Purchasing Manager

Position: Purchasing Manager

Employment Status: Full-Time

Reports to: President/COO

Partners With: CSO

Location: HQ: Bonner Springs, KS 66012

JOB SUMMARY:

The Purchasing Manager handles both the strategy and the day-to-day purchasing of cranes, heavy equipment, attachments, rigging gear, parts, and related assets. The role owns the purchasing function from start to finish which includes building purchasing policies and the capital equipment plan with leadership, then sourcing, negotiating, buying, and documenting each purchase. The Purchasing Manager collaborates closely with the President, shop leadership, the CSO, dispatch, branch managers, and Finance to ensure the fleet stays available, safe and cost effective. This position also manages vendor relationships, coordinates cross-rentals, and supports the capital equipment planning process. As the company grows, this position may take on supervision of additional purchasing staff.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:

• Develop, implement, and maintain the company's purchasing policies and procedures. These cover quote requirements, spending authority limits, approval workflows, and documentation standards.
• Lead the annual capital equipment plan with the President and leadership, using fleet utilization, customer demand, equipment age and condition, and market pricing to recommend purchases, replacements, and disposals.
• Manage the purchasing budget and track spending against the capital plan and operating budgets.
• Serve as the final purchasing authority within approved spending limits and bring purchases above those limits to the President with a written recommendation.
• Report regularly to the President on purchasing activity, spending, savings, market conditions, and fleet needs.
• Source new and used cranes, heavy equipment, trucks, trailers, and support equipment through manufacturers, dealers, brokers, auctions, and private sellers.
• Evaluate options on specifications, condition, availability, and total cost of ownership, and prepare purchase recommendations for major acquisitions.
• Coordinate pre-purchase inspections of used cranes and equipment with the shop and qualified inspectors. Review inspection reports, maintenance history, and load charts before finalizing a purchase.
• Source and negotiate pricing, payment terms, delivery, warranties, and included components such as counterweights, attachments, and manuals.
• Issue purchase orders and make sure every purchase follows company policy and approval requirements.
• Purchase crane attachments for new and existing cranes including large spreader bars and rigging hardware.
• Source hard-to-find and long-lead parts to minimize equipment downtime.
• Coordinate cross-rentals and re-rents of cranes and equipment from other rental companies when the fleet can't cover a job, working with dispatch and project managers on timing and rates.
• Verify that cross-rented equipment meets company inspection, documentation, and insurance requirements before it goes to a jobsite.
• Track cross-rental frequency and cost and use that data to identify gaps in the fleet for the capital plan.
• Coordinate transport of purchased equipment, including freight quotes, oversize/overweight permits, and delivery scheduling with the shop and dispatch.
• Collect and maintain documentation for all fleet assets, including titles, registrations, bills of sale, and other purchase-related records.
• Work with Finance on asset setup, invoice matching, and payment processing.
• Coordinate with the safety and the shop so new equipment has the operator familiarization and manufacturer training needed before it goes into service.
• Identify aging, underused, or high-cost fleet assets and recommend sale, trade-in, or disposal.
• Manage the sale process, including valuation, marketing, auction consignment, trade-in negotiations, and transfer documentation.
• Build and maintain relationships with equipment manufacturers, dealers, parts suppliers, transport companies, and rental partners.
• Negotiate vendor agreements, pricing arrangements, and preferred supplier terms where they benefit the company.
• Evaluate vendor performance on price, quality, delivery, and service, and make changes when vendors don't meet expectations.
• Maintain vendor records, including insurance certificates and required agreements.
• Hire, train and develop purchasing staff.
• Other duties assigned by management.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in business, construction management, organizational development, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Five or more years of purchasing or procurement experience, preferably in crane rental, heavy equipment, construction, or transportation
• Solid working knowledge of cranes and heavy equipment, including equipment types, specifications, and major components
• Proven negotiation skills, including experience with high-value capital equipment purchases
• Experience developing purchasing policies, budgets, or capital plans
• Strong organization and record-keeping skills
• Advanced proficiency with Excel, and experience with purchasing or ERP systems
• Valid driver's license and the ability to travel as needed
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to present to President, CSO, Boards, and PE sponsors

GENERAL DUTIES and EXPECTATIONS:

• Adhere to Company Code of Conduct/Ethics and Core Values.
• Operate as a genuine co-leader alongside the President & COO — unified in direction, distinct in domain, and jointly accountable to the Board for the company’s performance.
• Contribute to the professional culture within the office and company overall; model the Extreme Ownership standard at the executive level.
• Ensure security of information in all matters pertaining to company, PE sponsor, client, and acquisition target data.
• Travel required — 30–50% to branch locations, acquisition targets, customer sites, OEM meetings, and PE sponsor engagements.
• Punctual, dependable, and available for Board and PE sponsor communications on an as-needed basis including outside standard business hours.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit, stand, walk, stoop, or crouch.
• Primarily office with regular visits to branches, job sites, dealer lots, auctions, and acquisition targets.
• Periodic exposure to outdoor environments, active crane yards, and construction job sites during operational visits and safety audits.
• Travel is required.

To learn more about Wilkerson Crane Rental, Inc., please visit:

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