DescriptionAurora, CO
$95,000 - Includes Annual Incentive Program Eligibility
Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship. Sponsorship is not available for this role.
Position Summary
The Senior Purchasing Agent supports RK Mission Critical's modular manufacturing, fabrication, and project execution operations through strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations, and the timely procurement of engineered equipment and materials. This role owns complex purchase orders and long-lead procurement activities, coordinates closely with Engineering, Project Management, Production, Supply Chain, Warehouse/Receiving, and Accounts Payable, and proactively manages cost, quality, delivery, schedule, and supplier risk in accordance with company purchasing controls.
Role Responsibilities
- Solicit, evaluate, and negotiate competitive supplier quotations based on total value, including price, technical compliance, quality, lead time, freight, payment terms, warranty, supplier performance, and project schedule requirements.
- Obtain competitive bids in accordance with company sourcing thresholds and procedures and document approved sole-source, OEM/proprietary, emergency, or schedule-driven exceptions.
- Use Excel, IFS data, procurement reports, and supplier information to perform cost analysis and support sound purchasing decisions.
- Ensure material and equipment purchases comply with contract requirements, approved specifications, project requirements, and established buying agreements.
- Support project teams with supplier submittals, technical documentation, and contract-compliance packages required to maintain project schedules.
- Create, maintain, and accurately issue purchase orders in IFS using approved purchase requisitions and required project, job-cost, or overhead coding.
- Ensure suppliers receive an authorized purchase order before commitments are made; do not process informal email-only purchasing requests outside approved controls.
- Validate manufacturer, part number, description, quantity, unit of measure, pricing, required date, delivery location, freight terms, coding, and supporting documentation before PO release.
- Review bills of material, drawings, specifications, equipment schedules, and purchasing requirements for completeness before committing company funds.
- Identify and resolve duplicate requirements, questionable quantities, incomplete information, specification conflicts, and BOM discrepancies with Engineering or the requesting team before purchasing.
- Confirm supplier acknowledgments, pricing, lead times, commercial terms, and committed delivery dates and maintain accurate information in IFS.
- Manage approved PO changes involving scope, quantity, specification, price, delivery, release schedule, cancellation, or substitution and communicate impacts to affected stakeholders.
- Manage long-lead and engineered equipment from sourcing and award through submittal approval, release, manufacturing, testing when applicable, shipment, and delivery readiness.
- Partner with Engineering and Project Management to confirm approved technical requirements, submittal status, release dates, and changes affecting supplier commitments or project schedules.
- Maintain procurement trackers and communicate critical-path materials, forecast delivery dates, open commitments, risks, and recovery actions to project stakeholders.
- Proactively expedite critical purchase orders based on production schedules, project milestones, and required-on-site dates.
- Track acknowledgments, manufacturing milestones, promise dates, backorders, shipment schedules, and delivery risks; escalate deviations before they affect fabrication or project execution.
- Develop supplier recovery plans when commitments are at risk, including alternate sourcing, manufacturing-priority changes, staged deliveries, approved substitutions, and expedited transportation.
- Monitor supplier on-time-in-full (OTIF) performance, responsiveness, quality, shortages, backorders, and recurring delivery failures and recommend corrective action.
- Identify supply-chain risks early, propose alternate sourcing or mitigation options, and escalate critical issues to Procurement leadership.
- Negotiate pricing, commercial terms, freight, delivery schedules, storage, staged-release arrangements, returns, cancellations, and documented cost-saving opportunities within delegated authority.
- Identify and document cost savings, cost avoidance, and opportunities to improve total landed cost and project profitability.
- Procure engineered equipment, electrical and mechanical components, rough-in materials, raw fabrication materials, and other products required for RK Mission Critical projects and manufacturing operations.
- Coordinate with Warehouse and Receiving to resolve shortages, overages, damaged or quarantined materials, incorrect deliveries, returns, and credits without assuming physical receiving responsibility.
- Support Accounts Payable in resolving PO price, quantity, freight, tax, and terms discrepancies while maintaining clear separation between purchasing, receiving, and invoice-processing responsibilities.
- Negotiate supplier returns, cancellations, and excess-material disposition when commercially appropriate to minimize unnecessary inventory and protect project profitability.
- Track supplier credits through completion and verify that approved credits are applied correctly.
- Apply independent judgment across the end-to-end procurement process and comply with company purchasing policies, ethical requirements, contractual obligations, and delegated authority.
- Provide guidance and coaching to Purchasing Agents and other procurement team members on purchasing controls, supplier management, negotiations, PO accuracy, and expediting.
- Protect confidential supplier, pricing, project, commercial, and company information and avoid actual or perceived conflicts of interest.
- Perform other duties as required or assigned.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, Construction Management, or a related field preferred; seven or more years of relevant purchasing, procurement, sourcing, or supply-chain experience, or an equivalent combination of education and directly applicable experience.
- Demonstrated experience managing complex purchasing requirements, long-lead materials, engineered equipment, and supplier escalations.
- Proven success in strategic sourcing, supplier management, commercial negotiations, cost analysis, and purchase-order execution.
- Ability to evaluate supplier proposals beyond price, including technical compliance, lead time, freight, commercial terms, quality, capability, and schedule risk.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify risks, evaluate alternatives, interpret data, and make sound purchasing decisions.
- Excellent written and verbal communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills with the ability to collaborate effectively across Engineering, Project Management, Production, Supply Chain, Receiving, Accounts Payable, and suppliers.
- Proficiency in ERP purchasing workflows, Microsoft Excel, procurement reporting, and Microsoft Office applications; IFS experience preferred.
- Detail-oriented, organized, and able to manage multiple projects, suppliers, and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Experience supporting mission-critical construction, modular manufacturing, data centers, electrical systems, mechanical systems, fabrication, or engineered equipment procurement preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to manage long-lead schedules, supplier performance, purchase-order accuracy, project procurement trackers, and cross-functional procurement priorities.
Minimum Physical Requirements and Accountability
- Frequent and prolonged periods of sitting, standing, and walking within the facility.
- Must be able to hear and communicate clearly and effectively in person, by phone, and in virtual settings.
- Manual dexterity is required to operate a computer, keyboard, and standard office equipment.
- Close vision is necessary for reading, computer use, and detailed document review.
- Occasional reaching, bending, stooping, or kneeling may be required.
- Noise levels are generally low to moderate but may vary in fabrication, manufacturing, warehouse, and project-site environments.
- Possible exposure to typical manufacturing-related hazards in certain work locations.
- Consistent and punctual attendance during established business hours is required.
- This position is primarily office-based in the Denver Metro Area. Reliable transportation is required for occasional travel between RK Mission Critical facilities, supplier locations, and project sites during business hours.
- All employees are accountable for safety and health and are empowered to stop work when an unsafe condition is present. Employees must promptly notify their supervisor so the hazard can be corrected.
- Must comply with all applicable company policies, procedures, and safety requirements.
Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
