Inventory & Purchasing Specialist

Inventory & Purchasing Specialist

About Us:

WhisperKOOL is a leading manufacturer of premium wine refrigeration systems, dedicated to delivering innovative climate control solutions for wine enthusiasts and professionals. We take pride in our craftsmanship, attention to detail, and commitment to excellence. We're looking for a highly organized and proactive Inventory & Purchasing Specialist to join our team and help ensure smooth operations across our supply chain and production departments.

Position Summary:

The Inventory & Purchasing Specialist is responsible for managing purchasing activities, maintaining accurate inventory levels, and ensuring materials and components are available to meet production schedules. This role works closely with Purchasing, Production, Shipping, and R&D to support manufacturing operations and maintain supplier relationships. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, organized, and experienced in inventory control, purchasing coordination, and supplier management.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Perform purchasing and buying duties as needed to support production and operations.
• Prepare purchase orders, verify accuracy, and send copies to suppliers and departments originating requests.
• Review and process requisitions, ensuring proper terminology, specifications, and approval.
• Maintain and update purchasing files, reports, and price lists.
• Compare supplier packing slips to purchase orders for accuracy and ensure shipments are complete and correct.
• Verify incoming shipments, resolve discrepancies, and ensure timely receipt of goods.
• Track the status of purchase orders and respond to supplier or internal inquiries regarding order status, changes, or cancellations.
• Calculate costs of goods and forward packing slips to Accounting for invoice processing.
• Research, evaluate, and maintain relationships with suppliers based on price, quality, reliability, and performance.
• Contact suppliers to schedule or expedite deliveries and resolve shortages, missed, or late shipments.
• Confer with internal teams and vendors to address defective or unacceptable goods or services and determine corrective actions.
• Generate and review inventory shortage and replenishment reports to ensure materials are available for production schedules.
• Manage inventory-related transactions, including posting Work-In-Progress (WIP), Finished Goods, and RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) parts.
• Maintain accurate daily and weekly received goods spreadsheets and communicate summaries to the Executive Team.
• Process and maintain Work Orders in the ERP system; monitor work order statuses to support production.
• Update Bills of Materials (BOMs), Engineering Change Notices (ECNs), and create new part numbers as required.
• Manage vendor accounts, including Amazon, Grainger, and Pencom, ensuring timely and accurate order fulfillment.
• Reconcile monthly purchasing budgets and Amazon account transactions.
• Support product launches and phaseouts in collaboration with the R&D and Operations teams.
• Attend regular Operations meetings to communicate purchasing and inventory updates.
• Prepare and update monthly inventory evaluation reports and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Maintain and evaluate Supplier Scorecards to measure vendor performance.
• Coordinate shipments with Purchasing, GSA, and shipping carriers, including processing LTL (Less Than Truckload) claims.
• Support annual physical inventory activities, ensuring accurate reconciliation of materials and records.

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• 2–4 years of experience in inventory control, purchasing, or supply chain management (manufacturing experience preferred).
• Strong proficiency with ERP or inventory management systems (experience with AccountMate a plus).
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft Office applications.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Knowledge of purchasing and inventory best practices, including cost analysis and supplier management.
• Ability to:
• • Order and track materials, supplies, and equipment.
• Verify accuracy of financial and transactional data.
• Inspect and confirm shipment accuracy.
• Calculate costs of goods or services.
• Monitor inventories and product demand.
• Maintain detailed purchasing and inventory records.
• Coordinate shipping activities and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders.
• Maintain accurate data in information systems and databases.
• Develop and maintain positive supplier and internal business relationships.

Benefits:

• Competitive pay based on experience
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid time off and company holidays
• 401(k) plan with employer match