Inventory & Procurement Manager

Hydrolec has been building precision hydraulic power units since 1985. Family-owned, second-generation, forty years in business and still growing. The product is strong, the team is strong, and the systems that support them are being built to match. The person who builds the inventory and procurement function here will have real impact, real ownership, and a clear path to grow into Supply Chain Director as the organization scales.

The Opportunity

This is a builder's role. The inventory and procurement function at Hydrolec has the raw material to be excellent. What it needs is someone to turn that into a data-driven, scalable operation that production never has to worry about. The Inventory & Procurement Manager will own the full function: the ABC model, the reorder system, supplier relationships, stockroom operations, team performance, and the financial reporting that keeps the CFO informed.

A critical part of this role is cross-functional: building partnerships with Engineering and Production to get accurate bills of materials and work tickets into the system, and helping those teams understand why that data accuracy matters. This is influence work as much as operational work. The right candidate finds that genuinely energizing.

What Success Looks Like After 12 Months

• Stockouts eliminated for high-volume repeat builds: production is never waiting on a part; a missing fitting is never the reason a unit does not ship on time
• ABC model running clean: all approximately 1,400 active parts classified with accurate parameters; living and updated, not set and forgotten
• Inventory turns calibrated to production needs: high-volume components never a constraint; excess identified with a disposition plan in place
• Inventory accuracy high and verifiable: cycle count discipline in place; CFO receiving monthly valuation reports that are accurate and require no follow-up
• BOMs and work tickets are more reliable: a genuine working partnership with Engineering and Production has produced measurably better data flowing into the system
• Supplier relationships managed proactively: vendor scorecards in place; incoming inspection standards set; critical suppliers have clear shared expectations
• ERP migration on track: inventory data clean and migration-ready; requirements documented; transition managed without disruption
• The team is performing at a higher level: clear expectations, consistent accountability, stockroom organized and functional

What You Will Own

• ABC classification model and all reorder parameters for approximately 1,400 active parts
• All component purchasing and PO management based on reorder triggers, production schedules, and lead times
• Daily inventory records in MISys and Sage 50, ensuring production readiness data is current and accurate at all times
• Monthly CFO inventory valuation and variance reports with full root cause documentation on all variances
• Vendor scorecards, incoming inspection standards, and supplier relationship management
• Cross-functional partnership with Engineering and Production on BOM and work ticket accuracy
• Component availability visibility so the team always knows what can be built based on current stock and the active schedule
• Direct supervision of Inventory Supervisor, two Inventory Clerks, and Shipping Team Lead
• ERP evaluation and migration support; process documentation and improvement

The Competencies We Cannot Teach

• Builder's mentality: genuinely energized by designing systems and making order out of complexity; not looking for a role where the work is already done
• Analytical precision: turns data into decisions; catches errors before they become problems
• Proactive problem-solving: sees supply chain risks early and acts; does not wait to be told something is a problem
• Collaborative influence: builds genuine partnerships with Engineering and Production; helps those teams understand the value of data accuracy without creating friction
• Ownership without drama: investigates, fixes, documents, and prevents; does not assign blame or make excuses
• Organized under pressure: can hold 1,400 active parts, a live production schedule, and an active supplier base without losing the thread
• Clear communicator: equally effective with the CFO and the stockroom clerk
• Honest and direct: tells suppliers, leadership, and the production team what they need to hear

Threshold Qualifications

• 3-5 years of inventory management and/or purchasing experience in a manufacturing environment
• Demonstrated experience building or significantly improving ABC models, reorder systems, and safety stock frameworks using real data
• Experience managing a stockroom, warehouse, or production support team
• Manufacturing ERP/MRP proficiency for inventory control and materials management
• Experience with inventory valuation reporting and direct collaboration with finance or accounting teams
• Strong analytical capability; track record of high inventory accuracy, verifiable not just claimed

Preferred: Hydraulics/pneumatics experience | Sage 50 & MISys familiarity | APICS CPIM or CSCP | ERP migration experience | Reporting tools (Excel, SQL, Power BI) | AI-assisted operations exposure

Benefits include:

• 401k match
• Employee Lunch
• Fitness room
• Dental
• Vision
• Health Insurance
• Maternity Leave
• Paternity Leave
• Accident Insurance
• Employee-Sponsored Life Insurance

How to Apply

Click Apply to submit your resume and a one-page cover letter addressing the following two questions. After submitting your application, you'll be asked to complete a Culture Survey:

• Walk us through a reorder system or inventory control framework you built from scratch or significantly improved. What did you build, how did you do it, and what did it produce?
• Describe a time a supplier or supply chain problem threatened production. What happened, how did you respond, and what was the outcome?

Physical Demands

While performing the essential functions of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, walk up and down flights of stairs, sit, talk and hear, and occasionally required to reach with hands and arms, stoop, kneel, and crouch. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close, distance, and peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus as well as work on a computer for extended periods of time. The employee must be able to communicate verbally with customers, vendors and employees on the phone or in person.