Purchasing Manager - IT & Indirect Services

The Purchasing Manager - IT & Indirect Services is responsible for independently managing procurement activities for IT goods, software, professional services, and other indirect services from Manila. This role is designed as a senior individual contributor position: it requires stronger ownership, stakeholder leadership, supplier management, and process accountability than an analyst role, while not carrying direct people-management responsibilities of a supervisor. The position will coordinate closely with IT Finance, IT Vendor Management, Corporate Procurement, Accounts Payable, requestors, and external suppliers to ensure accurate, compliant, and timely sourcing and purchasing execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Independently manage purchasing activities for IT hardware, computers, peripherals, software, IT professional services, and other indirect services in accordance with corporate procurement standards.
• Create, review, and manage purchase requisitions and purchase orders in SAP, ensuring accurate supplier, pricing, tax, delivery, and accounting information.
• Serve as a Manila-based procurement point of contact for IT and indirect services requestors, vendor managers, finance partners, Accounts Payable, Shipping & Receiving, and suppliers.
• Provide proactive issue resolution for open orders, blocked or parked invoices, price or quantity discrepancies, returns, substitutions, delivery delays, and supplier performance concerns.
• Support RFQs, bid comparisons, supplier quotes, pricing agreements, renewals, contract-related inputs, and negotiation preparation for IT and indirect services categories.
• Maintain effective supplier relationships and coordinate vendor correspondence related to order status, claims, over-shipments, under-shipments, invoice mismatches, product discontinuations, and service delivery issues.
• Partner with IT Finance and vendor management stakeholders to validate purchase requirements, budgets, approvals, contract coverage, and vendor compliance before purchase execution.
• Prepare and analyze purchasing reports, spend summaries, open PO reports, KPI dashboards, savings trackers, and issue logs for management review.
• Identify opportunities to improve purchasing processes, reduce manual effort, improve cycle time, strengthen compliance, and standardize documentation across IT and indirect services buying activities.
• Maintain current process documentation, audit support files, sourcing records, purchase order documentation, and other compliance materials.
• Provide guidance to analysts or junior team members as a subject-matter resource, including coaching on SAP purchasing transactions, documentation standards, and issue resolution practices; this role does not directly supervise employees.
• Escalate purchasing risks, supplier issues, compliance concerns, and service interruptions to appropriate leadership in a timely and fact-based manner.
• Perform other procurement, reporting, and stakeholder-support duties as assigned.

Scope and Decision Authority

• Owns assigned purchasing transactions and supplier follow-ups with limited day-to-day direction.
• May lead small workstreams, purchasing clean-up activities, reporting routines, or process improvement efforts within assigned categories.
• Provides recommendations to supervisors, procurement managers, IT Finance, and vendor management partners on supplier issues, sourcing options, process improvements, and purchasing risks.
• Escalates matters requiring policy exceptions, final commercial approval, contract signature, people-management decisions, or strategic supplier direction.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Information Systems, Finance, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Minimum 4 to 6 years of purchasing, procurement, sourcing, supply chain, vendor management, or shared-services experience, including meaningful exposure to indirect procurement or IT purchasing.
• Hands-on SAP procurement experience, including purchase requisitions, purchase orders, invoice issue resolution, vendor data, pricing, and open order management; SAP S/4HANA experience preferred.
• Working knowledge of IT procurement categories such as end-user hardware, peripherals, software, IT services, telecom, professional services, or other corporate indirect services.
• Strong analytical capability, including Excel reporting, pivot tables, lookups, data validation, spend analysis, KPI tracking, and preparation of accurate management-ready summaries.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, prioritize multiple requests, manage deadlines, and follow through on open issues across time zones.
• Strong written and verbal English communication skills, with the ability to interact professionally with global stakeholders, suppliers, finance partners, and technical requestors.
• Attention to detail and ability to maintain accurate purchasing documentation, audit records, approvals, and process controls.
• Ability to work from Manila with schedule flexibility or shift overlap required to support North America and global stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience supporting IT Commercial, IT Finance, vendor management, or corporate shared services in a multinational environment.
• Experience supporting supplier quotes, RFQs, bid comparisons, renewals, contract administration, or savings initiatives for IT and indirect services.
• Power BI, Power Query, or other data visualization and automation experience.
• Experience resolving blocked invoices, parked invoices, pricing mismatches, receiving discrepancies, and open PO clean-up activities in SAP.
• Procurement, supply chain, or project management certification such as CPSM, CSCP, CSPP, or equivalent.
• Experience mentoring junior analysts, documenting standard work, or supporting process transitions in a shared-services center.

Key Competencies

• Procurement ownership and follow-through
• Stakeholder management across functions, regions, and time zones
• Supplier communication and issue resolution
• SAP & Coupa purchasing execution and data accuracy
• Indirect services and IT purchasing judgment
• Analytical thinking and management reporting
• Process discipline, compliance orientation, and audit readiness
• Continuous improvement mindset
• Professional communication and customer-service orientation
• Informal leadership, coaching, and peer support

Performance Measures

• Purchase order cycle time, accuracy, and on-time completion.
• Reduction in blocked invoices, parked invoices, open PO aging, and purchasing discrepancies.
• Stakeholder satisfaction and responsiveness to IT, finance, AP, and vendor management partners.
• Supplier follow-up quality and resolution of delivery, pricing, and service issues.
• Accuracy and timeliness of purchasing reports, KPI dashboards, and audit documentation.
• Contribution to process improvements, standard work, and purchasing compliance.