Marine Purchasing Specialist

Sheaffer Marine is seeking a highly organized and proactive Marine Purchasing Specialist to manage purchasing for our custom boat manufacturing and marine service operations.

This is not simply an order-entry position. Our Purchaser must think ahead, anticipate upcoming needs, negotiate effectively, control costs, and ensure that materials and parts are available when our production and service teams need them.

The right person will understand that good purchasing requires balancing price, quality, quantity, availability, freight, lead time, and vendor reliability—not simply selecting the lowest price.

Because marine knowledge is essential to making sound purchasing decisions in our business, candidates must have meaningful experience with boats, marine parts and equipment, boatbuilding, marine service, or a closely related marine operation.

What You’ll Do

• Plan purchasing around upcoming boat builds, marine service work, and inventory requirements.
• Obtain, review, and compare vendor quotations.
• Negotiate pricing, discounts, freight costs, payment terms, quantities, and lead times.
• Evaluate purchasing decisions based on the best overall value to the company.
• Prepare and maintain accurate purchase orders.
• Monitor open orders, backorders, and expected delivery dates.
• Follow up proactively so that a late delivery does not become a production or service problem.
• Source marine parts, equipment, materials, and supplies from qualified vendors.
• Develop and maintain productive relationships with manufacturers, distributors, and other suppliers.
• Identify opportunities to reduce costs and improve purchasing efficiency.
• Help maintain appropriate inventory levels without unnecessary overstocking.
• Resolve incorrect shipments, damaged items, pricing discrepancies, returns, credits, and warranty issues.
• Coordinate closely with Production, Service, Parts, Sales, and Accounting.
• Maintain accurate and organized purchasing, order, and vendor records.
• Use DockMaster, QuickBooks, Microsoft 365, and other company systems.
• Recommend improvements to purchasing, inventory, and vendor-management processes.

What We’re Looking For

Experience and demonstrated ability matter more to us than formal education. We are looking for someone who takes ownership, plans ahead, protects company resources, and follows an order through to successful delivery.

A strong candidate will be:

• Extremely organized and attentive to detail.
• Proactive rather than reactive.
• Able to anticipate material and inventory needs.
• A confident and effective vendor negotiator.
• Cost-conscious and careful with company money.
• Able to manage multiple orders, deadlines, and competing priorities.
• Persistent about following up and holding vendors accountable.
• Resourceful when a critical part is unavailable or delayed.
• A clear communicator who works well across departments.
• Comfortable using technology and learning new systems.
• Interested in improving purchasing practices and controlling costs.
• Dependable, resilient, and willing to take responsibility for results.

Required Experience

• Meaningful experience in the marine, boatbuilding, boat-repair, marine-parts, or related boating industry.
• Purchasing, procurement, parts, inventory, manufacturing, service, or vendor-management experience.
• Familiarity with marine parts, equipment, manufacturers, distributors, and vendors.
• Experience managing multiple orders and monitoring delivery commitments.
• General computer proficiency and the ability to learn company systems.

Experience with DockMaster, QuickBooks, Excel, Outlook, or Microsoft 365 is a plus.

Our Purchasing Philosophy

At Sheaffer Marine, good purchasing means more than getting a part through the door.

Purchasing should be planned rather than reactive. Rush orders, premium pricing, production delays, and expedited freight caused by poor planning should be the exception—not the normal way of doing business.

Our Purchaser is expected to consider the full impact of every purchasing decision, including:

• Price
• Quality
• Quantity
• Availability
• Lead time
• Freight
• Vendor reliability
• Effect on production and service schedules

We need someone who notices potential problems early, communicates them promptly, and works toward a solution before the problem affects our customers or operations.

Our Work Environment

Sheaffer Marine is a small, hands-on custom boat manufacturing and repair business. This is not a formal corporate-office environment. Although the purchasing position itself is an office position, it works alongside an active manufacturing and marine service facility that may be dusty, busy, and informal at times.

Priorities can shift, unexpected problems arise, and each team member’s contribution matters. Success here requires flexibility, resilience, resourcefulness, and a willingness to take ownership. The right person will appreciate working closely with skilled marine professionals and seeing the direct impact of their work on our boats, projects, customers, and company.

There is an opportunity for increased responsibility, purchasing authority, and compensation as the individual demonstrates the ability to:

• Generate measurable cost savings.
• Negotiate effectively with vendors.
• Plan purchasing needs in advance.
• Reduce unnecessary rush purchases and expedited freight.
• Keep materials and parts available when needed.
• Maintain accurate purchasing and vendor records.
• Improve purchasing and inventory processes.
• Make sound decisions that support both project schedules and the company’s bottom line.

We are looking for someone who wants to take ownership of purchasing and grow with Sheaffer Marine.

Benefits:

• Two weeks of paid vacation per year
• Paid holidays
• Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM schedule
• Full-time, year-round employment
• Opportunity for growth and increased responsibility
• Opportunity for performance-based compensation growth

Sheaffer Marine is an equal opportunity employer.

Pay: $52,000.00 - $60,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Paid time off

Application Question(s):

• Are you willing to work on-site in an active boat manufacturing and repair facility?

Experience:

• professional marine-industry: 1 year (Required)
• purchasing, parts or inventory: 1 year (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $52,000 - $60,000