Department: Commercial Operations / Procurement
Reports To: Sr. Director of Commercial Operations
Location: Kansas City, MO
Employment Type: Full-Time
Compensation: $70,000 to $85,000 annually, based on experience

Position Summary

Mainline Services is seeking an experienced Senior Buyer - Procurement to help build and manage the company's purchasing function. This is a newly created, hands-on role responsible for strengthening purchasing processes, controls, vendor relationships, and visibility into company spending and commitments.

Working closely with the Sr. Director of Commercial Operations, the Senior Buyer will help develop and implement Mainline's end-to-end procure-to-pay process, including purchasing requests and approvals, sourcing, purchase orders, receiving, three-way matching, exception resolution, and PO closeout.

The ideal candidate brings strong purchasing experience, a process-improvement mindset, and the ability to identify gaps and implement practical solutions while supporting the urgency of Mainline's railroad, construction, and 24/7 emergency-response operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Help design, document, implement, and maintain Mainline's purchasing and procurement processes.
• Manage purchasing activities from initial request through PO reconciliation and closeout.
• Develop purchasing workflows, approval requirements, documentation standards, and internal controls in partnership with Commercial Operations leadership.
• Source materials, equipment, rentals, subcontracted services, transportation, and other operational needs.
• Obtain competitive quotes, negotiate pricing and terms, and develop strong vendor relationships.
• Create, issue, maintain, and monitor purchase orders, including open and aging commitments.
• Establish receiving and service-completion procedures and support three-way matching of POs, receipts/service confirmations, and vendor invoices.
• Research and resolve pricing, quantity, receiving, invoice, and PO discrepancies.
• Partner with Accounts Payable to ensure invoices are properly supported, coded, and ready for payment.
• Coordinate with Operations and Fleet on equipment rentals, including tracking and timely off-rent.
• Ensure purchases are properly assigned to jobs and cost categories to support accurate job costing.
• Identify opportunities for cost savings, spend consolidation, preferred-vendor agreements, and purchasing efficiencies.
• Develop reporting for open POs, committed costs, vendor performance, and key procurement metrics.
• Help establish an expedited purchasing process for emergency operations while maintaining appropriate documentation and accountability.
• Support future purchasing-system, automation, and ERP initiatives.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of progressive experience in purchasing, procurement, strategic sourcing, supply chain, or a related field.
• Experience with the full PO lifecycle, including sourcing, receiving, invoice matching, exception resolution, and PO closeout.
• Experience developing or improving purchasing processes and controls.
• Demonstrated ability to independently evaluate purchasing and process issues, develop practical options, and bring forward well-supported recommendations for leadership decision making.
• Strong vendor sourcing, negotiation, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to identify gaps, recommend solutions, and independently drive work through completion.
• Strong Excel and general business system proficiency.
• Ability to work effectively across Operations, Fleet, Finance/AP, Estimating, and Commercial Operations.
• Experience in railroad, construction, heavy civil, trucking, heavy equipment, industrial services, or another field-based environment preferred.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role means helping Mainline establish a structured, scalable purchasing function that provides visibility and accountability from request through payment and PO closeout. This includes improving three-way matching, reducing PO and invoice discrepancies, strengthening vendor management, increasing visibility into committed costs, and identifying measurable purchasing efficiencies and savings.

Growth Opportunity

As Mainline grows and the procurement function matures, this role has the opportunity to take on increased ownership and leadership responsibility within Procurement. The Senior Buyer will help build the processes, systems, controls, and vendor strategy that form the foundation of Mainline's future procurement organization.

Additional Information

• Required to maintain a valid driver's license.
• Will be subject to the Company's background check, MVR, and drug screen programs.
• PLEASE NOTE: This is a fully on-site position, located at our main office in Kansas City, MO.

Work Authorization

Must be authorized to work in the United States.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mainline Services, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Company Offered Benefits

• Benefits start first day of the month following hire: Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability
• Paid time off, accrual starts Day #1
• 401k with generous company match
• Company paid Life Insurance
• Mainline observes eight holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Friday After Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Referral Program

If you're excited and ready to join our team, then click on the Non-DOT link to fill out your application. Our team will reach out to you and discuss the next steps in how to become our next team member.

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