Who Are We?

We build products and relationships that last a lifetime! No really, that’s what we do. We are a successful family business with a long-term record of steady growth, and we are determined to accelerate our trajectory.  Our diverse team members who speak 22 languages are passionate about their company and their co-workers.  

Check out our website at www.strong-hold.com to learn more about our products.

We Are Not:

• Fancy – as manufacturers we believe practical, clean facilities are required to make quality products and retain the best team.
• Transactional - we have long-term relationships with our team members and most valuable customers.
• Satisfied - we celebrate achievement, then set our sights on new goals.

What We’re Looking For:

***This is a 3-month temporary position with the potential to be extended. 

The Buyer is responsible for identifying sources for raw materials with multiple commodity types, including purchasing raw steel and aluminum, and applying a data-driven approach to deliver savings from those purchased goods and services.  Our ideal candidate demonstrates:

• A passion for Winning. Achieving goals and continuous improvement drives you.
• The ability to see the big picture and analyze data to make that data tell a story.  You enjoy cleaning data, extracting insights, looking for patterns, and prioritizing areas for savings projects.

• Negotiation skills.  Able to assess the zone of possible negotiated agreements and develop strategies to increase your chances of success.   You are systematic in your approach, plan before you begin, and are successful. Proven skills managing a supplier relationship highly preferred.
• Lots of patience and high emotional intelligence. The ability and desire to work with people who will challenge you.
• People skills. You’ll have to work alongside a diverse team and be able to persuade them to assist you.  Willing and able to teach those with tenure in the organization but limited formal training on best practices in purchasing. 

• Critical thinking. You can think all the way around a problem or opportunity – foreseeing possible roadblocks and solutions.
• Attention to detail. While you can consider the big picture, you also remember to dot your I’s and cross your t’s.

Responsibilities:

• Purchasing raw materials (steel and aluminum) and office and shop supplies for our three metal fabrication divisions (Strong Hold, Fabricated Metals and Utility Metals).
• Identify systems and processes that can be improved to better align with standard operating procedures (SOP).
• Delivering cost savings.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Supply Chain, or a related field is highly preferred, but experience commensurate with education will be considered.
• 3 or more years of purchasing experience in manufacturing.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office, especially Excel with diverse experience with commodities management.
• Experience with Microsoft Dynamics/Great Plains highly preferred.