Purchasing & Inventory Specialist

Join Our Team

Educators Resource is a leading national wholesale distributor of educational, office, and fine art supplies serving schools, retailers, and institutions across the United States. For nearly 50 years, we have built our reputation on exceptional service, operational excellence, and strong relationships with our customers and vendor partners.

We are looking for a Purchasing & Inventory Specialist to help ensure we have the right products, in the right quantities, at the right time. This role combines purchasing, inventory management, vendor coordination, and supply and demand planning to support product availability while maintaining appropriate inventory levels.

The ideal candidate brings relevant purchasing or inventory experience, good organizational and problem-solving skills, an aptitude for working with data, and a willingness to learn. We value individuals who demonstrate initiative, sound judgment, and a collaborative approach to their work.

Location: Semmes, Alabama

Schedule: Full-time | Non-Exempt | Day Shift

The Role

As a Purchasing & Inventory Specialist, you will report to the Purchasing Supervisor and manage purchasing and inventory activities for assigned product lines. You will work closely with vendors and internal teams to anticipate inventory needs, maintain appropriate stock levels, and address supply issues before they impact our customers.

Using sales history, inventory levels, supplier lead times, seasonal trends, and our company's materials management system, you will evaluate inventory needs, make purchasing decisions, place purchase orders, and monitor inventory performance. Your work will contribute to balancing product availability with responsible inventory investment.

You'll also partner with Sales, Customer Service, Operations, Finance, Distribution, and Purchasing to communicate supply concerns, resolve issues, and improve purchasing and inventory processes.

As you become proficient in our systems and business operations, there will be opportunities to take on additional responsibilities and contribute more broadly to the department's success.

What You'll Do

Your primary focus will be purchasing inventory and maintaining appropriate stock levels to support customer demand. This includes reviewing sales and inventory data, determining replenishment needs, placing and managing purchase orders, and monitoring inventory across multiple warehouse locations.

You'll maintain inventory planning parameters, including reorder points, lead times, safety stock, minimums, and maximums. You'll also monitor product performance, identify slow-moving or excess inventory, and recommend adjustments to improve inventory turnover and manage inventory investment.

You'll develop strong vendor relationships, monitor supplier performance, and follow up on open orders to resolve shortages, back-orders, shipping delays, order discrepancies, and other supply issues.

Just as importantly, you'll communicate potential supply concerns to internal teams, prepare purchasing and inventory reports, and work collaboratively to find solutions that support our customers and business objectives.

Qualifications

What We're Looking For

We're looking for someone who is analytical, organized, dependable, and comfortable interpreting purchasing, sales, and inventory data to support sound business decisions. You should be able to manage multiple priorities, communicate effectively with vendors and coworkers, and demonstrate accuracy and attention to detail in a fast-paced environment.

One to three years of experience in purchasing, inventory management, or a related inventory-driven environment is preferred. Experience in wholesale distribution is a plus. An associate's degree in business, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, or a related field is preferred, although relevant experience may be substituted for formal education.

Candidates should have a working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, with the ability to organize and review purchasing and inventory data, and a willingness to further develop their analytical skills. They should also be comfortable learning our purchasing, inventory, and materials management systems. Familiarity with inventory planning concepts such as lead times, reorder points, safety stock, minimums, and maximums is preferred.

Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and the ability to follow through on issues from identification through resolution are important to success in this role.

Above all, we're looking for someone who demonstrates initiative, accountability, sound judgment, and a willingness to learn. The ideal candidate takes ownership of responsibilities and works collaboratively to support team and company objectives.

Compensation & Benefits

Educators Resource offers competitive compensation based on experience and qualifications, along with a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan with company matching contributions
• Company-paid Basic Life and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Life, Short-Term Disability, Accident, and Critical Illness Insurance
• Paid Time Off and company-paid holidays
• Professional development and training opportunities

Why Educators Resource?

At Educators Resource, your work has a direct impact on product availability, customer satisfaction, and the success of our business. You'll have the opportunity to build strong vendor partnerships, collaborate with teams across the company, and help improve the way we purchase and manage inventory.

We're proud of our nearly 50-year history and excited about where we're headed. We value integrity, teamwork, accountability, continuous improvement, and people who are willing to share ideas and solve problems.

If you're looking for a stable, growing company where your contributions make a difference, we'd like to hear from you.

Educators Resource is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.