What are the responsibilities and job description for the Procurement Manager position at Keep Supply?
The Role
Keep Supply is growing fast — $110MM today, targeting $300MM by 2030. We need someone who can co-lead our vendor strategy, own procurement and inventory operations, and build the function that gets us there. This isn't a maintenance role. It's a builder seat with direct impact on margin, vendor relationships, and how we scale.
You'll sit alongside the Director of Portfolio in vendor pricing negotiations, brand-level inventory planning, and portfolio strategy decisions. Your analysis shapes what we do — not just how we do it. You'll own the full procurement function: vendor onboarding, purchase order management, catalog integrity, and inventory replenishment. You set the processes, hold your team accountable, and build what's next.
You'll manage the Procurement Lead and Vendor Performance Analyst directly. As volume grows, you'll hire a second buyer and step into a Director seat over a full procurement team. If that trajectory excites you and you have the track record to back it up, we want to talk.
What You'll Own
Vendor Strategy & Pricing
Required:
This role offers a competitive base salary plus a performance bonus tied to strategic outcomes.
Benefits include:
Keep Supply is a respected and resourceful distributor of heavy commercial and industrial refrigeration parts, equipment, and other MRO supplies. We operate as Pluck, LLC out of Springfield, MO — a small, high-energy team that moves fast, holds high standards, and is building something meaningful. We practice Open-Book Management through the Great Game of Business, which means every team member understands their impact on the company's financial performance and shares in its success.
We're a small, scrappy team that values teamwork, work ethic, and humility. We celebrate wins together and hold each other accountable. If you're looking for a place where your work matters, your contributions are recognized, and your growth is invested in, Keep Supply might be the right fit.
Keep Supply is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability status, or any other applicable characteristics protected by law.
Keep Supply is growing fast — $110MM today, targeting $300MM by 2030. We need someone who can co-lead our vendor strategy, own procurement and inventory operations, and build the function that gets us there. This isn't a maintenance role. It's a builder seat with direct impact on margin, vendor relationships, and how we scale.
You'll sit alongside the Director of Portfolio in vendor pricing negotiations, brand-level inventory planning, and portfolio strategy decisions. Your analysis shapes what we do — not just how we do it. You'll own the full procurement function: vendor onboarding, purchase order management, catalog integrity, and inventory replenishment. You set the processes, hold your team accountable, and build what's next.
You'll manage the Procurement Lead and Vendor Performance Analyst directly. As volume grows, you'll hire a second buyer and step into a Director seat over a full procurement team. If that trajectory excites you and you have the track record to back it up, we want to talk.
What You'll Own
Vendor Strategy & Pricing
- Actively participate in vendor pricing negotiations alongside the Director of Portfolio — bringing cost analysis, volume history, and competitive context to the table.
- Co-develop vendor relationship strategies for core and strategic brands, including QBR cadence and escalation protocols.
- Identify pricing optimization opportunities across the portfolio — freight allowances, payment terms, volume tier advancement.
- Build and maintain vendor scorecards tracking fill rate, pricing compliance, lead time, and program adherence.
- Manage the Vendor Performance Analyst to produce research and data that supports vendor pursuit and negotiation.
- Co-develop brand-level inventory strategies — stocking depth, safety stock, and seasonal purchasing plans for strategic brands.
- Monitor portfolio-level inventory turn performance and flag deviations with root cause analysis and recommended action.
- Set and maintain item-level reorder points, par levels, and safety stock targets in Brightpearl.
- Surface slow-moving, excess, and obsolete inventory with actionable recommendations.
- Partner with sales on demand signals and promotional planning to ensure inventory supports revenue opportunities.
- Oversee end-to-end vendor onboarding — documentation, compliance, and Brightpearl setup completed within 15 business days.
- Ensure all commercial terms (pricing tiers, rebate thresholds, freight terms) are correctly reflected in Brightpearl before the first PO.
- Own item master data quality — setting the standard and holding the team accountable to it.
- Manage vendor price update intake and ensure cost changes are reflected accurately and on time.
- Directly manage the Inventory Buyer — setting clear priorities, reviewing decisions, and developing their capability.
- Manage the Vendor Performance Analyst — tasking research, reviewing outputs, and translating findings into strategic recommendations.
- Own the full PO lifecycle from replenishment trigger through receipt and closeout in Brightpearl.
- Build and document SOPs for all core procurement and inventory workflows.
- Hire and onboard a second Buyer as vendor count and transaction volume grow.
Required:
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Operations, or a related field — or equivalent demonstrated experience.
- 6–8 years of progressive experience in procurement, inventory management, purchasing, or supply chain, with demonstrated growth into strategic responsibility.
- Proven experience contributing to or leading vendor pricing negotiations — not just managing existing relationships.
- Strong analytical capability — comfortable building cost analysis, inventory models, and vendor performance data to support strategic decisions.
- Hands-on ERP experience — Brightpearl or a comparable system strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to lead, develop, and hold accountable at least a small team or function.
- Proven ability to build operational processes from the ground up, not just maintain existing ones.
- Strong communicator — equally effective with executive leadership and day-to-day vendor contacts.
- Experience in industrial distribution, B2B wholesale, or a product-heavy omni-channel environment.
- Familiarity with rebate program structures, volume incentive tracking, co-op agreements, and freight optimization.
- Experience working alongside senior leadership in a strategic capacity — not just as an executor of decisions.
- Proficiency in Excel or Google Sheets for financial modeling, inventory analysis, and reporting.
- Experience managing a vendor performance or data analyst function.
- Strategic Operator — thinks at the portfolio level and brings data-backed recommendations to the table.
- Vendor & Negotiation Acumen — understands commercial terms and knows how to prepare a negotiation position.
- Inventory Intelligence — sees inventory as capital deployment, not just stock management.
- People Leadership — develops a team with intention and creates accountability without micromanaging.
- Process Builder — builds systems that scale and doesn't rely on tribal knowledge.
- Ownership Mentality — identifies what needs to happen and drives it to completion.
This role offers a competitive base salary plus a performance bonus tied to strategic outcomes.
Benefits include:
- 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your family.
- Unlimited paid time off plus generous company holidays.
- Employee bonus program tied to company performance.
- Comprehensive training, mentorship, and ongoing professional development.
- Clear path to Director of Procurement as the business scales toward $300MM.
Keep Supply is a respected and resourceful distributor of heavy commercial and industrial refrigeration parts, equipment, and other MRO supplies. We operate as Pluck, LLC out of Springfield, MO — a small, high-energy team that moves fast, holds high standards, and is building something meaningful. We practice Open-Book Management through the Great Game of Business, which means every team member understands their impact on the company's financial performance and shares in its success.
We're a small, scrappy team that values teamwork, work ethic, and humility. We celebrate wins together and hold each other accountable. If you're looking for a place where your work matters, your contributions are recognized, and your growth is invested in, Keep Supply might be the right fit.
Keep Supply is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability status, or any other applicable characteristics protected by law.