Procurement Manager

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Agri Procurement professional to lead sourcing and procurement of key feed raw materials including Maize, DORB (De-Oiled Rice Bran), Rice Gluten, Rice ODGS (Oil Distiller's Grain Solubles), and RSM (Rice Solvent Meal/Rapeseed Meal) The role is based out of Madhapur, Hyderabad, with frequent travel to sourcing belts, mandis, and supplier locations across South India and other producing states.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan and execute procurement of Maize, DORB, Rice Gluten, Rice ODGS, RSM and other agri-based feed ingredients in line with production requirements and inventory norms.
• Track daily mandi/market prices, crop arrivals, and regional supply-demand trends to plan procurement timing and quantities.
• Develop and maintain a strong network of farmers, traders, commission agents
• millers, and processing units across key sourcing belts, including Tamil Nadu and other southern states.
• Negotiate pricing, payment terms, and contracts with suppliers to optimize cost while ensuring quality compliance.
• Monitor quality parameters (moisture, protein, aflatoxin, foreign matter, etc.) in coordination with QA/QC teams before and after material receipt.
• Coordinate with logistics/transport teams for timely material movement and delivery to plants/warehouses.
• Manage vendor onboarding, vendor evaluation, and vendor development for new procurement sources/regions.
• Forecast raw material requirements based on production planning and feed formulation needs; maintain optimal stock levels to avoid shortages or excess inventory.
• Track and analyze commodity market trends (domestic and global) affecting maize, rice by-products, and oilseed meals; provide inputs for budgeting and hedging decisions.
• Ensure procurement activities comply with company policies, statutory/legal requirements (mandi tax, GST, APMC regulations, etc.).
• Prepare MIS reports on procurement volumes, price trends, cost savings, and vendor performance for management review.
• Build strategies for direct farmer procurement / mandi-level sourcing to reduce dependency on intermediaries where feasible.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong knowledge of agri-commodity markets, especially Maize, DORB, Rice Gluten, Rice ODGS, and RSM.
• Established network of suppliers, agents, and mandis, particularly in Tamil Nadu and other key producing states (Karnataka, Telangana, AP, etc.).
• Proficiency in Tamil language (mandatory), along with working knowledge of Telugu/Hindi/English for effective supplier and stakeholder communication.
• Sound understanding of commodity pricing mechanisms, seasonal trends, and factors affecting supply (weather, crop cycles, government policy, MSP, export-import trends).
• Strong negotiation, vendor management, and relationship-building skills.
• Analytical ability to interpret market data and forecast price movements.
• Good understanding of feed/poultry industry raw material quality standards.
• Proficiency in MS Excel/ERP systems for procurement tracking and reporting.
• Willingness to travel extensively to mandis, farms, and supplier locations across states.

Qualification

• Graduate/Postgraduate in Agriculture, Agri-Business Management, Commerce, or related field.
• MBA in Agri-Business/Supply Chain (preferred but not mandatory).

Experience Required

• 610 years of relevant experience in agri raw material procurement within the poultry, animal feed, starch, or food processing industry.
• Proven track record of managing procurement of Maize and rice-based by-products (DORB, Rice Gluten, ODGS) is highly desirable.