Strategic Sourcing Specialist — Pressure Pipe Manufacturing

Company: Thompson Pipe Group – Pressure
Location: Grand Prairie, TX 75050
Department: Central Purchasing
Reports To: Vice President of Purchasing
Supervisory Responsibilities: None

**FLSA Status:
**Full-Time, Non-Exempt

A day in the life

You start your morning reviewing the Purchasing Tracker and the ERP (IFS) dashboard to spot material shortages. A project’s engineering buyout list lands in your queue—complete with drawings and specs calling out AWWA, ASTM, and ANSI standards for concrete, steel, and FRP pressure pipe. You verify every requirement, challenge discrepancies, and confirm alternates that meet performance and quality criteria. By midday, you’re negotiating with suppliers on steel, cement, aggregate, resin, gaskets, and coatings—optimizing price, lead time, and terms to protect project schedules and margins. In the afternoon, you huddle with Engineering, Operations, Production, Receiving, and Project Management to clear a potential delay, then log cost savings and supplier updates in IFS. Before you sign off, you scan commodity trends to recalibrate your sourcing strategy for tomorrow.

What you’ll own

• Translate engineering drawings, specifications, and project documents that cite AWWA/ASTM/ANSI into precise purchasing requirements for concrete, steel, and FRP pressure pipe projects.
• Assess alternative materials, components, and sources that satisfy technical and quality criteria while improving cost, availability, and lead time.
• Source, qualify, and onboard suppliers for raw materials and outsourced components; maintain and grow the approved vendor list.
• Negotiate pricing, payment terms, lead times, and volume agreements to support schedules, cost targets, and margin goals.
• Build durable supplier relationships; conduct performance reviews on quality, delivery, and responsiveness; resolve disputes.
• Support high-volume project purchasing across multiple manufacturing sites.
• Execute requirements from Engineering buyout lists and project documentation with precision and speed.
• Use the Purchasing Tracker and ERP (IFS) to analyze daily needs, identify shortages, and prioritize actions.
• Partner with Production, Engineering, Receiving, and Project Management to eliminate bottlenecks and address issues.
• Validate requirements against drawings and resolve variances between buyout lists and project packages.
• Issue POs; confirm acknowledgments, production schedules, and delivery commitments; follow through to on-time delivery.
• Monitor steel, cement, resin, and other commodity trends to anticipate impacts on cost and lead time.
• Maintain rigorous purchasing records and documentation in IFS; record individual cost savings in the Purchasing Tracker.
• Identify process improvements that reduce cost and increase efficiency; take on special projects as assigned.

What you bring

• Proficiency reading and interpreting technical drawings, specifications, and AWWA/ASTM/ANSI standards relevant to pressure pipe manufacturing.
• Sharp negotiation capabilities to secure favorable pricing, terms, and lead times.
• Experience qualifying alternatives and managing supplier relationships through the full lifecycle.
• Analytical, root-cause problem solver with strong attention to detail and organization.
• Comfort juggling multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Clear communicator and effective collaborator across functions.
• Microsoft Office expertise, especially Excel; ERP experience (IFS or equivalent) preferred.
• Self-directed while thriving on team collaboration.
• Familiarity with the water/wastewater sector and commodity markets (steel, cement, resin, aggregate) is a plus.

Education and experience

• Bachelor’s in Supply Chain, Purchasing, Logistics, Business Administration, Engineering, or related field preferred.
• 2–3 years of purchasing/procurement experience, including work in a manufacturing setting.
• Background purchasing engineered concrete, steel, or FRP pipe products—or similar capital/industrial goods—strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with engineering drawings/specifications and pipeline/pressure pipe terminology is a plus.

Work hours

• Monday–Friday, generally 7:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m. (by facility).
• After-hours work as business needs dictate.
• Occasional Saturdays as required.