Hardwood Lumber Buyer, North America (Eastern Region)

Robinson Lumber Company is looking for a Hardwood Lumber Buyer to manage and grow our hardwood lumber supply base across the Eastern United States, with a primary focus on North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York. 

 You’ll be responsible for sourcing and buying North American hardwood lumber—primarily white oak, red oak, yellow poplar, and maple—to support a truly global sales operation. Our sales teams are based across Europe (Belgium, France, Netherlands), Asia (China, Taiwan, Vietnam), North America (U.S. & Mexico), and Latin America/Caribbean, and you will be a key link between those teams and our mill partners. This is a relationship-driven, commercial role for someone who is just as comfortable talking lumber grades at a mill as they are pricing and margin in a CRM.

Key Responsibilities 

Mill Sourcing & Procurement 

•  Build, maintain, and deepen relationships with hardwood sawmills across the Eastern U.S. Source and purchase kiln-dried and green hardwood lumber, focusing on white oak, red oak, yellow poplar, maple, and other relevant species. 
• Understand and evaluate grades, thicknesses, and tally/measurement practices to ensure we buy correctly and consistently. 
•  Regularly visit mills to review production, quality, and opportunities for new programs or volumes. 

Pricing, Quoting & Coordination with Global Sales 

•  Collect pricing and availability from mills and compile competitive quotes for our global sales teams. 
• Work closely with sales colleagues in Europe, Asia, the U.S., Mexico, and Latin America to match supply with demand and structure offers. 
• Monitor market trends, mill capacity, species demand, and price movements to help shape purchasing strategy. 

Deal-Making & Commercial Ownership 

• Negotiate pricing, terms, and volumes with mills, ensuring sustainable long-term relationships while hitting margin targets. 
•  Collaborate with logistics and operations to ensure smooth loading, shipping, and documentation. 
• Where appropriate, take trading/sales ownership of certain accounts or lanes—especially if you bring an existing book of business. 

Technology & Reporting 

•  Use Microsoft Teams, Excel, and CRM tools (e.g., Salesforce) for daily work: inputting quotes, tracking deals, and keeping mill and customer data accurate. 
•  Maintain clear records of quotes, wins/losses, and mill performance. 
•  Contribute to continuous improvement of our purchasing processes and tools. 

What We’re Looking For 

Experience & Knowledge 

•  5 years of professional work experience, ideally with at least a few years in hardwood lumber procurement, sales, trading, or related mill experience. 
•  Practical understanding of North American hardwood species, grades, tallies, and truckload/container quantities. 
•  Comfortable walking a yard, looking at a truck or bundle, and knowing whether it matches expectations. 

 Personality & Working Style 

• Relationship-driven: You enjoy talking with mill owners, sales managers, and yard supervisors—on the phone and in person.
• Commercially minded: You like putting deals together and walking away with an order, not just having a nice conversation.
•  Persistent and persuasive: Willing to stay on the phone, follow up, and creatively structure deals to make things work.
•  Adaptable communicator: Equally at ease in boots at a rural sawmill and on a Teams call with colleagues or customers in another country. 

Skills & Tools 

• Comfortable with basic business technology: Microsoft 365 (Teams, Outlook, Excel) CRM systems (Salesforce or similar) 
•  Strong organizational skills and attention to detail in pricing, measurements, and documentation. 
•  Valid driver’s license and willingness to drive to mills and travel regularly across the region. 

  Nice-to-Haves 

•  An existing book of business (mills or customers) in North American hardwoods. 
•  Experience in export-oriented lumber trading or working with international customers. 
•  Fluency or familiarity with additional languages is a plus, but not required. 

  Location & Travel 

•  Based in the Eastern U.S., ideally within or near the core sourcing region (NC/SC/GA/VA/PA/NY). 
•  Regular regional travel to mills (and occasional visits to company offices, customers, or trade shows) is expected. 

  What We Offer 

•  Opportunity to be a core part of a global hardwood trading platform. 
•  The chance to build and own long-term mill relationships and help shape our East Coast supply strategy. 
•  Competitive compensation package with performance-based incentives. 

 If you’re a relationship-focused lumber professional who enjoys both talking wood and closing deals, we’d love to hear from you.