurance
Paid time off
Work Location: In person