Director of Purchasing

About the role

The Director of Purchasing is responsible for strategizing to find cost‑effective dealers and suppliers to manage the company’s supply of products and services.

Responsibilities

• Devise and use productive sourcing strategies
• Discover profitable suppliers and initiate business and organization partnerships
• Collaborate with key persons to ensure clarity of the specifications and expectations of the company
• Control spend and build a culture of long‑term saving on procurement costs
• Establish department practices and procedures
• Analyze market; recommend major purchases of materials and supplies based on anticipated changes in prices or on unusual availability of situations

Duties

• Negotiate with external vendors to secure advantageous terms
• Approve the ordering of necessary goods and services
• Finalize purchase details of orders and deliveries
• Examine and test existing contracts
• Track and report key functional metrics to reduce expenses and improve effectiveness
• Foresee alterations in the comparative negotiating ability of suppliers and clients
• Expect unfavorable events through analysis of data and prepare control strategies
• Perform risk management for supply contracts and agreements
• Maintain records associated with the purchasing function, supplying relevant information to the accounting, sales and production functions as required
• Follow and comply with all safety and work rules and regulations
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• 7‑10 years experience in purchasing
• Proven working experience as a procurement manager, procurement officer or head of procurement
• Knowledge of sourcing and procurement techniques as well as a dexterity in “reading” the market
• Talent in negotiations and networking
• Good knowledge of supplier or third‑party management software
• Aptitude in decision‑making and working with numbers
• Experience in collecting and analyzing data
• Strong leadership capabilities
• BS degree in supply chain management, logistics or business administration

Work Environment & Physical Demands

Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Ability to work in an office environment with 8‑12 hour work days, extended hours as needed, frequent sitting, walking and standing. Must be able to lift 25 pounds at times.

Accountabilities

• Customer Focus: Actively looking for ways to identify customer needs and efficiently addressing those needs.
• Communication – Visual and Verbal: Listening, speaking, and signaling so others can understand; communicate in spoken English well enough to be understood.
• Teamwork: Working cooperatively in a professional demeanor to complete work assignments.
• Health, Safety, and Security: Recognize and mitigate safety hazards including hazardous materials, environmental hazards, and accident conditions on a construction site; follow appropriate security procedures.
• Scheduling and Coordinating: Making arrangements that fulfill all requirements as efficiently and economically as possible.
• Problem Solving/Decision‑making: Being open to change and considerable variety in the workplace; understanding the importance of learning new information for future problem solving and decision making.
• Adaptability and Lifelong Learning: Being open to change and considerable variety in the workplace; understanding the importance of learning new information for future problem solving and decision making.