How to hire a purchaser

How to hire a purchaser, step by step

Here's a step-by-step purchaser hiring guide:

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

What does a purchaser do?

Post a purchaser job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your purchaser 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 purchaser 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 purchaser 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 purchaser salaries for various positions.

   Type of Purchaser	Description	Hourly rate
   Purchaser	Buyers and purchasing agents buy products and services for organizations to use or resell. They evaluate suppliers, negotiate contracts, and review the quality of products.	$17-32
   Landman	Landmen are referred to as the public-facing side of a gas, mineral, and oil exploration and production team. They are professionals who interact and negotiate directly with landowners for the acquisition of gas and oil drilling leases... Show more	$25-61
   Material Analyst	A materials analyst is responsible for managing the assets and materials of an organization, ensuring the adequacy of office inventories to support business operational functions. Materials analysts identify cost-reduction materials by coordinating with trusted suppliers and third-party vendors... Show more	$23-42

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Purchase Orders
   • FDA
   • POS
   • Commodities
   • Logistics
   • Expedite
   • RFP
   • Inventory Control
   • ERP
   • RFQ
   • MRP
   • Computer System
   • Vendor Relations
   • Cost Reduction

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Purchase components for production; run daily production schedule; manage inventory of items; source alternative items for production
   • Work extensively with customers to identify business and project requirements through RFI's, RFP's, and RFQ's.
   • Handle RFQ (request for quotation) and the RFB (request for bid).
   • Insure day to day operations run smoothly.
   • Operate ERP system in factory and keep the data update.
   • Order parts & MRO items as needed for production workers.

   More purchaser duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your purchaser job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A purchaser 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 purchaser in North Dakota may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level purchaser usually earns less than a senior-level purchaser. Additionally, a purchaser 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 purchaser salary

   $50,031yearly

   $24.05 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level purchaser salary

   $36,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 15, 2026

   Average purchaser salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$60,326	$29
   2	Michigan	$59,313	$29
   3	Washington	$58,271	$28
   4	California	$58,243	$28
   5	Connecticut	$57,826	$28
   6	New York	$56,292	$27
   7	Illinois	$55,511	$27
   8	Indiana	$54,929	$26
   9	Wisconsin	$53,502	$26
   10	Ohio	$50,901	$24
   11	Oregon	$49,974	$24
   12	Colorado	$47,695	$23
   13	Virginia	$47,429	$23
   14	Florida	$44,747	$22
   15	Texas	$43,685	$21
   16	South Carolina	$41,692	$20
   17	Georgia	$41,415	$20

   Average purchaser salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Barnes Group	$63,634	$30.59
   2	Thorlabs	$61,352	$29.50
   3	Burns & McDonnell	$61,099	$29.37	2
   4	Neuralink IT Solutions	$59,847	$28.77
   5	Clearwater Paper	$57,661	$27.72	2
   6	Century Communities	$56,292	$27.06
   7	Rich Products	$55,689	$26.77	4
   8	Vestas Blades America	$55,642	$26.75	2
   9	BCforward	$55,433	$26.65	19
   10	Parker Hannifin	$55,004	$26.44	6
   11	Minco	$54,804	$26.35
   12	Eurofins	$54,510	$26.21
   13	Dsa	$54,263	$26.09
   14	Wacker Chemie	$54,026	$25.97
   15	AGCO	$53,472	$25.71	1
   16	Hanson Mold	$53,053	$25.51
   17	Custom Truck One Source	$52,777	$25.37
   18	Partners Healthcare Solutions Inc	$52,777	$25.37
   19	Climate Pros	$52,775	$25.37	3
   20	P&G	$52,745	$25.36

4. Writing a purchaser job description

   A good purchaser job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a purchaser job description:

   Purchaser job description example

   Empowered Diagnostics is one of the nation's largest capacity manufacturers of cost-effective rapid point-of-care diagnostic solutions. Empowered provides the highest quality diagnostic tests to aid in the detection and diagnosis of diseases in order to help improve lives. We deliver innovative, best-in-class diagnostic tests backed by leading experts in healthcare and biotechnology. Our mission is to empower people with the knowledge and confidence to understand their health through reliable, affordable, high-quality tests.
   We are hiring a Purchaser to join our team!
   Education & Experience Must have inventory maintenance and demand forecasting experience. Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, logistics or business administration. Significant experience may be substituted for education. Complete knowledge of the procure-to-pay process. Strong understanding of manufacturing. Vendor and broker negotiation experience. Significant experience in import and logistics. A minimum of 5 years in supply chain environment: production/procurement/logistics. Experience using supply chain management software and tools.
   Required Skills & Experience Must possess excellent negotiating skills. Ability to build effective relationships internal and external to the organization. Analytical - Uses intuition and experience to complement data. Proficient with ERP systems, computer skills in spreadsheets; databases, and word processing. Problem Solving - Works well in group problem-solving situations. Project Management - Communicates changes and progress. Quality Management - Looks for ways to improve and promote quality. Sets and achieves challenging goals; demonstrates persistence and overcomes obstacles; measures self against standard of excellence; takes calculated risks to accomplish goals. Must have a hands-on work ethic. Must be able to create durable relationships with vendors and suppliers.
   Preferred Skills Experience in the biotech industry is a plus. Knowledge of 21 CFR 820.50. Knowledge of ISO 13485.
   Duties & Responsibilities Works directly with suppliers to source and manage incoming inventory, while reducing costs and improving payment terms. Evaluate and provide up-to-date usage trend information and analysis. Optimize the materials ordering process ensuring controls are in place to prevent over-ordering or under-ordering, monitor overstock and obsolete inventory. Responsible for working with finance department to resolve all invoice discrepancies Analyze, identify, recommend, and implement purchasing strategies and inventory management techniques. Understand and monitor market conditions for critical commodities used in the business to determine both timely buying opportunities and risk, ensuring sourcing alternatives are always available for current products. Manage vendor relationships, including the addition of new vendors, track performance and communicate vendor performance with management. Leads contract negotiations and/or the resolution of contract issues. Works closely with QA to ensure compliance with the material requirements and resolver errors with suppliers. Other duties may be assigned.
   Language Skills Must have the ability to read, analyze, and interpret written materials in English. Must have the ability to type reports and business correspondence in English; and the ability to effectively communicate in English.
   Physical Demands & Work Environment The work environment is a typical climate-controlled office environment, and the noise is usually moderate. Requires ability to communicate in person and by telephone, frequently operating standard office equipment, such as telephones and laptops, and reaching with hands and arms. There will be prolonged periods of sitting at a desk or working on a computer. Must be able to lift up to 35 pounds occasionally. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
   Benefit Information Medical Insurance Dental Insurance Vision Insurance Paid Holidays Paid Time Off Paid Sick Time Off Other employee-centric activities
   *All offers of employment at Empowered Diagnostics are contingent upon clear results of a criminal background check. Empowered Diagnostics is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. ***Empowered Diagnostics uses E-Verify to verify employment eligibility.
   
   Job Posted by ApplicantPro

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find purchasers 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 purchasers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level purchasers 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 purchaser job on Zippia to find and recruit purchaser candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit purchasers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 purchaser

   Once you've found the purchaser candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new purchaser first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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 purchaser?