Purchasing Agent

Homes by WestBay & Casa Fresca Homes offer a new kind of home building experience with a focus on delivering an exceptional homebuilding experience at an outstanding value. Recognized both nationally and regionally for our award-winning new home designs, we offer new single-family homes for sale throughout the finest new communities within the greater Tampa Bay area. Founded in 2009, we have evolved into the largest, privately owned new homebuilder in the Tampa Bay and Central Florida markets.

The Purchasing Agent is responsible for evaluating bids, negotiating with vendors, selecting contractors, and preparing contract documentation. This role oversees all contracts, work orders, purchase orders, and expense controls to ensure the best value is obtained at a fair and reasonable cost.

Responsibilities

• Drive down construction costs to make Homes by WestBay the most efficient competitor possible.
• Vendor recruiting to facilitate 100% timely completion.
• Maintain an adequate trade partner base to facilitate even flow construction operations.
• Maintain accurate structural and design options for each assigned community and plan.
• Review and analyze bids from existing and prospective trade partners as directed by the Director of Purchasing.
• Maintain accurate plan specific budgets.
• Maintain and operate procurement and contract management system (Newstar) on a day-to-day basis.
• Manage a group of assigned communities.
• Work closely with other staff and Departments (i.e., Product Development/Design/Accounting) to establish bid pricing and maintain a pricing schedule for assigned vendors.
• Provide Director of Purchasing with monthly budgeting of brick-and-mortar costs.
• Assist the Director of Purchasing with researching and implementing new products, construction processes and/or services.
• Meet all deadlines and schedules assigned by Director of Purchasing.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned by Director of Purchasing.
  
  

Skills

• Planning & Organizing – Effectively prioritizes and plans work activities; uses time efficiently; identifies and secures additional resources as needed; establishes clear goals and objectives.
• Problem Solving – Efficiently identifies and resolves issues; gathers and analyzes relevant information; develops effective solutions; works collaboratively in group problem-solving situations; applies sound reasoning; partners with other departments to address shared challenges.
• Conflict Management – Addresses and resolves conflicts professionally, maintaining positive working relationships.
• Oral Communication – Speaks clearly and persuasively; listens actively and seeks clarification when necessary; responds thoroughly and informatively to questions; demonstrates effective presentation skills; contributes meaningfully to meetings.
• Written Communication – Writes clearly and concisely; edits work for accuracy and style; tailors writing to specific needs; presents data effectively; reads and interprets written information with precision.
• Negotiation – Influences others to achieve outcomes that serve the best interests of the organization.
• Quality – Ensures accuracy and thoroughness in work; actively seeks opportunities to improve product quality, processes, and customer experience; incorporates feedback to enhance performance; monitors own work to maintain high standards.
• Adaptability – Adjusts effectively to changes in the work environment; manages competing demands; remains productive and composed when faced with frequent changes, delays, or unexpected challenges.
• An overview knowledge of standard residential building practices, including structural elements and product installation means and methods.
• Ability to read and understand all house construction plans, plot plans, specifications, and geologic reports.
• Thorough understanding of the purchasing function and of effective, valued-added negotiation practices.
• Ability to comprehensively understand and evaluate the vendor’s business and the relative value to the company or services offered.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) for reporting and documentation purposes.
• Ability to integrate and apply the company’s PACT framework in all job functions.
  
  

Requirements

• A high school degree is required; however, a four-year degree in Business, Engineering or Construction Management is preferred.
• Minimum of 1 year experience in construction field (at least 6 months in purchasing or estimating preferred).
• Knowledge of Newstar Enterprise is helpful.
  
  

Additional Requirements

• This is an on-site position based in the Tampa Bay, FL area and will require relocation if you are not currently located in the area. While the role is primarily in-person, there may be limited access to remote work at the discretion of management and based on business needs.
• This is an exempt role, which may require working more than eight hours per day.
• Being authorized to work in the U.S. without employer sponsorship is a precondition of employment.
  
  

Homes by WestBay, LLC and Casa Fresca Homes – Cool House, LLC., is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The company provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Other duties may be assigned as necessary, and reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. This policy applies to all aspects of employment, including but not limited to recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.