Director of Inventory & Purchasing

Overview

Cool Sys solves the most complex challenges in refrigeration, air conditioning, heating, engineering, and energy management. With over 3,700 associates nationwide, we deliver tailored solutions to help businesses cut costs, improve equipment performance, and reduce emissions.

Our services include HVAC and refrigeration equipment sourcing, installation, repair, maintenance, monitoring, and optimization. We also offer engineering design, energy resilience and consumption optimization, asset recycling, and seamless multi-site rollouts across states.

Based in Southern California since 2007, Cool Sys serves over 45,000 customer locations in industries like retail, food service, commercial, data centers, industrial, and pharmaceuticals.

No wonder Newsweek named Cool Sys one of America’s Greatest Workplaces!

We understand that hiring great people is the foundation of everything we do. Our employee benefits packages include:

• Competitive pay: $120-160K depending on experience.
• Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision and Prescription coverage.
• Paid vacation, holidays, and floating holiday.
• 401(K) with Company match.
• Company sponsored life insurance, as well as optional AD&D, short and long-term disability.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Employee discounts on vehicles, hotels, theme parks, select cell phone bills and so much more.
• Pet Insurance.
• Legal Plan, and  Protection.

JOB SUMMARY

At Cool Sys Light Commercial, as a Purchasing Director, you will be responsible for creating process and managing the team to support a division-wide inventory procurement program, continuing a strategic replenishment plan for the division, and reducing costs of service via the purchase of commodities, supplies, and services as both inventory and non-inventory items. This role involves directing the team to source materials, equipment, and services for both installation and service sides of the business, actively managing vendors, commodity spend, analysis and pricing.

The successful candidate will set inventory pricing levels consistent with our customer-specific master service agreements, manage the parts department, and support internal and external customer metrics.

Responsibilities

Strategic Sourcing and Procurement

• Establish and implement viable, cost-effective, and strategic sourcing objectives in collaboration with key stakeholders for both inventory parts, consumables, commodities (refrigerant), and non-inventory items.
• Partner with Finance & Planning to acquire tools and assists consistent with GAAP depreciation methods.
• Develop and execute cost savings initiatives and reduction strategies across the division.
• Implement and drive category strategies to identify opportunities for savings, risk management, and market trend analysis.
• Manage and optimize supplier relationships to support business requirements and leverage spend.
• Negotiate contracts that maximize value and leverage company spend.

Inventory Management and Distribution

• Develop and maintain a comprehensive procurement software system, ensuring ongoing updates with technology changes.
• Manage the parts department to ensure optimal inventory levels and availability.
• Implement an existing strategic replenishment plan for the division to minimize stockouts and overstock situations.
• Manage multiple distribution centers and warehouses to support hundreds of technicians’ parts needs.
• Partner with Accounting to reduce shrinkage and manage employee and employer supplied tools.

Vendor Management and Value Creation

• Set inventory pricing levels consistent with customer-specific master service agreements.
• Complete supplier qualification processes and select vendors aligned with corporate objectives.
• Conduct supplier analysis, evaluate purchasing options, and recommend sourcing decisions to management.
• Produce inventory reports and pricing proposals from suppliers to negotiate optimal terms and prices.
• Develop and maintain Managed Service Agreements (MSAs) and Long-Term Agreements (LTAs) to drive deflationary spend.

Team Leadership and Development

• Manage a team of 9-12+ direct reports across 3+ regions.
• Train staff members on HVAC & Refrigeration products, including product substitution guidelines and backorder management.
• Support training efforts both structurally and in the moment to support technician activities in service and installation.
• Leverage team members  skillsets and strengths to maximize value delivery to the business.
• Establish and enforce procurement policies and procedures consistent with financial controls, safety, and Quality Management Systems.
• Ensure Tech Replenishment maintains maximum service level adherence to customer contracts.
• Conduct inventory audits as required from time to time.

Performance Monitoring and Continuous Improvement

• Develop supplier performance programs and monitor supplier performance metrics.
• Provide analysis and recommendations for continuous improvement to key stakeholders and departments.
• Ensure customer satisfaction by enabling first-time completion with parts availability.
• Support…