Purchasing Manager

About the role

The Purchasing Manager at Sheboygan Paint Company is responsible for leading the procurement of raw materials, packaging, equipment, and indirect spend that support coatings manufacturing. This role reports to the Director, Supply Chain Planning & Customer Operations and plays a crucial part in ensuring the timely and cost-effective availability of materials to meet production schedules and customer service commitments.

Responsibilities

• Purchasing Execution & Materials Availability
• Manage day-to-day purchasing operations, including purchase order creation, order confirmation, expediting, and issue resolution to ensure on-time delivery of raw materials, packaging, and indirect materials.
• Ensure uninterrupted materials availability to support production schedules, proactively identifying and mitigating supply risks, shortages, and lead-time changes.
• Partner with Master Planning and Operations to align purchasing activity with demand, capacity, and production plans.
• Maintain accurate purchasing data in the ERP system (pricing, lead times, minimum order quantities, and supplier records) to improve visibility and execution speed.
• Resolve invoice, receiving, and quality discrepancies in partnership with Finance, Receiving, and Quality.
• Sourcing & Supplier Management
• Execute sourcing activities, including RFQs, supplier evaluations, and quote analysis, in support of category strategies defined by the Director.
• Negotiate pricing, terms, and supply agreements for assigned categories to deliver cost savings and reliable supply.
• Manage supplier relationships and monitor performance across quality, delivery, cost, and responsiveness; lead corrective actions when performance gaps arise.
• Support supplier consolidation, qualification of alternate sources, and risk-mitigation efforts to strengthen supply continuity.
• Partner with R&D and Quality to identify and qualify new raw materials and suppliers in support of New Product Development (NPD).
• Inventory & Working Capital
• Partner with Planning and Inventory Control to set and maintain inventory targets, safety stock, and replenishment parameters aligned to lead times, demand, and service goals.
• Balance material availability with inventory and working-capital objectives, minimizing excess, obsolete, and slow-moving stock.
• Support inventory accuracy through disciplined data management and partnership on cycle counts.
• Cost Management & Reporting
• Track and report purchase price variance (PPV), cost savings, and material cost trends against budget.
• Identify and execute cost-reduction and value-engineering opportunities in partnership with the Director and cross-functional teams.
• Provide timely reporting and analysis on supplier performance, spend, and procurement metrics.
• Continuous Improvement & Systems
• Drive continuous improvement of procurement processes, controls, and ERP data quality.
• Standardize purchasing procedures and documentation to ensure consistency, compliance, and auditability.
• Leadership & Team Development
• Lead, mentor, and develop the buying team, fostering accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement.
• Set clear goals, priorities, and performance expectations aligned to service, cost, and supply-continuity objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, business, chemistry, chemical engineering, or a related field.
• 7+ years of purchasing or procurement experience, preferably in the coatings, chemicals, paints, adhesives, or specialty materials industries.
• Demonstrated success negotiating supply agreements and managing supplier performance.
• Proficiency with ERP systems and procurement/analytics tools.
• Strong organizational, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• People-leadership experience preferred.
• Professional certifications (CPSM, CPIM, CSCP, or similar) a plus.