Procurement Manager in Memphis, Tennessee at TLC Blake Solutions LLC

About the Company

The Living Company ("TLC") is a Dallas-based, PE-backed sourcing, logistics, design, and installation provider of furniture, fixtures, cabinets, countertops, and shower systems. TLC serves leading developers, general contractors, and property managers across the student housing, hospitality, multifamily, and build-to-rent ("BTR") end markets through four operating divisions: University Furnishings, TLC Hospitality, BSI (Blake Solutions), and TLC Studio.

BSI (Blake Solutions) is TLC's construction and installation division, specializing in the supply and installation of cabinets, countertops, and shower systems for multifamily, student housing, and BTR projects across the country. BSI operates across Pre-Construction, Project Management, Installation, Stone Shop, and Business Development functions — delivering complex, deadline-driven scopes of work on active construction sites.

Role Overview

The Procurement Manager is responsible for the end-to-end procurement function for BSI — managing vendor relationships, purchasing activity, and product sourcing across an active portfolio of cabinet, countertop, and shower system projects.

This role sits within BSI's Project Management department and works in close coordination with Project Managers, the Project Account Manager, Pre-Construction, and TLC Logistics to ensure that all product is sourced accurately, ordered on time, and delivered in alignment with project schedules and specifications. The Procurement Manager is BSI's primary vendor relationship owner — responsible for negotiating pricing and terms, maintaining the approved vendor roster, and ensuring supply chain reliability across the division's active markets.

This is a high-ownership role that requires equal parts commercial judgment, operational discipline, and relationship management. The ideal candidate brings procurement experience in a construction or building products environment, strong vendor negotiation skills, and the organizational capability to manage purchasing activity across a high-volume portfolio of concurrent projects without errors or delays.

Key Responsibilities

• Own all purchasing activity for BSI's active project portfolio — placing orders accurately, on time, and in full alignment with project specifications, quantities, and delivery requirements.

• Review all purchase orders for accuracy before submission — verifying product specifications, quantities, delivery addresses, lead times, and pricing against project documentation and vendor agreements.

• Coordinate with Project Managers on order timing and sequencing — ensuring all purchasing activity aligns with project schedules and that lead times are factored into order placement without creating delivery risk.

• Track all open purchase orders from placement through delivery confirmation; follow up with vendors on outstanding orders and resolve delays before they affect project timelines.

• Manage product substitutions — identifying and qualifying alternative products when specified items are unavailable, and coordinating PM and client approval before orders are placed.

• Maintain accurate purchasing records in NetSuite; ensure all POs, vendor confirmations, and delivery records are filed correctly and accessible to the PM and Finance teams.

• Own BSI's vendor relationships across all product categories — including cabinet manufacturers, countertop suppliers, shower system vendors, and specialty product sources.

• Negotiate pricing, lead times, terms, and service level agreements with vendors; drive competitive cost structures that support BSI's margin objectives across the project portfolio.

• Maintain and continuously develop BSI's approved vendor roster — identifying and qualifying new suppliers, managing vendor performance, and making add/remove decisions when performance does not meet BSI's standards.

• Conduct regular vendor performance reviews — evaluating on-time delivery, order accuracy, product quality, and responsiveness; provide structured feedback and hold vendors accountable for improvement.

• Build redundancy into BSI's supply chain — ensuring alternative vendor options are available for key product categories and that no single vendor creates unacceptable supply chain risk.

• Manage vendor credit applications, account setups, and payment term negotiations in coordination with the Finance team.

• Source new products and alternatives as required by project specifications, client requests, value engineering initiatives, or supply disruptions — identifying options that meet specification, quality, and cost requirements.

• Partner with the Pre-Construction team on product costing for bid submissions — providing accurate, current vendor pricing and lead time data to support competitive and accurate estimating.

• Support value engineering discussions by identifying specification-compliant alternatives that reduce cost without compromising quality or delivery reliability.

• Stay current on product availability, pricing trends, and new product introductions across BSI's core categories; share relevant market intelligence with the PM and Pre-Construction teams proactively.

• Coordinate with the Stone Shop on countertop material sourcing — ensuring slab availability, color consistency, and lead times align with fabrication and project schedules.

• Coordinate inbound receiving with BSI's warehouse and field teams — confirming delivery schedules, providing documentation, and ensuring all product is received and inspected against purchase order specifications.

• Manage receiving discrepancies — short shipments, damaged product, incorrect items, and specification mismatches — from identification through vendor resolution and replacement order placement.

• Review all packing lists and delivery confirmations against open POs; ensure system records are updated accurately upon delivery.

• File and manage vendor claims for damaged, defective, or non-conforming product; track claims through to credit or replacement resolution.

• Partner with Project Managers and the Project Account Manager on post-shipment documentation — ensuring all delivery records are complete and accessible for billing and compliance purposes.

• Monitor purchasing costs against project budgets — identifying variances, escalating cost overruns to the Director of Project Management, and recommending corrective action.

• Track and report on vendor pricing trends, purchase volume by category, and procurement KPIs on a regular basis.

• Support the Project Account Manager with AP coordination — providing PO documentation, delivery confirmation, and vendor contact information needed to process and reconcile vendor invoices.

• Assist with FedEx, AmEx, and Divvy cost coding for purchasing-related expenses as required.

• Contribute to annual pricing reviews and contract renewals — providing spend data, performance history, and market benchmarks to support negotiation strategy.

• Partner closely with Project Managers on all procurement activity for assigned projects — serving as the responsive, knowledgeable purchasing resource that keeps orders moving without requiring PM involvement in vendor logistics.

• Coordinate with Pre-Construction on bid-phase product sourcing, vendor availability, and lead time data needed for accurate project estimates.

• Support the Director of Project Management with purchasing data, vendor performance information, and supply chain status reporting as needed.

Education — Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business Administration, or Construction Management preferred; equivalent experience considered.

Experience — 3–5+ years of procurement/purchasing in construction, building products, or manufacturing; multi-vendor supply chain management for project-based businesses; cabinet/millwork/countertop category experience; vendor negotiation track record; concurrent high-volume project portfolio management; receiving and claims experience.

Technical Skills & Systems — NetSuite or comparable ERP, Excel, construction documentation familiarity (SOW, submittals, shop drawings), expense coding tools a plus.

Core Competencies — Procurement discipline, vendor negotiation, attention to detail, schedule awareness, proactive communication, problem-solving under pressure, cross-functional collaboration, and commercial judgment.