How to hire a contractor buyer

How to hire a contractor buyer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step contractor buyer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a contractor buyer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new contractor buyer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a contractor buyer do?

Post a contractor buyer job for free, promote it for a fee

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your contractor buyer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a contractor buyer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect contractor buyer also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents contractor buyer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Contractor Buyer	Description	Hourly rate
   Contractor Buyer	Information clerks perform routine clerical duties such as maintaining records, collecting data, and providing information to customers.	$15-24
   Expeditor	The role of expeditors is to ensure the timely and efficient preparation and delivery of food. To accomplish this task, they also perform other duties, including managing inventory levels, managing supply requisition, and coordinating with subcontractors... Show more	$13-25
   Order Processor	An order processor is responsible for monitoring the database platform of a business. Duties include responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, processing orders, administering payments, and verifying order details before shipment, ensuring the items' quality and quantity to prevent order delays and customer complaints... Show more	$12-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Purchase Orders
   • Data Entry
   • Logistics
   • Customer Orders
   • ERP
   • Order Entry
   • Sales Orders
   • DOD
   • Management System
   • Customer Support
   • Order Management
   • POS
   • MRP

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage OEM IBM customer account from quote to cash.
   • Manage returned inventory (RMA's), and provide internal reporting as needed.
   • Facilitate and manage the logistics of large, multifamily cooperative purchases.
   • Manage escalations and expedites process in support of shorten interval requests.
   • Work with BAAN, an ERP system, to check MRP and place purchase orders and production orders.
   • Preside over inventory cycle counts and ISO audits.

   More contractor buyer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your contractor buyer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A contractor buyer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a contractor buyer in Montana may be lower than in Connecticut, and an entry-level contractor buyer usually earns less than a senior-level contractor buyer. Additionally, a contractor buyer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average contractor buyer salary

   $40,785yearly

   $19.61 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level contractor buyer salary

   $32,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average contractor buyer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$49,987	$24
   2	Colorado	$46,643	$22
   3	Massachusetts	$46,629	$22
   4	New Jersey	$45,838	$22
   5	California	$45,524	$22
   6	Oregon	$44,562	$21
   7	Pennsylvania	$43,684	$21
   8	Utah	$41,995	$20
   9	New York	$41,905	$20
   10	Minnesota	$41,134	$20
   11	Texas	$38,818	$19
   12	Oklahoma	$38,600	$19
   13	Florida	$38,545	$19
   14	Arizona	$38,429	$18
   15	Virginia	$38,244	$18
   16	South Carolina	$38,141	$18
   17	North Carolina	$37,423	$18
   18	Michigan	$36,503	$18
   19	Maryland	$35,446	$17
   20	Wisconsin	$34,426	$17

   Average contractor buyer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Johnson Controls	$55,737	$26.80	3
   2	GAVS Technologies	$55,295	$26.58
   3	Black & Veatch	$54,161	$26.04	2
   4	Loudoun Water	$53,265	$25.61
   5	Proofpoint	$52,018	$25.01
   6	Raytheon Technologies	$51,464	$24.74	3
   7	EnGenius Technologies	$51,391	$24.71
   8	Northrop Grumman	$50,675	$24.36
   9	Bosch USA	$49,958	$24.02
   10	Queens Health Systems	$47,822	$22.99
   11	PacBio	$44,884	$21.58
   12	Zurich	$44,871	$21.57
   13	Bruker	$44,367	$21.33
   14	United States Army Corps of Engineers	$44,366	$21.33
   15	ITW	$44,232	$21.27	2
   16	Cedars-Sinai	$44,094	$21.20
   17	REPS Ltd	$43,763	$21.04	24
   18	Amyx	$43,545	$20.94
   19	Crestron Electronics	$42,912	$20.63
   20	Woodward	$42,859	$20.61

4. Writing a contractor buyer job description

   A contractor buyer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a contractor buyer job description:

   Contractor buyer job description example

   Responsible for purchasing a variety of complex or technical materials, supplies and services in accordance with established processes and procedures. Primary commodities are Electrical components and related material.
   Essential Duties And Responsibilities
   
   Skilled in sourcing, pricing, negotiating and purchasing Custom Electrical Components in a Real Time MRP environment. Establishes and Maintains strategic sourcing networks with OEMs. Compiles and analyzes statistical data to determine feasibility of buying products and to establish price objectives. Confers with suppliers, and analyzes suppliers' operations to determine factors that affect prices and determines lowest cost consistent with quality, reliability, and ability to meet required schedules. Reviews proposals, negotiates prices, selects or recommends suppliers, analyzes trends, follows up orders placed, verifies delivery, approves payment, and maintains necessary records.
   Major functions: • Analyzes changes in market conditions, prices, and suppliers
   • Analyzes the requirements of the products required including preliminary specifications, supplier, and date product is needed.
   • Assists in implementing procurement process improvement, including supplier management, as improvements are identified.
   • Assists in solving procurement discrepancies, working with Accounting, suppliers and other internal departments.
   • Assures that the product is delivered on schedule, at the negotiated price, and meets the quality standards of the company.
   • Collaborate with Quality and Engineering to perform vendor source inspections in the development of new vendors and in support of vendor corrective actions
   • Completes purchase order data entry, change orders, amendments, and other related documentation.
   • Contributes to material cost reduction efforts.
   • Coordinates all activities related to procurement of a commodity beginning with intent to purchase through delivery.
   • Coordinates with Quality to manage discrepant material return process.
   • Develops new sources of supply to support the companies quality and production goals. Manage the supply base effectively.
   • Develops material cost reduction strategies.
   • Evaluates supplier bids to validate compliance with the bid and proposal requests
   • Follows up with suppliers and works through purchase order issues such as cost, quality, scheduled deliveries.
   • Implements purchase contracts that comply with company and government regulations.
   • Incorporates Engineering Change Orders as required.
   • Maintains workflow and priorities
   • Manages pertinent purchase activities and information regarding part shortages, alternate suppliers, and build and delivery schedules.
   • Meets with suppliers to discuss contracts, price negotiations, lead-time issues, open order status, etc.
   • Monitors vendor compliance with all the terms and conditions of the Purchase Order.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find contractor buyers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any contractor buyers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level contractor buyers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your contractor buyer job on Zippia to find and recruit contractor buyer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting contractor buyers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new contractor buyer

   Once you've decided on a perfect contractor buyer candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new contractor buyer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a contractor buyer?