Purchasing Supervisor

Chem-Trend, a company of the Freudenberg Group, is a global leader in the development, manufacture, and marketing of specialized release agents, purging compounds, paper impregnation chemicals, and other process chemical specialties and additives, with manufacturing and R & D operations in North and South America, Europe, India, and Asia that are supported by its headquarters in Michigan, USA. Chem-Trend has a singular focus of providing innovative solutions for the die casting, polyurethane, rubber, composites, tire, thermoplastic, wood composite, and paper impregnation industries.

Some of your Benefits 401K Match: Save for retirement with the company's help.

Health Insurance: Rely on comprehensive services whenever you need it.

Personal Development: We offer a variety of trainings to ensure you can develop in your career.

Education Reimbursement: Receive financial aid to help propel your career to the next level.

Diversity & Inclusion: We focus on providing an inclusive environment and recognize our diversity contributes to our success.

Howell, MI

Hybrid Work

Chem-Trend Limited Partnership

The Purchasing Supervisor is a hands-on working leader responsible for coordinating daily purchasing activities while actively executing buying responsibilities. This role ensures the timely availability of raw materials, packaging, equipment, indirect materials, tolling-related materials, and other assigned purchases in support of production and customer requirements. The role is composed of equal parts supervising and coordinating the purchasing team—providing direction, prioritizing work, and ensuring consistent execution—and performing day-to-day purchasing activities, including purchase order management, supplier follow-up, expediting, and issue resolution. The role partners closely with internal stakeholders and external suppliers to maintain material availability, drive purchasing discipline, resolve supply issues, and support service, inventory, and operational objectives.

Purchasing Supervisor Responsibilities

• Supervise and coordinate the daily activities of the purchasing team to ensure purchase orders are issued accurately, suppliers are proactively followed up with, and materials are delivered on time to support operations.
• Allocate and manage team workload while maintaining ownership of a personal portfolio of purchasing responsibilities, balancing supervisory duties and hands-on buying execution.
• Ensure materials are procured in alignment with approved suppliers, lead times, inventory targets, and purchasing policies across direct and indirect categories, including raw materials, packaging, tolling materials, MRO, and indirect spend.
• Maintain purchasing discipline in SAP, ensuring accuracy in purchase orders, pricing, quantities, delivery dates, lead times, and supplier data.
• Lead or support root cause analysis for purchasing disruptions (e.g., supplier failures, stockouts, ordering errors), actively participating in resolution and driving corrective actions.
• Support supplier onboarding and issue resolution in partnership with Quality, Regulatory, and R&D, ensuring materials meet required specifications and compliance standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Finance, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of purchasing, procurement, or supply chain experience.
• 3+ years of supervisory, team lead, or functional leadership experience preferred.
• Proficiency with ERP systems (SAP preferred) and purchasing tools.
• Experience in a manufacturing, chemical, or industrial environment preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to manage priorities, solve problems, and support team execution in a fast-paced environment.

The Freudenberg Group is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion. Employment opportunities are available to all applicants and associates without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, genetic information, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, protected military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.