PURCHASING MANAGER

The Purchasing Manager is responsible for leading, developing, and overseeing the organization’s overall procurement strategy and day-to-day purchasing operations. This role drives strategic sourcing, vendor management, cost-optimization initiatives, and supply chain efficiency while ensuring quality standards, regulatory compliance, and alignment with corporate goals. The Purchasing Manager leads the procurement team, manages key vendor relationships, and collaborates closely with cross-functional leadership to support seamless operations.

Strategic Leadership & Team Oversight

• Team Management: Lead, mentor, evaluate, and develop purchasing staff (including Purchasing Supervisors and Specialists) to drive operational performance and high efficiency.
• Procurement Strategy: Formulate and execute organization-wide purchasing strategies, cost-reduction initiatives, and process improvements aligned with company growth targets.
• Budgeting & Forecasting: Participate in corporate budget planning, expenditure forecasting, and procurement cost management to maximize bottom-line profitability.

Sourcing, Vendor & Contract Management

• Supplier Relationship Management: Establish, cultivate, and maintain strong strategic relationships with major suppliers and key partners to ensure supply continuity and reliability.
• High-Level Negotiations: Oversee complex contract negotiations regarding pricing, credit terms, service level agreements (SLAs), and delivery schedules.
• Vendor Performance Evaluation: Implement metrics and systems to track and evaluate supplier performance, addressing performance gaps, delivery delays, quality issues, or contractual disputes.

Operational Oversight & Compliance

• Purchasing Approval: Establish approval workflows and directly review, evaluate, and approve high-value purchase requisitions and orders.
• Policy & Governance: Develop, enforce, and maintain robust procurement policies, audit-ready documentation, ethical guidelines, and regulatory compliance standards.
• Market Analysis: Monitor market trends, supply chain risks, tariffs, and commodity pricing to identify strategic sourcing opportunities and mitigate risk.

Cross-Departmental Collaboration

• Interdepartmental Alignment: Partner with Finance, Operations, Inventory/Warehouse, and Executive Leadership to assess materials demands, align priorities, and optimize inventory turn rates.
• Escalation & Conflict Resolution: Serve as the primary escalation point for critical supplier disputes, emergency procurement needs, or supply chain bottlenecks.

Qualifications & Skills

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Logistics, Finance, or a related field. (Master's degree or CIPS/CSCP/CPIM certification preferred).
• Experience: 5+ years of experience in procurement/purchasing, with at least 2–3 years in a supervisory or managerial capacity.
• Negotiation & Strategy: Proven track record of successful contract negotiation, supplier management, and strategic sourcing.
• Financial Acumen: Strong analytical skills with experience in budget management, cost forecasting, and financial analysis.
• Leadership: Excellent team leadership, coaching, and conflict resolution abilities.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, NetSuite) and advanced Excel/data analytics tools.
• Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills to negotiate effectively and present recommendations to executive leadership