Opening a junior buyer role in Tacoma this November to strengthen FSC/PEFC sourcing while holding delivered SPF/hem-fir under about $560/MBF to our Puget Sound yards. If you’ve handled mill-direct bids, basic chain-of-custody audits, and can work in Coupa or Ariba, what comp range are you seeing for 1–3 years’ experience — and DM if you’re interested.
Seeing $65–75k base in Tacoma for 1–3 yrs (5–8% bonus), and keeping delivered SPF/hem-fir under $560/MBF has been doable by timing mill-direct at month-end and baking fuel adders into CN/BNSF lanes. We cut audit noise by requiring invoice claims like ‘FSC 100%’ or ‘FSC Mix Credit’ so Coupa matches CoC cleanly; Ariba needed a custom attribute, so certified lines stayed off-catalog. @OP I can DM a simple bid template and audit checklist; quick ref: Chain of Custody Certification | Forest Stewardship Council.
On our Tacoma buys last winter, we kept delivered SPF/hem-fir under $560/MBF by pairing month‑end mill‑direct cars with backhaul trucks out of Grays Harbor and holding 2‑week price validity in the bid. For FSC/PEFC, I screenshot the mill’s certificate scope and expiry from https://info.fsc.org and drop it into Coupa before award to avoid a “scope mismatch” later. For 1–3 years with basic CoC sampling plus Coupa/Ariba, I’ve seen $70–78k base; Ariba trims onboarding time but doesn’t move comp much.
Quick tip from Tacoma: in Ariba, run a short RFQ with two lots (certified vs standard), require CoC IDs in-line, and set a delivered cap to Puget Sound — kept me in the mid‑$500s without waiting for month‑end. Small caveat: double‑check the mill’s claim type on the invoice (‘FSC Mix Credit’ vs ‘FSC 100%’) in Coupa before receipt, or your audit trail gets messy.