Purchasing Manager

Location: Melton Mowbray

Salary: Circa £60k

A local manufacturer is looking for a Purchasing manager to join their team. As the Purchasing Manager you will lead the function across two UK manufacturing facilities. You will utilize your knowledge of supply chain and purchasing processes and work closely with production to ensure all plants can meet customer needs and adapt to changes in order priorities quickly.

Purchasing Manager - Job Role:

• Vendor Management. Manage, plan and implement vendor and sourcing strategies to ensure materials meet production needs in both quality and quantity. Develop or implement procedures and systems to evaluate and select suppliers.

• Contract Negotiation and Management. Develop and recommend ways of reducing agreed material purchasing costs and ensure supply contracts are negotiated in line with strategy and policies. Analyze and implement ways of improving cost effectiveness, methods, and stock levels while maintaining quality and consistency of finished goods.

• Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP). Match Supply to Demand. Work closely with production and sales schedules on a daily basis to determine short- and long-range customer needs. Analyze and adjust orders and shipments based on customer priority and outside supply chain impacts. Build and adjust forecasts to determine best vendor match to supply scheduling needs as priorities shift.

• Team Leadership. Develop and manage the UK purchasing team. Ensure direct reports understand corporate policies and strategies, organizational needs and individual performance expectations.

• Process Metrics, Reporting. Monitor and document physical supply chain processes, such as workflows, cycle times, position responsibilities, and system flows.
  • Inform the Global Procurement Director and Operations Director – UK of all aspects of operations, costs and performance so that timely, effective corrective action is taken where performance/standards or costs deviate from necessary and acceptable levels.

• Process Improvement. Work closely with the Global Procurement team on initiatives to improve inventory, cost, vendor management and supply chain processes.

• • Recommend and implement best practices utilizing MRO purchasing practices to assist volume discounting, preferred customer status and other initiatives to improve delivery times and drive cost efficiencies across all companies.
  • Analyze ways to reduce manual processes and/or outsource procurement functions.

Purchasing Manager – Person Requirements:

• Bachelors’ degree or equivalent
• 7+ years of experience in procurement, purchasing or supply chain management, preferably utilizing SAP.
• Knowledge of polymer industry or Engineered Design products a plus.
• Experience in a high-customization, “made to order” business model a big plus.
• Demonstrated success establishing sourcing strategies, negotiating long-term, high-value contracts and managing multiple complex programs
• Strong analytic skills in sales and operations planning including developing forecasting models for supply and demand economic impacts.
• Deep knowledge of sourcing practices, tools, relevant systems implementation
• Experience working in a fast-moving, complex global environment
• Some remote work is feasible for this position, but a strong in-person presence at our Leominster plant is needed for close collaboration.
• Ability to travel occasionally to UK plants, when safe and practical.