Purchasing & Inventory Manager - Farm, Hardware & Agricultural Retail

Why You’ll Want to Work at Hardwick Farmers’ Cooperative

This is an exciting time to join Hardwick Farmers’ Cooperative. We are growing, modernizing, and investing in the future while staying true to what has made the Co-op special for generations: our members, our customers, agriculture, and our community.

We are building a stronger, more modern Co-op - expanding our product offerings, improving our nursery and retail experience, strengthening inventory and purchasing, and finding new ways to serve farmers, homeowners, contractors, gardeners, animal owners, and families throughout the region.

This is not a position where you simply step into an established routine. You will have an opportunity to help shape what comes next. We want people who bring ideas, see opportunities, take ownership, and want to make a measurable difference.

At the same time, we are deeply rooted in our community. Our customers aren't anonymous transactions - they are our neighbors, members, local farms, small businesses, and families we see year after year. The relationships we build matter.

If you are looking for a place where your experience and ideas will be valued, where you can help build something, and where the work you do has a direct impact on both the business and the community around it, Hardwick Farmers’ Cooperative is a great place to do it.

Come help us build the next chapter of the Co-op.

Reports To: General Manager
Works Closely With: Inventory, Operations, Retail, Nursery, Warehouse, Receiving, and Finance
Status: Full-Time
Department: Purchasing / Inventory

POSITION SUMMARY

The Buyer manages merchandise purchasing to ensure the Co-op has the right products, in the right quantities, at the right time, and at the right cost.

This role oversees vendor relationships, seasonal buying, product selection, pricing, inventory levels, and replenishment while balancing product availability, inventory turns, cash flow, margins, and profitability.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage purchasing and replenishment for assigned categories.
• Review sales history, inventory levels, seasonal demand, open orders, and customer needs before ordering.
• Maintain appropriate minimum and maximum inventory levels.
• Plan seasonal purchases and develop strategies for timely sell-through.
• Manage vendor relationships, pricing, freight, terms, rebates, credits, returns, and product issues.
• Review landed costs and recommend pricing that supports competitive gross margins.
• Monitor slow-moving, excess, obsolete, and seasonal inventory.
• Recommend promotions, markdowns, returns, transfers, or other disposition strategies.
• Coordinate product selection with Retail, Nursery, Warehouse, Technical Sales, and other departments.
• Work closely with Receiving to resolve delivery discrepancies, shortages, damages, credits, and backorders.
• Ensure purchase orders are accurately entered and maintained in Spruce.
• Use inventory-system reporting and purchasing tools to monitor demand, replenishment needs, inventory turns, open orders, and vendor performance.
• Communicate purchasing commitments, inventory concerns, margins, and major buying decisions to management.

PURCHASING AUTHORITY

The Buyer may make routine purchases within approved budgets, inventory targets, and vendor relationships.

General Manager approval is required for significant purchases, new product lines, unusually large seasonal commitments, or purchases outside established budgets.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS

Success in this role should result in:

• Better product availability and fewer stockouts.
• Reduced overstock and obsolete inventory.
• Improved inventory turnover and seasonal sell-through.
• Stronger gross margins.
• Better vendor pricing and terms.
• Lower unnecessary freight expense.
• Improved coordination across purchasing, receiving, warehouse, retail, and nursery.
• Better return on the Co-op’s inventory investment.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Purchasing, retail, agricultural supply, hardware, building materials, nursery, feed, or related experience preferred.
• Preferred purchasing experience with Orgill and BCI vendor programs, including product selection, ordering, pricing, promotions, terms, freight, credits, and vendor communications.
• Strong inventory-system expertise, including experience using inventory, purchasing, replenishment, reporting, and purchase-order management systems.
• Strong analytical, mathematical, organizational, and negotiation skills.
• Understanding of cost, pricing, gross margin, inventory turns, and purchasing economics.
• Strong computer and reporting skills.
• Spruce or similar inventory-system experience preferred.
• Knowledge of agricultural, farm, feed, hardware, nursery, or rural-lifestyle products strongly preferred.

SUCCESS PROFILE

The successful Buyer treats every purchase as an investment of the Co-op’s money and focuses on buying the right products, in the right quantities, at the right cost, with the right margin and sell-through potential.

Hardwick Farmers’ Cooperative is a member-owned, community-focused business proudly serving local farmers, homeowners, gardeners, contractors, and families. Rooted in agriculture and the rural community, the Co-op offers farm and animal supplies, feed, lawn and garden products, nursery and seasonal goods, hardware, and more. Today, we are entering an exciting period of growth and modernization while remaining committed to the personal service, trusted relationships, and community values that have defined the Co-op for generations.