Director of Purchasing

Role Summary:

The Director of Purchasing will be the department lead for Challenger Homes establishing best purchasing practices and strategies (e.g. fiscal responsibilities – budgeting, contracting, trade relations, brand partnerships) to manage and reduce houseline costs while maintaining the company’s brand and reputation; collaborating with sales, operations, vertical construction and land development to create value for potential homeowners and contributing to the company’s expansion plan in Colorado Springs and Denver.

Supervisory Responsibilities: Purchasing Coordinator, Purchasing Agent, Sr. Purchasing Agent, and Estimator.

Essential Functions/ Key Responsibilities:

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Appreciation of the product and need we provide for all people.
• Lead the Purchasing department and partner with the VP of Operations, Challenger Homes leadership, and the TCG purchasing team to set purchasing strategy and best practices and reduce houseline costs in Colorado Springs and Denver on current projects and expansion opportunities.
• Own scopes of work, job site specifications, and contract compliance, confirming all pricing agreements, specifications, scopes, and contracts are signed and saved.
• Familiarity with CH field construction practices and specifications, and taking bold initiatives enough to suggest change management ideas to reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction
• Direct trade identification, RFPs, bidding, and contract negotiation for the best value-added partnerships based on national preferred partnerships, and own the recruitment, vetting, and retention of trade partners.
• Work with Estimating to ensure bids, takeoffs, start budgets, estimated costs to complete, and system data are accurate, including budgets for potential land deals to assist the land acquisition department.
• Identify and execute rebate programs and specification and product opportunities that reduce costs while preserving the brand, and evaluate option offerings regularly to optimize margin.
• Hire, train, and develop the purchasing staff (Purchasing Coordinator, Purchasing Agent, Sr. Purchasing Agent, and Estimator) into potential Purchasing Managers and leaders for TCG.
• Live and demonstrate, by example, the company’s mission and values of Making Life Better for yourself, trades, company colleagues, and homeowners.
• Performs other related duties as assigned. 

Other Duties/Responsibilities:

• Partner with Land Acquisition and Estimating to keep budgets accurate; update all house budgets monthly and communicate with the land team to only spec available product.
• Reduce $/SF costs through recontracting (rebid all trades with 3+ bids), spec revisions as necessary, and product and plan analysis.
• Adopt national purchasing products to increase rebates and cost discounts.
• Expand the bidding trade base throughout the region to challenge incumbents.
• Contract from clear, consistent scopes of work and plan details to reduce VPO spend for extra work month over month.
• Deliver a monthly cost-change and budget report to leadership by the 5th business day and recommend back-end system efficiencies and automation.
• Crosstrain the purchasing staff on all roles within 12 months, so they negotiate contracts independently.

Minimum Required Education/Credentials/Knowledge/Skills/Abilities: 

• Working knowledge of construction practices and the ability to recognize deficient work inconsistent with the Scope of Work, product guidelines, and/or code. 
• Ability to revise and create Scopes of Work for trade partners.
• Ability to recognize cost savings opportunities that may require respectful and tactful challenging of the status quo.
• Strong plan (e.g. architectural, engineering) review capabilities.
• Confident public speaking initiatives (e.g., cold calling trade leads, presentation ability) to communicate appropriately as situations dictate with all homebuilding stakeholders, such as trades, construction superintendents, sales personnel, and executive leadership.
• Leadership acumen and confidence to lead a conference or meeting.
• Fair and firm conflict resolution abilities that build trust and respect with trade partners and company colleagues.
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Creative solutions that benefit all stakeholders are encouraged.
• Computer software savviness and willingness to learn, and utilize the company ERP system to maximize the potential to support daily purchasing tasks. 

                 - Support the department personnel with guidance and training (e.g. third party sponsored) with a goal of working smarter, not harder. 

                - An intermediate to expert Microsoft Excel skillset to create reporting and standardized templates.

Preferred Education/Credentials/Knowledge/Skills/Abilities: 

• Bachelor’s degree in construction management, business or a related field
• 5+ years of Purchasing experience
• Strong industry contacts at both a national and regional level
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. 
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and to delegate them when appropriate.
• Accountability and holding others accountable for job responsibilities
• Ability to function well in a high-paced and at times stressful environment.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software.

Work Environment/Physical Requirements: 

• Work Environment: Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Able to walk on uneven surfaces around active construction job sites. Required to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) while around and on construction job sites. 
• Physical Demands: Must be able to lift up to 25 pounds at times.