Job Details
About the job Director of Purchasing (1524007)
Our client is seeking an experienced and strategic Director of Purchasing to lead and oversee the company's purchasing function. As the Director, you will be responsible for developing and executing procurement strategies, managing supplier relationships, and optimizing purchasing processes. Your primary goal will be to ensure the availability of products while driving cost savings and operational efficiency. The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of procurement best practices, inventory control, import logistics, strong negotiation skills, and a proven track record of successfully managing purchasing operations. Reporting to the President, the Director will play a key role in the future growth of the company.
Role Responsibilities:
- Strategy Development: Develop and implement procurement strategies that align with the company's objectives. Identify cost-saving opportunities, evaluate market trends, and establish long-term supplier relationships to enhance procurement effectiveness.
- Supplier Management: Assist the Innovations team in the supplier selection process, negotiate contracts, and manage relationships with key suppliers. Evaluate supplier performance and develop supplier scorecards to ensure quality, reliability, and competitive pricing. Implement supplier development programs to drive continuous improvement.
- Purchasing Operations: Oversee day-to-day purchasing operations, including purchase requisitions, order placement, import (ocean) and domestic logistics, and contract management. Implement best practices and standard operating procedures to streamline processes, reduce lead times, and ensure compliance with internal policies and regulations.
- Cost Savings: Drive cost savings initiatives through strategic vendor management, value engineering, and contract negotiations. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify cost reduction opportunities, evaluate alternative suppliers, and implement cost-effective solutions without compromising quality or service.
- Risk Management: Assess and mitigate risks associated with purchasing activities, such as supply disruptions, quality issues, or supplier financial stability. Develop contingency plans and implement risk mitigation strategies to ensure continuity of supply.
- Team Leadership: Provide strong leadership and guidance to the purchasing team. Foster a collaborative and high-performance culture, promote professional development, and ensure effective communication and coordination across all purchasing functions.
- Stakeholder Collaboration: Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including innovations, operations, and finance, to align purchasing strategies with business objectives. Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders to understand their needs, provide timely support, and contribute to the overall success of the organization.
- Thought Partnership: Be a thought partner to senior leadership to help drive innovation and value creation. Support other activities or initiatives as directed by the President.
Qualifications:Required:
- 8+ years of progressive management-level operational experience.
- Demonstrated working knowledge of supply chain logistics processes including transportation and logistics planning, inventory control, inventory management, and demand planning.
- Proven ability to execute high-complexity projects on schedule and within budget.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Preferred:
- Ability to build cross-functional partnerships, engage in, and lead cross-functional teams and initiatives.
- Strong ability to develop and deploy quantitative analysis for business improvement; a record of accomplishment of KPI-driven and data-driven leadership.
- Comprehensive business process and systems knowledge, and the ability to identify and implement best practices.
- Transformative change management skills and self-awareness to take varying approaches with a dynamic set of stakeholders.
- A strong record of accomplishment of talent recognition and development, finding and building future leaders for the organization.
- Ocean import experience is a plus.
- Experience with Great Plains (GP)/Business Central is a plus.
- Bilingual English/Spanish is a plus.