Job Description

Supply Chain and Buying Associate

Nickson is a Texas born venture-backed startup that is transforming the way people live in apartments. Based on a user’s online style quiz, our company designs and installs a customized on-demand living solution for rent. We are hardworking, fun loving, passionate, and love the challenges and rewards of scaling a new venture.

About The Role

Nickson is seeking a Supply Chain and Buying Associate to join the Business Operations Team within our fast-growing venture.

The Supply Chain and Buying Associate will be responsible for selecting and purchasing all items to furnish our customer’s apartments. We are looking for highly analytical, self-motivated candidates with experience in managing vendor relationships, purchasing, and negotiation. Candidates should also have a keen eye for design, always having their finger on the pulse of industry trends. The Supply Chain and Buying Associate role requires an expansive knowledge in Nickson’s inventory, merchandising, and logistics, so an ideal candidate will have a willingness to become an expert in Nickson’s product and be up for any challenge thrown their way!

Within Nickson, the Supply Chain and Buying Associate Sits at The Intersection of Design and Operations and Is Tasked With:

• Onboarding, developing, and maintaining relationships with vendors and suppliers
• Examining, selecting, and purchasing Nickson’s inventory items (across 100+ product categories) at the most favorable prices consistent with Nickson’s quality and specification requirements
• Negotiating prices, discount terms, and freight arrangements for all inventory with the goal of improving Nickson’s unit economics
• Analyzing and monitoring sales records, trends, and economic conditions to anticipate customer buying patterns to determine what inventory is needed
• Attending trade shows to visit key vendors and identify new vendors (4-6 times per year)
• Working cross-functionally with Nickson’s Operations, Design, and Customer Experience teams.

Who You Are

Team player. Excellent written and oral communicator. Enjoys working in a fast-paced environment. Critical thinker. Ability to prioritize and complete multiple tasks in a timely manner. Impeccable attention to detail. Highly organized. Ability to hit the ground running - a confident, entrepreneurial self-starter. Work independently but know when to ask for assistance.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience in a supply chain, strategic sourcing, or procurement role.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, Excel).
• Strong analytical skills, as you will be working with multiple vendors to determine the best deals based on price, quality, and speed of service.
• Industry knowledge on furniture, finishes, materials, color selection, and specifications.
• A track record of taking on big challenges and delivering despite obstacles and limited resources.
• Bachelor's Degree with a concentration in Supply Chain, Logistics, or similar (preferred) from an accredited four-year college or university.

Responsibilities

Buying / Purchasing (50%)

• Maintain a database of Nickson’s inventory items; structure and execute purchase orders as needed.
• Process payments and catalog shipping notices – reconcile deliveries with orders to ensure a fully stocked product offering is available at all times.

Inventory Management (20%)

• Work with the broader Nickson team to ensure we maintain a sufficient level of inventory across all locations.
• Maintain a database of inventory counts, cost, age, etc. that can be used to inform bulk buys and help with KPI reporting (e.g. our average cost per unit in Dallas is $XXXXX).

Vendor Management (15%)

• Work closely with our vendors to maintain and update a catalog of available products meeting Nickson‘s aesthetic, quality, and target cost.
• Setup new vendor accounts, negotiate terms, discounts, and keep an up-to-date database of all Nickson vendors.
• Schedule and coordinate market visits with key internal and external stakeholders.

Product Research (15%)

• Discover and test new products that can complement or enhance the current Nickson product offering (e.g. might a new product offering be better than one we currently purchase in the same category?)
• Extract and compile data on new product offerings that may work to better serve any of our customer segments—make recommendations to management.

Nickson Values

• Honesty and Integrity above all
• Great results start with great plans
• Always be learning
• Details are everything
• Focus on results
• Act like an owner

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