Reports to: CEO

Location: Hybrid (site: Seymour, MO)

Position Summary

Powerflex is seeking a hands-on Senior Buyer & Category Manager to take ownership of the products we sell and the inventory required to support growth.

This is not a traditional corporate procurement role. We need a commercially minded buyer who understands retail, distribution, and e-commerce. This person will manage product categories from supplier selection and purchasing through inventory, pricing, promotion, and final sale.

The ideal candidate is analytical, organized, comfortable negotiating with suppliers, and willing to roll up their sleeves. This role requires balancing customer demand, product availability, supplier lead times, margins, freight costs, and inventory investment. You will work directly with the CEO, CFO/COO, Operations, Sales, and Manufacturing teams.

This is an opportunity to have a meaningful impact on a growing e-commerce and distribution business. The Senior Buyer & Category Manager will have significant ownership, direct access to leadership, and the ability to shape Powerflex's assortment, supplier strategy, inventory performance, and future growth.

Key Responsibilities: Category and Assortment Management

• Manage assigned categories with accountability for sales, margin, inventory, availability, and growth.
• Evaluate product performance and recommend additions, replacements, or discontinuations.
• Identify new products, brands, suppliers, and category opportunities.
• Build assortments, bundles, and complete-system solutions that meet customer needs.
• Partner with Sales and Marketing on seasonal plans, promotions, and product launches.

Demand Planning and Inventory

• Forecast demand using sales history, seasonality, marketing plans, and supplier lead times.
• Establish reorder points, safety-stock levels, and purchasing schedules.
• Manage purchase orders, inbound inventory, and product availability.
• Identify stockout risks early and develop corrective plans.
• Improve inventory turns while reducing excess, aging, and obsolete inventory.
• Coordinate product arrivals with marketing and promotional activity.

Supplier Management

• Develop strong supplier relationships and conduct regular performance reviews.
• Negotiate product costs, payment terms, freight, lead times, minimum orders, rebates, and promotional support.
• Resolve supplier, shipment, quality, pricing, and availability issues.
• Identify alternate sourcing options to reduce risk and improve service.
• Hold suppliers accountable for delivery, quality, and agreed-upon terms.

Pricing and Margin

• Monitor product costs, landed costs, freight, retail pricing, and gross margins.
• Recommend pricing that balances customer value, competitiveness, and profitability.
• Identify margin opportunities through negotiations, freight improvements, product mix, and pricing actions.
• Work with Finance to ensure accurate costing and margin reporting.

E-Commerce Merchandising

• Partner with Marketing to ensure products are accurately and effectively presented online.
• Help organize products into clear categories, collections, bundles, and complementary items.
• Support product content, specifications, compatibility information, and launch readiness.
• Monitor online product performance, availability, conversion, and sales velocity.
• Ensure marketing efforts are aligned with inventory that is available to sell.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Work closely with the CEO, CFO/COO, Operations, Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Manufacturing.
• Provide regular reporting on inventory, purchase orders, supplier issues, category performance, and risks.
• Support Sales and Customer Service with substitutions, availability, and product knowledge.
• Help build practical purchasing and inventory processes for a growing business.
• Take ownership of problems and drive them to resolution.

Key Performance Indicators

• Category sales and gross margin
• In-stock rate and stockout reduction
• Inventory turns and days on hand
• Excess and obsolete inventory
• Forecast accuracy
• Supplier on-time delivery
• Product cost and landed-cost improvement
• New-product performance
• Working-capital efficiency

Requirements

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in buying, category management, merchandising, inventory planning, retail, distribution, or e-commerce.
• Experience managing products, suppliers, purchase orders, and inventory.
• Strong understanding of sales, gross margin, landed cost, inventory turns, and pricing.
• Strong spreadsheet, analytical, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience with ERP, inventory, purchasing, reporting, or e-commerce systems.
• Ability to manage multiple categories, suppliers, deadlines, and priorities.
• Comfortable working in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment.

Preferred Experience

• Experience in farm and ranch, fencing, agriculture, hardware, outdoor products, building materials, or industrial products.
• Experience with Shopify or another e-commerce platform.
• Experience supporting both direct-to-consumer and dealer or wholesale channels.
• Familiarity with seasonal planning, inbound freight, and landed-cost analysis.

The successful candidate will be:

• Commercially minded and customer focused
• Analytical, organized, and proactive
• Skilled at supplier negotiations
• Comfortable making decisions and being accountable for results
• Collaborative across departments
• Resourceful and willing to work hands-on
• Curious about products, customers, and market opportunities

What Success Looks Like In Year One

• Improve product availability and reduce avoidable stockouts.
• Strengthen demand forecasting and replenishment.
• Improve inventory turns and reduce aging inventory.
• Build stronger supplier-management and negotiation processes.
• Improve assortment, pricing, margin, and category performance.
• Create better coordination among Buying, Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Finance.
• Build a reliable product and inventory plan that supports continued growth.

Benefits

• Premier Health Insurance plan with $0 deductible and $0 co-pay
• Dental and vision insurance plans
• Flexible spending account options
• Open Paid Time Off Policy plus nine paid public holidays
• Participation in our 401(k) savings plan
• Company-paid Life and AD&D coverage
• Educational materials and expenses to support related development