Direct Procurement Operations Manager

Principal Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Manage a team of buyers executing direct material purchases to support production continuity.
• Escalate urgent supply issues and collaborate with planning and production teams to resolve gaps.
• Ensure adherence to supplier contracts, pricing, and service levels.
• Monitor and mitigate supply risks by tracking inventory, order status, and supplier performance.
• Partner with materials planners to align on demand forecasts and minimize disruptions.
• Serve as the point of contact for supply issues requiring procurement intervention.
• Support implementation of supplier programs and monitor service performance.
• Cook up with suppliers on delivery schedules, lead times, and quality issues.
• Escalate quality or delivery issues and partner with Centers of Excellence and Category teams to develop corrective actions.
• Standardize purchase workflows, escalation protocols, and purchase order creation across plants.
• Partner with the Centers of Excellence and Technology Manager to support the use of procure-to-pay processes and automation tools.
• Improve visibility and control over direct procurement activity and spend compliance.
• Align with category teams to support strategy execution and supplier transitions.
• Collaborate with production, quality, and materials teams to ensure operational alignment.
• Track key metrics, including cycle time, purchase order accuracy, and fill rate, to drive improvements.

Minimum Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Supply Chain, or a related field.
• 5–7 years of experience in direct procurement, materials planning, or supply management.
• Experience managing tactical buyers or working in a plant-facing role.
• Familiarity with enterprise resource planning systems, inventory tracking, and direct materials procurement processes.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams in manufacturing or production environments.

Physical Requirements and Environmental Factors

• Position is mostly sedentary but may require occasional moving to other offices or buildings.
• May need to move light equipment or supplies from one place to another.
• May need to access files, supplies and equipment.
• Work activity is in an office, open-partitioned, cubicle environment.

Salary Range

The salary range for this position is $101,000 - $151,000 per year, based on experience and qualifications with annual bonus available (variable depending on performance).

Benefits

• Medical/Rx
• 401(k) with employer match after 1 year
• Critical illness, accident insurance
• Dental
• Vision
• Life insurance
• Optional group life insurance
• Short-term and long-term disability protection
• Flexible spending accounts
• Paid time off

Remote Work

This position is remote and may be performed from anywhere within the United States.