Brief Description
Buyer/ Purchaser
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
WHO WE ARE: ChamClad, a division of Wausau Supply Company, is a leading manufacturer of premium 100% PVC architectural cladding systems for commercial and residential applications across North America. Founded on a commitment to innovation and continuous improvement, ChamClad has grown from a custom finishing business into a trusted provider of low-maintenance, high-performance building solutions. Manufactured in Edmonton, Alberta, and supported by an extensive North American network, ChamClad combines advanced decorative film technology with durable PVC construction to deliver products that offer exceptional modern beauty, longevity, and sustainability. Backed by Wausau Supply Company's values of service, innovation, safety and integrity, ChamClad is dedicated to helping architects, builders, and homeowners bring their design visions to life.
What This Role Will Be Doing
The Buyer / Purchaser is responsible for maintaining continuity of supply for the materials, components, packaging, equipment parts, and purchased products required to support ChamClad manufacturing and customer demand. This role manages day-to-day purchasing activity, supplier communication, purchase orders, delivery commitments, inventory requirements, pricing, and system accuracy. The position works closely with Manufacturing, Planning, Warehouse, Quality, Engineering, Finance, Sales, and corporate Supply Chain to ensure the right material is available at the right time, quantity, quality, and total cost.
Key Responsibilities
Purchasing & Purchase Order Management
- Create, issue, maintain, and close purchase orders for assigned materials, components, supplies, services, tooling, spare parts, and purchased products.
- Confirm supplier acknowledgements, pricing, quantities, lead times, shipping requirements, and delivery dates against each purchase order.
- Follow up on open orders, expedite or defer deliveries based on changing manufacturing requirements, and communicate risks before they affect production or customers.
- Resolve purchase-order discrepancies involving price, quantity, freight, delivery, packaging, invoicing, or receiving documentation.
- Maintain clear records of purchasing decisions, supplier commitments, approval requirements, and order changes.
Material Planning & Inventory Control
- Review demand, production plans, usage, current inventory, open orders, supplier lead times, and safety-stock requirements before placing orders.
- Support inventory stocking and replenishment strategies that balance service requirements, production continuity, warehouse capacity, working capital, and obsolescence risk.
- Monitor critical materials and identify shortages, excess inventory, slow-moving items, and potential stockouts.
- Work with Manufacturing, Planning, and Warehouse teams to improve inventory accuracy, cycle-count follow-up, material visibility, and replenishment discipline.
- Coordinate controlled runout, transition, or disposition plans when products, components, or suppliers change.
ChamClad Materials & Operational Support
- Purchase and coordinate assigned raw materials and production inputs, including PVC profiles or substrates, decorative foils or films, adhesives and primers, aluminum components, fasteners, packaging materials, labels, and outsourced finished components.
- Support the purchase of maintenance parts, tooling, cassettes, production supplies, and facility items when assigned.
- Coordinate samples, prototypes, new-product materials, and trial quantities with Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, and Product Development.
- Ensure specifications, revisions, colour or finish requirements, packaging standards, and approved supplier information are confirmed before ordering.
- Support make-versus-buy and supplier-selection activities by gathering quotations, lead times, minimum-order quantities, tooling requirements, freight, and commercial terms.
Supplier Relationship & Performance Management
- Serve as the day-to-day contact for assigned suppliers and maintain professional, responsive working relationships.
- Track and communicate supplier performance related to delivery, quality, inventory, cost, responsiveness, and supply risk.
- Escalate late deliveries, quality concerns, capacity constraints, allocation issues, price changes, or other supply risks promptly.
- Coordinate corrective follow-up with suppliers and internal teams when purchased material does not meet requirements.
- Maintain appropriate confidentiality when handling proprietary formulations, drawings, product specifications, pricing, and development work.
Cost Management & Negotiation Support
- Obtain and compare supplier quotations using a total-cost approach that considers unit price, freight, duties, exchange, minimum quantities, payment terms, quality, lead time, inventory impact, and supply risk.
- Support negotiations and cost-reduction initiatives with approved suppliers.
- Identify opportunities for improved pricing, consolidated demand, alternate sources, reduced freight, better order quantities, or improved commercial terms.
- Communicate proposed price changes and cost impacts for approval before commitments are made.
- Maintain current supplier pricing and purchasing data in the approved system.
Systems, Documentation & Cross-Functional Support
- Create and maintain accurate supplier, item, lead-time, order-quantity, replenishment, and purchasing information in the ERP or other approved systems.
- Support supplier onboarding and required purchasing documentation.
- Work with Receiving, Quality, Finance, and suppliers to resolve receiving discrepancies, non-conforming material, credits, returns, and invoice issues.
- Participate in project teams for new products, product changes, supplier transitions, capital equipment, facility projects, and process improvements.
- Prepare purchasing and inventory reports and provide timely updates on shortages, open orders, supplier risks, savings, and required decisions.
- Follow approval limits, segregation-of-duties requirements, purchasing policies, and record-retention expectations.
Required Skills & Abilities
- Knowledge of purchasing, procurement, inventory, material planning, and supply-chain fundamentals.
- Strong attention to detail and accuracy when working with part numbers, specifications, quantities, pricing, dates, and purchase orders.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and respond quickly to production or supply interruptions.
- Strong supplier communication, follow-up, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, especially Excel, Outlook, and Teams.
- Working knowledge of ERP purchasing and inventory functions.
- Ability to analyze demand, inventory, lead times, order quantities, and supplier information to make practical purchasing decisions.
- Strong teamwork and customer-service approach with internal departments and external suppliers.
- Sound judgment when handling confidential commercial and technical information.
Education & Experience
- High school diploma is required.
- Post-secondary education in Supply Chain, Procurement, Business, Operations, or a related field is preferred.
- Three or more years of purchasing, procurement, inventory, planning, sourcing, or supply-chain experience is preferred.
- Experience supporting a manufacturing environment is strongly preferred.
- Experience purchasing raw materials, packaging, production components, maintenance items, or custom-manufactured parts is an asset.
- Supply-chain or procurement certification, such as SCMP, CPIM, CSCP, or equivalent, is an asset.
Working Conditions
- Work is primarily office-based within an active manufacturing environment and requires regular communication with production, warehouse, suppliers, and other departments.
- The role may require time on the manufacturing floor or in warehouse areas, with appropriate personal protective equipment.
- Occasional extended hours may be required to address urgent shortages, supplier issues, inventory counts, or project requirements.
Key Performance Indicators
- Material availability and prevention of avoidable production interruptions.
- Supplier on-time delivery and purchase-order acknowledgement performance.
- Purchase-order accuracy and timely maintenance of delivery dates.
- Inventory availability balanced against excess, slow-moving, and obsolete inventory.
- Accuracy of supplier, item, pricing, lead-time, and planning data.
- Timely resolution of shortages, receiving discrepancies, invoice issues, and supplier concerns.
- Documented cost savings, cost avoidance, and improved commercial terms.
- Supplier quality, responsiveness, and risk management.
- Cross-functional communication, follow-through, and internal service.
Overall Purpose
The Buyer / Purchaser protects ChamClad production and customer service by ensuring required materials and purchased items are available when needed, while managing inventory, supplier performance, purchasing accuracy, cost, and risk. Success in this position requires strong follow-up, accurate system information, practical decision-making, and close coordination with Manufacturing and the broader Supply Chain team.
