Purchasing assistant Jobs in Vancouver, WA

Purchasing Manager

Axiom Custom Products is a 30 year old privately-owned, full-service creative manufacturing team that designs and builds architectural environments, retail activations and experiences, art installations, and more. With a 75,000 sf shop in NE, Axiom creates projects of which you will want to be a part! We make the impossible possible through our vast, unmatched capabilities : exceptional client services, fearlessly creative design, innovative problem-solving, unparalleled in-house services (building, CNC, metal fabrication, technology, paint and powder coating, custom crating), detailed installation, and tight deadlines. With our client's expressive custom statements brought to life, the rest is history.

The Role

Axiom is looking for a highly organized, detail-driven Purchasing Manager to run what is effectively a department of one. They will lead our purchasing and receiving functions and play a critical role in supporting our projects from concept to installation. This role sits at the center of our operations, ensuring the right materials arrive at the right time, in the right condition, and within project constraints.

As Purchasing Manager, you will manage day-to-day purchasing activities including vendor relationships, order placement, purchase order management, and the coordination of pick-ups and deliveries. You'll bring a strong working knowledge of materials, vendors, and project requirements, and you'll thrive on turning complexity into well-executed outcomes. This role requires someone who can stay organized while juggling multiple priorities and who takes pride in executing with accuracy and follow-through.

You will work closely with the Projects team to evaluate material availability, pricing, terms, dimensions, quality, and logistics to ensure every purchase aligns with project and fabrication requirements. You'll make purchases for both company inventory and individual projects, track orders through delivery, and ensure materials are received, tagged, staged, and delivered to their final destination in the shop. In addition, you'll supervise a driver and streamline the daily driver dispatch to keep materials moving efficiently.

Beyond execution, this role plays an important part in shaping how purchasing is done at Axiom. You'll establish vendor guidelines, determine when competitive quotes are needed, and oversee purchasing processes for team members authorized to make purchases. You'll maintain material and vendor databases, nurture strong vendor relationships, and collaborate across project management, engineering, accounting, estimating, and leadership teams. You'll also help inform operational strategy by forecasting large expenses, identifying inventory needs, standardizing material evaluation criteria, and keeping internal teams informed about current market conditions during weekly production meetings.

You

The ideal candidate brings prior experience in purchasing, procurement, or a related business role, with a strong background in fabrication, project-based, or manufacturing environments. You have deep knowledge of fabrication materials such as woods, metals, plastics, finishes, and consumables, along with the ability to learn machine capabilities and fabrication constraints. You'll need to have an understanding of rental vehicles and site equipment, such as box trucks, trailers, scissor lifts, and more. Lastly, you need experience booking air travel, ground transportation, and lodging for our install team. Strong interpersonal and negotiation skills are essential, as is the ability to manage time, priorities, and spatial details with confidence.

This position reports to the Head of Finance and is best suited for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment that evolves with client needs and industry conditions. Success in this role is measured by on-time delivery of purchased items, accuracy of purchases within budget and project constraints, and well-maintained, organized purchase orders.

The Return

Our way of life promotes hard work, but health and family always come first. We ask employees to give us their all, and in turn, we help them live a rewarding life with the balance they need to enjoy their career at Axiom. We offer an opportunity for growth, an excellent salary, paid holidays, 401k and Roth investment options, and medical, dental, vision benefits (with dependent coverage options). Best yet, in year two you accrue 4 weeks of PTO! Important note : there are dogs in the office.

Next Steps

If you enjoy owning the purchasing process end-to-end, working closely with teams executing the projects, and making a tangible impact on how projects come together, we'd love to hear from you. "Cover letter" is just a spot to tell us informally about you and why we should consider you.