Job Description

Purchasing & Inventory Manager
Location: Grand Rapids, MI

Position Summary

The Purchasing & Inventory Manager is responsible for overseeing daily purchasing activity, inventory control, and materials flow within a small, hands-on manufacturing environment. This role plays a critical part in ensuring materials are accurately ordered, tracked, and available to support production and receiving operations. The individual in this role will work closely with production and receiving teams on the floor, manage vendor relationships, and help maintain inventory accuracy in a highly manual, Excel-driven environment with no formal ERP system in place. This is a highly independent role in a small team environment where flexibility, ownership, and the ability to wear multiple hats are essential.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage daily purchasing activity and purchase order placement
• Coordinate with vendors to ensure timely material availability
• Monitor inventory levels and manage ordering cadence based on production needs
• Perform cycle counts and support physical inventory reconciliation
• Maintain inventory accuracy using Excel-based/manual tracking systems
• Partner closely with receiving and production teams to ensure material flow accuracy
• Physically verify inventory and materials on the production floor as needed
• Support warehouse and production operations with inventory-related needs
• Identify and help improve inefficient or manual inventory processes over time
• Assist in maintaining organization and accuracy of stocked materials
• Collaborate cross-functionally across production, purchasing, and receiving
• Ensure accuracy in part numbers, quantities, and inventory records

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in purchasing, inventory control, supply chain, or manufacturing operations
• Experience with manual inventory tracking and/or Excel-based systems required
• Hands-on experience with cycle counting and inventory reconciliation
• Experience working in a manufacturing or warehouse environment required
• Comfortable working regularly on a production floor and in hands-on environments
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy with numerical and part-based tracking
• Ability to work independently
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across departments
• Experience in small business or high-mix, low-structure environments strongly preferred
• Forklift experience or willingness to become certified preferred
• ERP system experience a plus (not required)

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