Procurement Manager

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Sourcing & Supplier Management
• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for all direct materials including copper, lead, connectors, lugs, terminals, and packaging.
• Identify, evaluate, and qualify new suppliers; maintain an approved vendor list aligned with quality, delivery, cost, and compliance requirements.
• Lead supplier negotiations for pricing, payment terms, lead times, and contractual agreements — targeting year-over-year cost reductions without compromising quality.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers; conduct regular business reviews and performance assessments.
• Develop dual-source or alternate-source strategies for critical materials to reduce single-source risk.
• Purchasing & Order Management
• Own the purchase order process end-to-end: requisition review, PO issuance, confirmation, expediting, and receipt coordination.
• Manage inventory replenishment in partnership with Operations to maintain appropriate safety stock levels without excess.
• Resolve invoice discrepancies, delivery issues, and supplier disputes in a timely and professional manner.
• Leverage ERP system to manage procurement workflows, track orders, and report on spend and supplier performance.
• Implement and enforce purchasing policies, approval thresholds, and compliance standards.
• Supply Chain Resilience & Risk Management
• Proactively identify supply chain risks — geopolitical, logistical, capacity, or financial — and develop contingency plans.
• Coordinate with Engineering and Quality on supplier corrective actions, material non-conformances, and first article inspections.
• Track supplier lead times and capacity; communicate proactively with internal stakeholders when supply risks are identified.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Partner with Engineering and Product Development on new product introductions — sourcing components, issuing RFQs, and managing sample qualification timelines.
• Work closely with Operations, Planning, and Finance to align procurement decisions with production schedules, inventory targets, and cash flow objectives.
• Support Sales and Customer Service with lead time information and supply availability for key customer commitments.
• Report on procurement KPIs — cost savings, supplier on-time delivery, purchase price variance, and spend analytics — to senior leadership.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of procurement or purchasing experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing direct material sourcing (raw materials, components, assemblies).
• Strong negotiation skills with a track record of achieving cost savings and improved supplier terms.
• Proficiency with ERP purchasing modules (Epicor or similar).
• Solid understanding of supply chain risk management, supplier qualification, and dual-sourcing strategies.
• Excellent analytical skills — comfortable working with spend data, cost models, and commodity price indices.
• Strong communication skills — able to manage supplier relationships and present to senior leadership.
• Highest level of organizational, detail-oriented, and capability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience sourcing copper, wire, cable, electrical components, or industrial MRO materials.
• Familiarity with defense/government procurement requirements — DFARS, BAA, ITAR awareness.
• CPSM, CIPS, or equivalent professional certification.
• Experience with commodity hedging or price index-linked purchasing contracts.
• Background working with both domestic and international supplier bases.