PURCHASING AGENT

Position Location: York, PA

Hours: Full-Time | First Shift 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Scope: This position is responsible for purchasing offset folio paper, digital paper, large format substrates, materials that support printing and finishing to complete printing projects, office supplies, parts and services related to equipment manufacturers, and any other projects that may require outside purchasing.   Other responsibilities include working with the scheduling department to coordinate buyouts for job finishing, purchase departmental materials and coordinate purchases with departmental managers, managing and maintaining pricing agreements and relationships with all vendors, creating purchase orders, maintaining Pace inventory cost centers for estimating, maintaining inventory of all materials on the shop floor and regularly update the Pace inventory system. Maintain updated vendor pricing databases for estimating and departmental usage. Negotiate terms & conditions and timelines with vendors that meet specific company guidelines. Develop, maintain, and evaluate vendor scorecards.

Essential Functions

This position exists to perform the essential functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

1. Prepares and reviews contracts, bids, proposals, and vendor agreements to ensure they meet all legal requirements and customer specifications.
2. Review and evaluate vendors and subcontractors concerning product, service, quality, total cost, and ability to produce on time.
3. Determines selection of appropriate vendor/subcontractor after evaluation of performance data.
4. Maintains strong supplier relationships to ensure continuity of supply.
5. Proactively eliminates suppliers that do not meet performance requirements.
6. Negotiates scheduling with vendors when necessary for outside finishing purchases.
7. Vendor grading system – maintain a vendor grade report and share it with vendors on a yearly basis.
8. Analyze market and delivery conditions to determine present and future material availability; initiate recommendations to management to make changes required.
9. Evaluate defective purchased material with appropriate departments to determine the root cause of problems and take corrective action per established procedures.
10. Identify obsolete items and recommend alternatives to minimize the impact on product design or production schedules.
11. Manages the process of disposing of excess/obsolete material and equipment.
12. Manages inventory counts and levels of all inventory materials and supplies.
13. Receive paper and other material substrates into inventory, approve and process transactions.
14. Paper inventory – maintain inventory levels, inventory reports, weekly inventory counts, and updated pricing.
15. Responsible for reporting issues with inventory counts and misuse of material to the appropriate department manager.
16. Traces the history of items to determine the reason for discrepancies between inventory and stock control records and recommends remedial actions to resolve discrepancies.
17. Coordinates material purchases with all departments and managers.
18. Assist estimating and production managers with finding materials or vendors for special project needs.
19. Manages the process to collect cost and data required to respond to customer requests for quotation.
20. Negotiates the lowest total costs for materials.
21. Create and maintain purchase orders on all purchases.
22. Continually look for opportunities to reduce total costs.
23. Maintain accurate material cost list and records within the Pace estimating system for estimating purposes.
24. Determines work procedures, prepares work schedules, and expedites workflow.
25. Performs additional planning tasks as assigned.
26. Maintains and improves technical capabilities through formal courses, study of trade literature, and attendance at seminars, webinars, etc.
27. Work overtime when necessary to complete the above functions.
28. Other duties as assigned.

Education:

• High school diploma or GED required.

Skills & Experience:

• Knowledgeable of the fundamentals of purchasing, price management, payment terms, and vendor negotiating.
• Knowledgeable of Graphic Arts, particularly as it relates to paper specifications and characteristics.
• Proficiency in numbers and calculations.
• Proficiency in understanding and using data collection systems for creating purchase orders and reports.
• Able to use electronic email.
• Able to use internet browser software.
• Able to work on multiple projects simultaneously.
• Able to use data collection system for maintaining inventory and reports.
• Able to work in Microsoft Excel, Word, etc.
• Able to put in extra hours as needed or requested by the manager.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience with procurement in a high volume, print production environment.
• Minimum 2 years’ experience with project management in a high volume, print production environment.
• Minimum 2 years with business-specific applications and systems such as CRMs, project management, and office suites, required.

Physical Requirements:

Physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• This position frequently communicates with members of cross-functional teams, and internal and external customers. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.
• Must be able to remain in a stationary position approximately 80 percent of the time with the balance of time required interacting or helping with internal and external customers.
• Regularly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer.
• Occasionally move about inside the facility to access files, office machinery, etc.

• Occasionally operations powered hand trucks and forklifts in a manufacturing environment. 
• Occasionally ascends/descends a ladder to access/count inventory.
• Regularly move objects weighing up to 10 pounds and occasionally move objects weighing up to 20 pounds.
• Occasionally ascends/descends stairs. 
• Constantly works in an indoor temperature-controlled environment.
• Regularly works in a high-production print manufacturing environment and is exposed to various hazards within the environment.
• Hazards in the manufacturing environment always require the use of personal protective equipment. 

To apply, submit your resume to [email protected]. Notice to All Applicants: This posting is not intended to provide an all-inclusive list of duties, rather to provide an overview of essential functions and basic duties. Requirements, skills, and abilities included, have been determined to be the minimal standards required to successfully perform in the position. In no instance, however, should the duties, responsibilities, and requirements delineated be interpreted as all-inclusive. Employment with The YGS Group is at-will. The employment process with The YGS Group includes a pre-employment background check and post-offer physical and drug screen. The YGS Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Drug-Free Workplace.