Purchasing Operations Buyer

Position Purpose

The Purchasing Operations Buyer sits within the Supply Chain Purchasing organization and performs transactional purchasing work that supports the daily operating needs of Rio Las Vegas. The role converts approved requisitions and department requirements into accurate purchase orders, secures supplier confirmations, tracks deliveries, resolves routine order issues and maintains complete purchasing-system documentation.

Purchasing Operations Buyers operate under a shared-duty model. Each buyer has primary operational assignments while remaining trained and prepared to cross-cover other departments and categories during absences, workload peaks and business-critical events. Strategic sourcing, major negotiations and contract strategy remain with the Supply Chain Director and Supply Chain Purchasing Manager.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Operational Purchasing Support

· Serve as the primary transactional purchasing contact for assigned operating departments and routine requirements.

· Review purchase requests for completeness, approved specifications, funding, business need and required delivery timing.

· Translate department requirements into accurate purchase orders and clear supplier instructions.

· Maintain regular communication with internal customers regarding order status, risks, substitutions, delays and required decisions.

· Cross-cover other departments and purchasing assignments using common procedures, shared documentation and established escalation paths.

Purchase-Order Lifecycle

· Create, issue, revise and close purchase orders accurately and within established service levels.

· Obtain supplier confirmations and verify pricing, quantities, units of measure, terms, lead times, ship-to locations and delivery dates.

· Track open orders, expedite critical requirements and resolve backorders, substitutions, shortages, damages and invoice discrepancies.

· Coordinate delivery requirements with suppliers, Warehouse Operations, operating departments and project teams.

· Maintain accurate notes and supporting documentation so each order has a complete audit trail.

· Review open purchase orders routinely, follow up on overdue acknowledgments and delivery dates, and close or cancel stale commitments with appropriate approval.

Demand, Replenishment and Operational Continuity

· Review usage, par levels, reorder points, inventory availability and upcoming operational demand with departments, Warehouse Operations and Inventory Control.

· Anticipate seasonal events, promotions, holidays, projects and business-volume changes that may affect routine purchasing requirements.

· Identify potential stockouts, long lead times, allocations and supply disruptions early and escalate them with practical alternatives.

· Coordinate approved emergency purchases in accordance with after-hours, authorization and documentation procedures.

Quote Collection and Buying Support

· Obtain and compare supplier quotations in accordance with competition and approval requirements.

· Confirm routine pricing, freight, lead times, minimums and service terms against approved agreements or documented quotations.

· Prepare clear quote comparisons covering cost, availability, quality, delivery timing and operational impact for manager review.

· Escalate strategic, high-value, high-risk, sole-source or noncompetitive purchases to the Supply Chain Purchasing Manager or Director.

· Provide transactional support for sourcing events, supplier reviews and contract implementation when requested.

Supplier and Delivery Management

· Maintain productive supplier relationships and hold vendors accountable for confirmations, pricing, quality and delivery commitments.

· Monitor recurring supplier issues and coordinate corrective actions with the Purchasing Manager and internal stakeholders.

· Support new-vendor onboarding and ensure required commercial, tax, insurance and system information is complete before purchasing.

· Coordinate FF&E support activities—including quotes, confirmations, logistics and delivery tracking—when assigned.

· Coordinate returns, replacement orders, return authorizations, freight claims, damage claims, credits and supplier corrective actions.

· Maintain current supplier contacts, order instructions, delivery requirements, minimums, lead times and approved ordering methods.

Specifications, Samples and Product Changes

· Confirm that requisitions and purchase orders contain clear product or service specifications, approved brands, pack sizes and units of measure.

· Coordinate product samples, demonstrations or operational evaluations when requested and document stakeholder approval before substitution or conversion.

· Verify that proposed substitutions meet operational, quality, safety, brand and budget requirements before routing them for approval.

· Communicate discontinued products, packaging changes, minimum-order changes and other supplier updates to affected departments.

Systems, Data and Compliance

· Execute purchasing transactions accurately in MMS/Stratton Warren and other approved systems.

· Support item setup and maintain accurate descriptions, units of measure, pack sizes, pricing, vendors and delivery information.

· Follow approved BPO, requisition, approval and purchase-order workflows and promptly correct system or data exceptions.

· Support No PO, No Pay by preventing unauthorized commitments and escalating noncompliant requests or deliveries.

· Protect confidential pricing, contract, supplier and business information.

· Maintain purchasing records in accordance with document-retention requirements, including requisitions, quotes, approvals, confirmations, changes and supplier correspondence.

· Follow ethical purchasing, conflict-of-interest, gift and supplier-interaction policies.

Commercial and Financial Controls

· Verify purchases align with approved contracts, pricing, rebates, budgets and delegated authority.

· Prevent split transactions, duplicate orders, unsupported emergency purchases and other control circumvention.

· Research invoice and receiving discrepancies and coordinate timely resolution with Accounts Payable, Warehouse Operations and suppliers.

· Document savings, cost avoidance and recoveries using Finance-approved rules; do not claim unvalidated benefits.

· Track applicable rebates, credits, freight recoveries, returns and pricing corrections through final resolution.

· Support month-end purchasing close by reviewing open commitments, unresolved receipt or invoice issues and purchase orders requiring closure or accrual follow-up.

Reporting and Workload Management

· Maintain open-order, overdue-delivery, exception and workload reports for assigned operational areas.

· Provide status updates on critical orders, shortages, supplier risks, unresolved discrepancies and required management decisions.

· Organize competing requests by operational criticality, approved need, lead time and service impact while communicating realistic completion dates.

· Participate in team coverage planning, purchasing huddles, supplier meetings and continuous-improvement activities.

Decision Authority

· Place routine orders with approved suppliers within established contracts, competition rules and delegated authority.

· Return incomplete or noncompliant requests and require necessary approvals or supporting documentation.

· Recommend substitutions or alternative suppliers when service, availability, quality or cost is at risk.

· Escalate material price changes, sole-source requests, contractual exceptions, critical shortages and supplier failures.

Required Qualifications

· Two or more years of purchasing, buying, procurement, supply chain or closely related experience.

· Demonstrated ability to manage purchase orders, supplier communications, delivery tracking and problem resolution.

· Working knowledge of purchasing controls, competitive quotes, commercial terms and invoice/receiving reconciliation.

· Strong organization, attention to detail, prioritization, customer service and written and verbal communication skills.

· Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and purchasing, inventory or ERP systems.

· Ability to calculate unit costs, extensions, percentages, price variances, freight impact and basic quote comparisons accurately.

Preferred Qualifications

· Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, hospitality or a related field; equivalent relevant experience will be considered.

· Hospitality, gaming, resort, food and beverage, engineering, OS&E or FF&E purchasing experience.

· Experience with MMS, Stratton Warren, Coupa, Oracle or comparable purchasing systems.

· Experience supporting multiple categories and cross-covering other buyers.

Working Environment

Work is performed primarily in an office, with regular activity throughout the property, warehouse, receiving areas, and supplier locations. The role generally follows standard business hours but requires flexibility for urgent operational needs, projects, inventories, special events, weekends, or holidays. The position may occasionally require lifting and carrying items weighing up to 25 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Job Description Disclaimer

This job description summarizes the primary responsibilities and qualifications of the position and is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties. Operational assignments may be modified to support coverage and business needs. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals to perform the essential functions of the role.

Rio Las Vegas is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. Rio Las Vegas makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.