Excess Inventory Buyer

Smith is the leading independent electronic components distributor in the world. Since our founding in 1984, Smith’s Intelligent Distribution model and commitment to quality has allowed us to deliver comprehensive solutions to electronic component supply chains. We work across a variety of industries including automotive, supercomputing, gaming, medical devices, oil and gas, and more. Additionally, we provide tailored supply chain solutions such as counterfeit testing, vendor inventory management, and sustainable hardware disposition. We're excited to meet you and share what we love about Smith!
Position Summary:
We are seeking a highly motivated, entrepreneurial, and results-driven Excess Inventory Buyer to identify, acquire, and monetize excess, obsolete, and slow-moving electronic component inventory. This individual will act as a market hunter, constantly searching for opportunities to maximize profitability by connecting available inventory with customer demand.
The ideal candidate is self-driven, proactive, highly organized, and thrives in a fast-paced environment. They possess strong relationship-building skills and can confidently network with suppliers, sales teams, customers, and industry contacts to create profitable transactions.
This is not a transactional purchasing role. We are looking for someone who thinks like a trader, actively identifies opportunities, and relentlessly pursues revenue-generating deals.
What You'll Do:
Drive Revenue Through Excess Inventory
Source and acquire excess, obsolete, and surplus electronic components.
Identify high-value, hard-to-find, and "money-maker" inventory opportunities.
Evaluate market demand, customer opportunities, and profitability before making purchasing decisions.
Develop strategies to maximize the value of every inventory opportunity.
Find the Right Customers
Work closely with sales and trading teams to identify customers that can immediately consume available inventory.
Match excess inventory to active customer demand and emerging market trends.
Develop creative solutions to move inventory quickly while maximizing margins.
Build long-term strategies around recurring customer demand and inventory needs.
Build Relationships and Network
Develop strong relationships with suppliers, OEMs, contract manufacturers, distributors, and brokers.
Expand your network to uncover inventory opportunities before competitors.
Collaborate internally with sales, quality, operations, credit, and management teams to drive successful outcomes.
Become a trusted resource for market intelligence and inventory opportunities.
Execute with Excellence
Maintain accurate records in CRM and internal systems.
Follow established purchasing, compliance, and vendor management procedures.
Manage multiple opportunities simultaneously while maintaining exceptional attention to detail.
Track opportunities from initial identification through successful closure.
What We're Looking For:
Required Skills & Attributes
✅ Self-starter with a strong sense of ownership and accountability
✅ Entrepreneurial mindset with a passion for finding opportunities
✅ Strong negotiation and relationship-building skills
✅ Highly organized and detail-oriented
✅ Ability to prioritize and manage multiple deals simultaneously
✅ Strong analytical and commercial decision-making skills
✅ Excellent written and verbal communication skills
✅ Comfortable networking and building relationships across all levels of an organization
✅ Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams
Smith is an equal opportunity employer, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.
#LI-AK1
We are an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.