Purchasing Manager - PVF & Plumbing

Overview: First Supply , a fifth-generation family-owned company, has served the Upper Midwest for over 125 years. Guided by our Employee Value Proposition, Where Tradition Meets Innovation , we foster a workplace where people learn, grow, and contribute to a company that values its heritage while embracing progress. Our teams take pride in supporting customers and communities, creating meaningful work and rewarding careers every day. First Supply is seeking an experienced Purchasing Manager – PVF & Plumbing to lead our purchasing teams supporting the Pipe, Valves & Fittings (PVF) and Plumbing product categories. This role is responsible for translating our procurement and vendor strategies into strong day-to-day execution, ensuring the right products are available to support our customers, branches, and distribution operations. We’re looking for a collaborative, hands-on leader with strong purchasing and inventory management experience who can develop teams, drive accountability, strengthen supplier performance, and use data to make sound business decisions. This role partners closely with procurement, channel leadership, sales, operations, and finance to support inventory health, product availability, and an exceptional customer experience. Responsibilities: Lead, coach, and develop the PVF and Plumbing purchasing teams; set daily priorities and hold the team accountable for purchasing accuracy, inventory levels, and service. Develop individual buyers through regular one-on-ones, coaching, and documented development plans; identify skill gaps and build training, cross-training, and succession depth across both channels. Establish, track, and review team and individual performance metrics, including fill rate, PO accuracy, expedite volume, past-due POs, and excess and obsolete inventory; use results to coach, recognize, and correct performance. Own staffing for the PVF and Plumbing purchasing teams, including hiring, onboarding, workload balancing, and performance reviews in partnership with HR. Drive standard work and consistent buying practices across both teams so the Director of Procurement’s strategy is executed the same way regardless of buyer or channel. Oversee daily replenishment across branches and distribution center, ensuring purchase orders align with established inventory plans, forecasts, and vendor agreements. Execute procurement strategies, vendor programs, and initiatives set by the Director of Procurement, including rebate thresholds, freight minimums, stocking programs, and promotional buys. Partner with the PVF and Plumbing Channel Directors to translate each channel’s vendor strategy into buying decisions, stocking positions, and vendor program execution that support channel growth priorities. Serve as the primary escalation point for purchasing, inventory, supplier, and operational issues within PVF and Plumbing. Manage day-to-day vendor relationships, including lead times, backorders, expedites, receiving discrepancies, and returns; monitor vendor performance and support vendor reviews. Ensure vendor price increases and cost updates are processed accurately and on time. Maintain inventory health by monitoring fill rates, turns, and stockouts, and acting on excess slow-moving, and obsolete stock through transfers, returns, or markdown requests. Provide oversight for special orders, direct shipments, and project buys in partnership with sales and branch teams. Partner with sales, operations, inventory management, finance, and branch leadership to align purchasing decisions with customer and business needs. Track and report purchasing, inventory, and supplier performance metrics; flag trends, risks, and improvement opportunities to procurement leadership. Maintain consistent purchasing processes, standard work, accurate item, cost, and vendor data in the ERP system. Support forecasting, demand planning, and supply risk management for assigned categories. Other duties as assigned. Q…

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