Purchasing Specialist

Purchasing Specialist

Company: McDaniel Metals, LLC
Location: Houston, TX
Department: Purchasing / Operations
Employment Type: Full-Time
Schedule: Monday–Friday, Day Shift

Position Summary

McDaniel Metals, LLC is seeking an experienced and detail-oriented Steel Buyer / Purchasing Specialist to support purchasing and material planning for our HVAC sheet-metal manufacturing operations.

The ideal candidate will have direct experience purchasing steel, particularly galvanized sheet steel and coil materials, and a strong understanding of steel pricing, material specifications, supplier negotiations, inventory management, and manufacturing requirements.

This position will work closely with Production, Inventory, Engineering, and Operations to ensure materials are purchased competitively, delivered on time, and available to support production schedules.

Key Responsibilities

Steel Purchasing & Supplier Management

• Purchase galvanized steel, sheet metal, steel coils, and other raw materials required for manufacturing operations.
• Source, evaluate, and negotiate with steel mills, service centers, distributors, and other material suppliers.
• Monitor steel market pricing, material availability, lead times, and purchasing trends.
• Negotiate pricing, payment terms, freight costs, and delivery schedules to achieve cost savings.
• Maintain supplier relationships and identify alternative sources to minimize supply disruptions.
• Verify material specifications, including gauge, thickness, dimensions, coating requirements, and grades.

Inventory & Material Planning

• Monitor raw material inventory levels and coordinate purchasing based on production demand.
• Work with Production and Inventory teams to anticipate material requirements and prevent shortages.
• Establish appropriate reorder points and purchasing quantities.
• Track open purchase orders, supplier confirmations, and expected delivery dates.
• Address material discrepancies, damaged shipments, shortages, and supplier quality issues.
• Identify opportunities to reduce excess inventory, waste, and unnecessary purchasing costs.

Purchasing Administration & Cost Control

• Prepare, issue, and maintain accurate purchase orders.
• Review supplier quotations and compare pricing, freight, lead times, and material specifications.
• Coordinate with Accounting to resolve invoice discrepancies and purchasing documentation issues.
• Maintain accurate purchasing records, vendor information, and pricing history.
• Monitor purchasing expenditures and identify cost-saving opportunities.
• Support purchasing of additional manufacturing supplies, components, and operational materials as needed.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years of purchasing or buying experience in steel, metals, or metal manufacturing.
• Direct experience purchasing steel is required. Candidates with only general purchasing experience and no steel buying background will not meet the minimum qualifications.
• Working knowledge of galvanized steel, sheet metal, steel coils, gauges, grades, and material specifications.
• Experience negotiating steel pricing and working with mills, service centers, or metal distributors.
• Understanding of inventory management, purchasing processes, and manufacturing production requirements.
• Ability to interpret material specifications and calculate purchasing quantities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and purchasing or ERP systems.
• Strong communication, organization, negotiation, and pr