Purchasing Agent Job Description Template

As a purchasing agent, you will be responsible for managing purchase orders from initial preparation to final verifications. You will authorize payments for purchases and verify receipts for ordered items.

Purchasing Agent Responsibilities and Duties

• Verify purchase orders with available stock via comparison to the master lists.
• Correct mistakes or unclear orders and recommend comparable alternatives when products are out of stock.
• Schedule delivery of available stock items.
• Collaborate with suppliers to recommend substitute items for fast-selling inventory.
• Forward purchase orders to suppliers to ensure proper inventory.
• Verify product shipments by comparing purchase order against package list.
• Forward payment receipt documentation to authorize purchase payments.
• Maintain accurate and easily accessible files.
• Provide sound advice regarding scheduling, inventory planning and other control information based on your own collection, analysis and summarization of data and tends.
• Update professional skill sets through participation in educational opportunities.

Qualifications and Skills

• Associate’s degree or equivalent certifications
• 3+ years experience
• Developed documentation skills
• Experience with inventory management
• Customer service experience preferred

Company Profile

At Very Best Drug Store, we are happy to offer our customers a little bit of everything. Our position is based at our Western Stanton store and warehouse, which serves the local urban area and Western Stanton University. Because of our location, many of our customers come to us at the last minute in search of those little things they need to get through the day. From a college student in need of batteries to a professor picking up a prescription, we try to provide our customers with what they need in life’s unpredictable moments.

With new trends, our customers frequently change their taste in snacks while notebook paper and pencils are staple best sellers. We strive to offer a responsive experience for our customers as we continue to compete against larger national corporations. Our staff values the customer experience and we are looking for a purchase agent who feels the same. If you are seeking a challenging career opportunity in a supportive, small town environment, follow our resume submission guidelines to apply.

Best Practices for Writing a Job Description

• You should tailor the above example to match your specific needs. As you do, use these best practices in mind to help you stay on track with writing an engaging and informative job description:
  • Use specific language. Do you want an entry-level employee? Do you need a professional with experience in exotic bubble bath soap? If you want to attract professionals who are a good match, you will have to be clear about what you need.
  • Use bullets. Paragraphs are fantastic for novels, but when it comes to the job market, you want to maximize your space and make your description easy to scan. When it is logical, use bullets over lengthy paragraphs.
  • Make it short, but not too short. Try to keep your description under 700 words. At this length, your audience’s attention won’t wander and you’ll have plenty of space to really the most important aspects of the job.
  • Try to evoke a response. How should your reader feel after coming to the end of your description? Do you want them to feel excited to apply or moved to join a cause? If you can evoke a deeper emotional response, you’ll have a greater chance of getting the attention of top shelf candidates.
  • Spell check, proofread, and then edit. Each is a separate task. Spell check will help you catch a few missing apostrophes and misspelled words, but we all know it can miss silly and otherwise obvious mistakes. That’s why you proofread: to catch what spell check can’t. Next, you edit. Try to eliminate unclear phrasing and really economize on your space without loosing the message.
  • Offer value over tangible benefits. An amazing benefit package doesn’t make coming into the office is enjoyable and it might not advance a professional career either. Focus on what value and experience your company can offer to your ideal candidate.