Buyer; Program Specialist II, Grade 21

Please note:
The salary range above represents this position’s earning potential. The anticipated hiring range for this position will be $70,556 to $108,194, based on the candidate’s qualifications and experience.

Montgomery County Government’s award-winning Alcohol Beverage Services Department (ABS) is the alcohol wholesaler of beer, wine and spirits for Montgomery County. With more than 450 employees ABS operates 27 beer, wine, and spirits stores and manages alcohol licensing, enforcement, and education for more than 1,000 businesses.

This is a position that will execute responsibilities as a buyer within the purchasing section. The area of assignment will entail forecasting and ordering stock and special-order Beer, Wine, and Spirits. The position will work on Beer, Wine, and Spirits purchasing, which involves maintaining an adequate inventory of Beer, Wine, and Spirits items in the warehouse, and obtaining special order merchandise for licensees and the County retail stores;

and/or provide assistance to wholesale customers and work with suppliers in acquiring products for sale in the order fulfillment center.

This role is critical to ensuring that Alcohol Beverage Services maintains a reliable and efficient supply chain for Beer, Wine, and Spirits. By forecasting demand, managing inventory, and coordinating with suppliers, the Buyer helps guarantee product availability for County retail stores and wholesale customers, supporting ABS’s mission to deliver exceptional service and maximize revenue for Montgomery County.

Duties include, but are not to be limited to:

• Develop and implement balanced purchasing strategies to keep adequate levels of Stock Beer, Wine, and Spirits.
• Ensure continuous supply of Stock Beer, Wine, and Spirits and communicate any supply problems which may pose a risk or impact on business operations.
• Understand and apply the tenants of time-phased inventory planning; ensure supply chain plans sufficiently support sales forecasts and targeted dates.
• Proactively monitor spikes in Beer, Wine, and Spirits demand and seasonal product offerings.
• Analyze sales data and market trends to make informed decisions.
• Ability to work and navigate through Beer, Wine, and Spirits Supplier Portals
• Generate purchase orders for submission to suppliers.
• Minimize business exposure of excess and obsolete material; review & drive appropriate action to reduce inventory reserves.
• Help the Warehouse and the Communication Center on product related questions and delivery ETA’s.

A criminal background check will be conducted on the selected candidate prior to appointment and will be a significant factor in the hiring decision.

Two (2) years professional experience in ordering products through forecasting and analysis.

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor’s Degree.

Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

Medical Protocol
:
This position requires completion of a pre-employment Medical History Form to assess your ability to safely perform the essential duties of the role.

Background Investigation: This position requires a background investigation.

The applications of those individuals meeting the minimum qualifications will be reviewed to determine the extent, relevancy of training, and experience in the following areas:

• Experience developing purchasing strategies and managing inventory levels.
• Experience forecasting product demand and analyzing sales trends.
• Experience working with suppliers to acquire products and resolve supply issues.
• Experience using Oracle or other ERP systems for purchasing or inventory management.
• Experience using Microsoft Excel for data analysis (e.g., merging data, creating reports, forecasting).
• Knowledge of Beer, Wine, and Spirits products and packaging.