Purchasing Associate

Be Yourself. Build Your Career. Be Exceptional Together.

At Werner Electric Supply, we're more than an electrical distributor - we're a community that empowers people to grow, innovate, and truly make a difference. Our culture celebrates individuality, encourages creativity, and values each person's voice; creating a space where you can be yourself, connect with others, and build a meaningful career. We believe in balance and flexibility, so you can thrive both professionally and personally. Together, we can make an impact and build something exceptional for our customers, families, communities, and each other.

The Purchasing Associate supports the Purchasing team by managing key operational and administrative processes that keep purchasing workflows running efficiently and accurately. This role is responsible for purchase order follow-ups, vendor invoice reconciliation, return processing, and maintaining accurate purchasing data while coordinating with vendors, Buyers, and internal teams to support timely order management and execution of purchasing standard work.

Essential Functions

• Build and maintain positive working relationships with vendors to support effective communication, timely issue resolution, and reliable service levels.
• Proactively monitor and manage purchase order follow-ups by confirming order acknowledgements, tracking order status, updating ship dates, and escalating potential delays to Buyers to protect service levels.
• Partner with vendors to process product returns (RMAs), resolve shipping or product discrepancies, and ensure timely credit processing.
• Reconcile vendor invoice discrepancies by comparing purchase orders, receipts, and invoices; work with vendors and internal teams to resolve pricing, freight, or quantity variances.
• Assist with item and part setup in the ERP system to ensure accurate product data for stocking and resale.
• Partner with internal teams including Accounting, Warehouse, Pricing, and Customer Experience to resolve order, pricing, or inventory-related issues.
• Maintain visibility to open purchasing issues and follow through to resolution, helping ensure orders, credits, and vendor communications are completed in a timely manner.
• Support purchasing standard work by maintaining documentation, tracking open issues, and ensuring key purchasing processes remain organized and on schedule.
• Track and maintain the daily Managing for Daily Improvement (MDI) board to support visibility into purchasing priorities, performance, and issue resolution.
• Provide backup support to Buyers as needed, including basic purchasing activities and coverage during absences.
• Maintain a continuous improvement mindset by identifying opportunities to streamline purchasing processes, improve data accuracy, reduce manual work, and support process efficiencies or automation where possible.

Required Qualifications

• Associates Degree in Supply Chain or related field
• 1-2 years of customer service experience
• Knowledge of and the ability to use Microsoft office products including Excel, Outlook and Word

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Supply Chain or related field
• Experience working in an ERP system (Ex: Epicor Eclipse)
• 1 year experience in a data entry function

Company Overview

Founded in 1948, Werner Electric Supply has grown from a small appliance store in downtown Neenah, WI into an award-winning employer and leading electrical distributor with 12 branch locations in Wisconsin and Upper-Michigan. Headquartered in Appleton, WI, we provide electrical, lighting, network, process, and inventory management solutions for a diverse group of industrial and construction customers. We are a growing, privately-held company with over 450 employees who uphold a family culture built around exceptional customer service. As a recent New North Workplace Excellence Award winner, we're dedicated to the continuous improvement of our people, products, and services to ensure the long-term success of our employees and customers. Apply today and find out why we're a "Great Place to Work."

Employee Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Short & Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Life and AD&D Insurance
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with company match
• Paid holidays, vacation, personal, and sick days
• Pet Insurance
• Identity Theft Protection
• Accident Insurance & Critical Illness Coverage
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Annual bonuses and merit increases based on performance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Wellness Programs
• Employee Resource Groups (ERG)
• Career Development & Leadership Training
• Paid Parental Leave

Werner Electric Supply is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.