Purchasing Manager – Custom Residential Construction

CottageSmith

Purchasing Manager - Custom Residential Construction

Location: North Atlanta, GA -- Primarily home-based, with periodic travel to vendor locations and active projects throughout North Atlanta and the surrounding metro area

Turn Great Designs Into Accurate, Buildable Budgets

CottageSmith is a family-owned, Atlanta-area design-build company specializing in custom accessory dwelling units, tiny homes, backyard cottages, pool houses, home offices, and other thoughtfully designed residential spaces. Our team handles the entire journey, from design and permitting through construction, while giving homeowners transparent information, personalized service, and lasting craftsmanship.

CottageSmith is seeking an experienced Purchasing Manager to lead the preconstruction, bidding, subcontractor buyout, and job-cost management process for a growing portfolio of custom ADU projects. You will turn construction plans, specifications, and finish selections into clear scopes of work and accurate project budgets. You will solicit and compare bids, negotiate with subcontractors, prepare agreements, maintain compliance documentation, and develop a reliable network of qualified trade partners.

Your responsibility will continue after construction begins. You will monitor actual costs against the approved budget, maintain current job-cost information, review change orders and allowance overages, and identify financial risks before they become larger project problems. This role is ideal for someone who combines construction knowledge, estimating precision, financial discipline, and strong subcontractor relationships.

Key Responsibilities

• Review plans, specifications, selections, and project requirements in detail.
• Write complete, trade-specific scopes of work for each project.
• Translate design documents into clear and biddable subcontractor packages.
• Solicit proposals from qualified subcontractors and vendors.
• Establish bid schedules and follow up to keep the buyout process moving.
• Compare bids on an apples-to-apples basis.
• Identify exclusions, allowances, scope gaps, inconsistencies, and missing costs.
• Negotiate pricing, scope, and commercial terms before awarding work.
• Compile awarded bids into organized project budgets by trade and construction phase.
• Recruit subcontractors in trades or service areas where additional capacity is needed.
• Evaluate prospective trade partners for licensing, insurance, reputation, experience, capacity, and pricing.
• Coordinate subcontractor onboarding and collect required documentation.
• Issue and maintain subcontract agreements that accurately reflect scope, price, and terms.
• Track certificates of insurance, licensing, workers' compensation documentation, and other compliance records.
• Maintain an organized library of subcontractor agreements, historical pricing, unit pricing, and vendor information.
• Build productive, long-term relationships with the company's subcontractor base.
• Monitor subcontractor performance and maintain sufficient backup coverage for critical trades.
• Track actual job costs against awarded project budgets throughout construction.
• Review cost overruns, change orders, allowances, and budget adjustments.
• Keep project budgets current as live financial documents.
• Prepare job-cost reports across the active project portfolio.
• Identify projects trending over budget and communicate potential risks early.
• Work closely with Construction Managers to resolve scope questions, procurement needs, and subcontractor performance issues.
• Coordinate with ownership and the design team to confirm that selections and pricing align with the target budget before construction begins.
• Maintain purchasing and project information in Buildertrend, JobTread, Excel, Google Sheets, and related systems.

Qualifications

• At least four years of purchasing, estimating, buyout, or preconstruction experience in custom or luxury residential construction.
• General contractor or subcontractor-side estimating experience may also be considered.
• Strong ability to read residential construction plans and specifications.
• Demonstrated experience writing detailed scopes of work.
• Experience soliciting, leveling, negotiating, and awarding subcontractor bids.
• Strong knowledge of residential construction trades, materials, sequencing, and common scope gaps.
• Experience building project budgets and tracking actual costs against budget.
• Advanced Excel or Google Sheets proficiency.
• Experience with Buildertrend, JobTread, or comparable construction-management software.
• Strong numerical accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage scopes, bids, budgets, contracts, compliance documents, and subcontractor records across multiple projects.
• Skilled negotiator who can resolve pricing and scope issues while maintaining productive trade relationships.
• Clear and professional communication with subcontractors, Construction Managers, designers, vendors, and company leadership.
• Proactive approach to identifying cost, compliance, and subcontractor-capacity risks.
• Degree in Construction Management, Business, Finance, or a related field preferred; equivalent construction and estimating experience will also be considered.
• Valid driver's license, acceptable driving record, reliable transportation, and the ability to make periodic vendor and project-site visits.
• This is primarily an office-based position involving regular computer and phone use. Periodic visits to active construction sites and vendor locations will be required, including compliance with normal jobsite safety and personal protective equipment requirements.

Pay and Benefits

• Classification: This position will initially be engaged as a full-time 1099 independent contractor. 
• Annual contractor compensation: $85,000 - $110,000 per year, based on experience, estimating ability, and purchasing expertise.
• The company currently intends to transition this position to W-2 employment, with a target of Q4. The timing and availability of a W-2 transition are not guaranteed.
• Benefits are not provided during the 1099 contractor period. If the position transitions to W-2 employment, benefits and eligibility will be communicated based on the company's benefit plans in effect at that time.
• High level of ownership over purchasing, buyout, subcontractor development, and project-cost controls.
• Opportunity to build scalable purchasing systems for a growing custom residential company.
• Schedule: Monday-Friday, with occasional project-site or vendor visits as needed. 

Why CottageSmith?

At CottageSmith, the purchasing function is central to delivering beautiful projects on time and within budget. Your work will directly affect project profitability, subcontractor performance, field execution, and the promises made to every homeowner. You will join a family-owned company building custom spaces that support multigenerational living, independence, creativity, and long-term property value. This position offers the opportunity to build strong systems, develop a dependable trade network, and create the financial foundation behind CottageSmith's continued growth.

CottageSmith is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.