Inside Sales Associate
Waller, TX, US
Burckhardt Compression (US) Inc. is seeking an experienced and highly motivated Inside Sales Associate to join our team. This position plays an important role in supporting our natural gas compression service operations by sourcing, negotiating, purchasing, and expediting parts, materials, and services required for compression-related projects.
The ideal candidate brings a strong background in inside sales, purchasing, procurement, or buying within the oil and gas industry, along with proven negotiation skills and experience working with suppliers, purchase orders, technical components, and ERP systems.
This role will support turnkey projects involving piping, gas components, compressor system components, and fabrication services. Success in this position requires excellent attention to detail, strong supplier relationships, effective negotiation skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
What You'll Do
As an Inside Sales Associate, you will:
- Review and acknowledge incoming purchase requisitions and determine sourcing requirements.
- Prepare and issue Requests for Quotation (RFQs) to qualified vendors for pricing, availability, and delivery information.
- Analyze vendor quotations based on pricing, lead times, payment terms, freight terms, availability, and overall value.
- Negotiate with suppliers to obtain competitive pricing, favorable terms, and reliable delivery schedules.
- Evaluate bids and select vendors based on cost, quality, availability, delivery, and shipping requirements.
- Create and issue purchase orders, ensuring accurate part numbers, manufacturer information, pricing, terms and conditions, shipping instructions, and delivery requirements.
- Review purchase orders for accuracy and obtain required approvals in accordance with established delegation of authority guidelines.
- Partner with Operations and Maintenance teams to clarify technical specifications and resolve discrepancies before materials are ordered.
- Monitor and expedite open purchase orders to ensure materials arrive in accordance with project and operational requirements.
- Coordinate shipping schedules with Operations, suppliers, and freight forwarders.
- Research and recommend alternative sourcing options when necessary to support cost, quality, and delivery objectives.
- Resolve discrepancies involving purchase orders, material receipts, invoices, pricing, quantities, and deliveries.
- Support inventory procurement, including supply requests, purchase orders, invoice processing, and inventory tracking.
- Receive and inspect deliveries as needed to verify accuracy and condition.
- Maintain accurate inventory, Vendor Master, and Item Master records.
- Interpret purchasing policies and identify qualified suppliers for sourcing opportunities.
- Develop and maintain strong working relationships with suppliers, freight forwarders, internal departments, and customers.
- Maintain frequent communication with vendors and internal stakeholders regarding purchasing and delivery activities.
What We're Looking For
Education & Experience
- High school diploma or equivalent required.
- Associate or bachelor's degree preferred.
- 5+ years of experience in inside sales, purchasing, procurement, or a buyer role within the oil and gas industry.
- Hands-on experience with global procurement and oil and gas/API procurement requirements.
- Experience procuring compressor system components, piping components, gas components, and/or fabrication services strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated supplier negotiation and vendor management experience.
- Experience working with commercial purchasing and shipping terms.
- SAP experience preferred.
- Natural gas compression industry experience is highly desirable.
Skills & Qualifications
The successful candidate will have:
- Strong negotiation, sourcing, and supplier management skills.
- Exceptional customer service and interpersonal skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication abilities.
- Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
- Ability to prioritize multiple projects and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
- Ability to analyze quotations and make informed purchasing decisions based on cost, lead time, quality, and business requirements.
- Strong analytical and mathematical skills, including calculations involving percentages, discounts, pricing, and measurements.
- Ability to read and interpret purchasing and commercial documents, including purchase orders, contracts, MSAs, NDAs, quotations, price lists, and invoices.
- Ability to read and interpret technical documentation, professional publications, procedures, and applicable regulations.
- Ability to prepare business correspondence, reports, and other professional documentation.
- Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and Word.
- Experience working with ERP systems and maintaining accurate purchasing and inventory data.
- Ability to quickly learn technical product lines and develop strong product knowledge.
Language Skills
- Fluent English communication skills, both written and verbal, required.
- Bilingual skills are a plus.
What Makes You Successful in This Role
You are someone who:
- Thrives in a fast-paced, customer-focused environment.
- Is proactive, organized, and comfortable taking ownership of responsibilities.
- Enjoys negotiating and identifying opportunities to achieve the best overall value.
- Builds strong, professional relationships with suppliers and internal customers.
- Can work independently while effectively collaborating across multiple departments.
- Pays close attention to the details while keeping project deadlines and operational priorities in focus.
- Understands that successful procurement is about more than price. It also requires balancing quality, availability, delivery, service, and supply continuity.
Why Join Our Team?
This position offers the opportunity to work in a specialized and technically challenging environment supporting the natural gas compression industry. You will collaborate with Operations, Maintenance, suppliers, and other key stakeholders while playing an important role in ensuring our teams have the materials and services needed to successfully support our customers and projects.
If you are an experienced inside sales or procurement professional with a background in oil and gas, natural gas compression, rotating equipment, or industrial equipment, we encourage you to apply.
Apply today to join our team!
Burckhardt Compression creates leading compression solutions for a sustainable energy future and the long-term success of its customers. The Group is the only global manufacturer that covers a full range of reciprocating compressor technologies and services. Since 1844, its passionate, customer-oriented and solution-driven workforce has set the benchmark in the gas compression industry.