Procurement Manager — Sourcing, Suppliers & Cost
Stout Conveyors | Montrose, CO | On-site, full-time | Salary based on skill level
Our margin isn’t won on the shop floor. It’s won at the purchase order.
We build towable telescoping conveyors — hydraulically driven machines made of steel, hydraulic components, and hundreds of bought parts. Every one of those parts has a price, a lead time, and a supplier who either delivers or doesn’t. Add it all up and it decides two things: what our machines cost to build, and whether the line keeps moving.
That’s the job. We’re hiring one person to take the entire buying side of this company and make it theirs. Not an order-taker. Not someone processing POs a department hands them. There is no purchasing department. There’s you, the owner, and a shop that needs the right parts, on time, at the right price.
About Stout Conveyors
We’re a manufacturer in Montrose, Colorado. We design and build our machines under one roof — laser cutting, press brake, welding, blast, powder coat — and sell them nationwide to contractors in concrete, landscaping, and excavation. We also run a material placement service arm that we’re expanding across the country. We’re growing fast, we’re funding it ourselves, and a good idea gets tested next week instead of next quarter.
What success looks like in 12 months
Landed cost on our top components is measurably down, and you can show exactly where. The line never stops for a part nobody ordered, and we’re not sitting on a warehouse of cash we didn’t need to spend. We have real suppliers — domestic and overseas — with backups behind the critical ones, so no single vendor can shut us down. And purchasing runs on a system you built, not on memory and last-minute phone calls.
What you’ll own
– Own every part that goes into the machine. Hydraulic, mechanical, steel, electrical. You source it, you price it, and you decide where it comes from.
– Negotiate. You’re the reason we pay less. Price, terms, lead times, quality — you’re the one who gets us the better deal, every time.
– Build the global supplier base. We’re sourcing overseas now, and doing more of it. You manage the imports, tariffs, duties, and the longer lead times that come with buying globally.
– Run inventory like it’s your own money. Enough on the shelf to keep the line moving, never so much that cash sits dead. You set the reorder points and you defend them.
– Buy ahead of the schedule. See the shortage before it hits the floor. Coordinate receiving and material flow with the shop so parts land when they’re needed, not after.
– Kill single points of failure. Find where one supplier can stop us cold, qualify the backup, and build the contingency before you need it.
– Know what you’re buying. Read a print, understand the component, and know when a cheaper substitute is a smart move versus a warranty claim waiting to happen.
– Build the system. Turn purchasing from reactive into repeatable — tracked, measurable, and cheaper every quarter. You own the outcome: cost, quality, and on-time delivery.
What we’re looking for
Required:
– 5+ years in procurement, purchasing, or supply chain — ideally in manufacturing, heavy equipment, or an industrial shop. We care about results, not the resume.
– A negotiation track record you can put a number on. Tell us what you’ve saved and how.
– Real hydraulic and mechanical comprehension. You read prints, spec components, and know a smart substitute from a dangerous one. This isn’t optional — we build hydraulic machines.
– Calm decision-making under pressure. When a supplier falls through Friday afternoon, you’ve already made the next call.
– Detail and organization that doesn’t slip. Part numbers, specs, and terms are exact — every time.
– Financial literacy. You read landed cost and margin, and you buy to protect the bottom line.
– Strong communicator
– Comfortable on a manufacturing floor. It’s loud, dusty, and real.
– Self-starter. Nobody is going to hand you a buy list.
– Capable of utilizing AI to increase workflow.
– Solid cultural fit – we are a young and hungry group that works hard and love to play hard. Fitting in is a must.
Preferred:
– Direct experience buying hydraulic components, steel, or fabricated parts.
– Hands-on mechanical background — time in a shop, on equipment, or on a floor.
– Existing supplier relationships, domestic or overseas.
– Import, customs, or global logistics experience.
– ERP implementation or purchasing-system buildout — you’ve stood one up before.
Compensation, and location
Salary is based on experience. [ADD BENEFITS: 4-day work weeks, health, PTO, insurance]
This role is on-site in Montrose, on Colorado’s Western Slope. It coordinates directly with the shop floor and receiving, so it’s not remote. Black Canyon of the Gunnison is twenty minutes away, Ouray and Telluride are day trips. If you’ve been looking for a reason to leave a city, this is a real one — and we’ll help you get here.
Be honest with yourself before applying
This is a one-person function. No buying team under you, no system to inherit, no cover when a part doesn’t show up and the line stops. The cost, the quality, and the on-time delivery all land on you. If you want a single category to manage inside a big procurement department, this will frustrate you. If you’ve been waiting for someone to hand you the whole function and let you build it, this is that job.
How to apply
Send your resume to [email protected], then answer two things briefly:
1. The best cost win you’ve ever negotiated — what you saved, and how you got it.
2. Walk us through how you’d source a hydraulic component you’ve never bought before, from a supplier you’ve never used, on a tight lead time.
A few sentences each is plenty. Applications that skip this won’t be considered. You can find more about us on social, at @stoutconveyors and at www.stoutconveyors.com.
Pay: $80,000.00 - $100,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Relocation assistance
Experience:
- Purchasing: 5 years (Preferred)
Work Location: In person
