Purchasing Manager

Role Overview

The Purchasing Manager leads and manages procurement activities in support of manufacturing operations, aftermarket services, and equipment-based projects. This role ensures the timely, cost-effective, compliant, and high-quality acquisition of materials, components, equipment, and services to meet production schedules and customer commitments. The Purchasing Manager provides strategic sourcing leadership while remaining engaged in day-to-day execution. This position supervises Buyers or Purchasing Specialists and plays a key role in supplier performance management, cost control, inventory alignment, and supply chain risk mitigation.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Sourcing & Procurement Leadership

  • Develop and implement purchasing strategies aligned with production goals, financial objectives, and long-term business plans
  • Lead end-to-end sourcing for direct and indirect materials, MRO supplies, capital equipment, and services
  • Negotiate pricing, contracts, terms, and long-term agreements to optimize total cost of ownership (TCO)
  • Drive cost-reduction initiatives through competitive bidding, value engineering, supplier consolidation, and market analysis
  • Monitor commodity trends and market conditions to proactively manage cost and supply risk
  • Serve as escalation point for critical supplier shortages, pricing disputes, or contractual issues

• Supplier Management & Risk Mitigation

  • Source, evaluate, qualify, and onboard suppliers based on quality, pricing, delivery, financial stability, and capacity
  • Establish strategic supplier partnerships to improve reliability, innovation, and responsiveness
  • Implement supplier performance scorecards measuring KPIs
  • Conduct regular supplier business reviews and address performance gaps
  • Develop dual-sourcing and contingency strategies to mitigate supply chain disruptions

• Inventory & Cost Control

  • Collaborate with operations, planning, and distribution teams to ensure appropriate inventory levels and material availability
  • Support demand forecasting and material planning processes
  • Partner with finance to manage purchasing budgets and track cost savings initiatives
  • Identify opportunities to reduce excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory
  • Analyze spend data to identify consolidation and cost optimization opportunities

• Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Serve as the primary procurement liaison for Engineering, Production, Quality, Distribution, and Project Management teams
  • Support new product introductions by sourcing components and ensuring supplier readiness
  • Provide input on lead times, material constraints, and cost impacts during project planning
  • Cookordinate with planning and logistics to align purchasing decisions with transportation and delivery requirements

• Team Leadership & Oversight

  • Provide day-to-day leadership, mentoring, and workload coordination for Buyers and Purchasing Specialists
  • Review purchase orders, contracts, and sourcing decisions for accuracy and compliance
  • Support hiring, onboarding, and training of procurement team members
  • Establish performance goals and provide ongoing feedback and development planning
  • Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement

• Systems, Reporting & Continuous Improvement

  • Ensure accurate and timely data entry and maintenance in ERP and procurement systems
  • Develop and analyze purchasing metrics, including spend analysis, supplier performance, cost savings, and purchase price variance
  • Implement process improvements to increase efficiency, compliance, and visibility across procurement activities
  • Lead or support digital transformation initiatives related to procurement systems and reporting tools
  • Standardize procurement policies and procedures to enhance governance and internal controls

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Engineering, or related field preferred
• 7+ years of progressive experience in purchasing, strategic sourcing, or supply chain management
• Demonstrated experience negotiating supplier agreements and managing vendor performance
• Working knowledge of inventory management and production support processes
• Experience with ERP systems (preferably Infor or comparable platforms)
• Strong analytical, negotiation, and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication and leadership skills with the ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders

Preferred Experience

• Professional certification such as CPSM, CPM, or APICS (CPIM/CSCP)
• Experience managing international suppliers
• Background in cost modeling, value engineering, and supplier development
• Experience leading procurement transformation or system implementation initiatives