Purchasing Supervisor

POSITION PURPOSE

The Purchasing Supervisor is responsible for procuring materials and components at a competitive cost, while ensuring quality, reliability, and timely delivery. This role supports meeting manufacturing production schedules and plant sales goals by owning all procurement activities, leading the local purchasing team and initiatives.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Procurement and Inventory Management
  Prepare and execute purchase orders to support Just-In-Time delivery; monitor inventory levels, establish optimal stocking strategies, and ensure accuracy.
• Lead and Develop Purchasing Team
  Supervise, coach, and continuously improve the local purchasing team to meet departmental and plant specific objectives. This role will have 1-2 direct reports.
• Supplier Management
  Build and maintain strong vendor relationships through visits and reviews; able to negotiate pricing and terms to optimize cost and reliability; identify and help qualify alternate suppliers.
• Shortage Mitigation
  Proactively mitigate future shortage risks, through utilization of system tools and supplier communications, to ensure no impact to plant production
• Quality and Engineering Coordination
  Collaborate with Engineering and Quality on material requirements, design changes, and quality expectations.
• Reporting and Continuous Improvement
  Generate ERP reports and procurement metrics; perform root cause analysis on shortages; implement process improvements and best practices.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  Work closely with Operations and other departments to ensure timely delivery and effective communication across the supply chain.

NATURE & SCOPE

The Purchasing Supervisor ensures the timely and cost-effective procurement of materials to support manufacturing operations and plant sales goals. This role owns Dayton plant purchasing, manages vendor relationships, monitors supplier trends to optimize cost and reliability, and manages daily ordering needs for the plant. It collaborates closely with Engineering, Quality, and Operations to align material requirements with production schedules and quality standards. Additionally, the position drives inventory accuracy, assists in identifying alternate suppliers to mitigate risk, and implements continuous improvement initiatives that enhance supply chain efficiency and profitability.

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).  APICS certification a plus.
• Five years of related procurement experience including purchasing, inventory control, and supplier management. Preferably within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong knowledge of sourcing strategies and demand planning.

• Experience with SAP or comparable ERP software preferred.

• Experience negotiating contractual items with suppliers including: price, terms, VMI, etc.
• Strong organizational skills with a bias toward action
• Effective oral communication skills and written communication skills
• Working knowledge of the legal aspects of procurement and contract law.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills
• High degree of initiative, ownership, attention to detail, and follow through on assigned tasks

WORKING CONDITIONS

The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.  The position is predominantly an office function and has exposures consistent with an office role with extended periods seated, standing, walking, and entering information on a computer. While performing this job, the employee is regularly required to stand and walk up to 25% of the time.  This position requires occasional lifting up to 30 pounds and infrequent travel.