Buyer/Senior Buyer

About the position Christensen Farms is seeking a Buyer or Senior Buyer to support purchasing, distribution, and inventory management across multiple departments. This role is responsible for sourcing and managing pharmaceuticals, supplies, energy, parts and materials, equipment and fleet, and other essential services critical to business operations. Depending on experience, this position may be hired at the Buyer or Senior Buyer level. Both levels play a key role in ensuring supply continuity, optimizing total cost of ownership, and partnering closely with internal stakeholders to support operational and strategic objectives.

Responsibilities

• Research, evaluate, and purchase goods, services, equipment, and resources based on quality, price, service, and business requirements, leveraging market knowledge to drive value-based decisions.
• Manage supplier relationships, including vendor performance, communication, contract compliance, and supplier initiatives that drive efficiency and long-term partnership value.
• Lead and support sourcing activities such as RFP development, stakeholder requirement gathering, negotiation planning, and category strategy execution to achieve total cost of ownership.
• Standardize pricing structures, contracts, and supply chain processes while managing item catalogs, order entry, and P2P administration within ERP systems.
• Coordinate logistics and distribution activities, resolving delivery shortfalls, providing clear instructions to suppliers and drivers, and balancing cost efficiency with delivery integrity and biosecurity requirements.
• Conduct cost, consumption, and supplier utilization analyses; gather market intelligence; and support KPI development, reporting, and spend forecasting.
• Collaborate closely with Accounting, Production, Analysts, and Operations to resolve invoice issues, support cost projections, and align procurement strategies with business needs.
• Support process improvement and strategic initiatives by translating business objectives into actionable plans, tracking progress, and identifying cost reduction or value-enhancement opportunities.
• At the Senior Buyer level, provide mentorship and guidance to other buyers and contribute to broader procurement strategy and process optimization efforts.

Requirements

• Buyer Level: 3–5 years of experience in purchasing, supply chain, inventory management, or logistics.
• Strong understanding of supply chain operations, vendor management, and distribution pricing.
• Demonstrated analytical thinking, negotiation skills, and project management capability.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, with strong Excel skills.
• Senior Buyer Level: 7+ years of experience in supply chain, purchasing, sourcing, inventory management, or logistics.
• Advanced knowledge of sourcing strategies, contract management, total cost of ownership, and supply chain operations.
• Proven ability to lead complex sourcing initiatives, develop category strategies, and influence stakeholders.
• Strong leadership, analytical, negotiation, and communication skills.
• Proficiency with ERP systems, advanced Excel, and experience with SQL or data analytics tools preferred.

Nice-to-haves

• Bachelor's degree in Economics, Agricultural Economics, Business Administration, Agriculture, or a related field preferred.
• Familiarity with the swine industry and veterinary requirements is a plus.
• Knowledge of the swine industry, distribution pricing, and veterinary requirements preferred

Benefits

• health, dental, vision
• a flexible spending account (FSA)
• life insurance
• short-term disability
• long-term disability
• a 401(k) plan
• paid holidays
• paid time off bank
• an employee assistance program (EAP)