What are the responsibilities and job description for the Procurement Manager position at Conn Selmer?
Description
At Conn Selmer, we're passionate about music and dedicated to producing the highest-quality instruments for musicians of all skill levels. As a member of our organization, we seek candidates who possess the following values: Integrity, Excellence, Teamwork, Inclusivity, and Innovation. Please see our Conn Selmer website (www.connselmer.com) for more information about who we are.
The Procurement Manager leads sourcing strategy for Conn-Selmer’s domestic musical instrument manufacturing sites. This role owns end-to-end procurement for direct and indirect materials—driving cost reduction, supply continuity, process excellence, and supplier performance. Success is measured by year-over-year cost savings, on-time delivery, quality performance, and the strength of the supplier base. In addition, this role will balance local versus global supply options, make-versus-buy decisions, and the development of non-traditional suppliers while partnering closely with operations, quality, engineering, and finance.
Responsibilities
At Conn Selmer, we're passionate about music and dedicated to producing the highest-quality instruments for musicians of all skill levels. As a member of our organization, we seek candidates who possess the following values: Integrity, Excellence, Teamwork, Inclusivity, and Innovation. Please see our Conn Selmer website (www.connselmer.com) for more information about who we are.
The Procurement Manager leads sourcing strategy for Conn-Selmer’s domestic musical instrument manufacturing sites. This role owns end-to-end procurement for direct and indirect materials—driving cost reduction, supply continuity, process excellence, and supplier performance. Success is measured by year-over-year cost savings, on-time delivery, quality performance, and the strength of the supplier base. In addition, this role will balance local versus global supply options, make-versus-buy decisions, and the development of non-traditional suppliers while partnering closely with operations, quality, engineering, and finance.
Responsibilities
- Sourcing Strategy & Cost Leadership: Develop and execute sourcing strategies that optimize total cost of ownership. Evaluate local vs. global supply, make-vs-buy scenarios, and dual-sourcing opportunities. Drive year-over-year cost reductions through VA/VE, cost modeling, product teardowns, supplier workshops, fact-based negotiations, raw-material indexation models, and competitive benchmarking.
- Supplier Relationship & Performance Management: Own the supplier network—identifying, qualifying, and developing suppliers against Conn-Selmer quality, technology, cost, and delivery standards. Conduct financial and business analysis, core supplier reviews, on-site audits, and capacity planning. Manage day-to-day supply issues, quality concerns, part launches, engineering changes, product transfers, and commercial disputes.
- Contract & Commercial Negotiation: Negotiate and administer annual and multi-year pricing agreements covering specifications, total cost (including logistics, MOQ, and inventory impact), stocking programs, payment terms, warranty, on-time delivery (OTD), and quality metrics. Ensure agreements align with Conn-Selmer standards and business objectives.
- Cross-Functional & Global Collaboration: Partner with internal stakeholders (operations, quality, engineering, finance) and with regional/global procurement teams to leverage scale, share best practices, advance technology adoption, and improve supplier responsiveness. Support new product development by selecting vendors that meet quality, technology, and cost targets.
- Process Excellence & Continuous Improvement: Streamline procurement processes, strengthen supplier assessment frameworks, and introduce non-traditional suppliers where they create competitive advantage. Apply market intelligence and industry analysis to inform strategy.
- People Leadership: Lead, coach, and develop team members. Build a high-performing culture focused on accountability, collaboration, and results.
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Engineering, or a related field
- Minimum 5 years of purchasing, procurement, or manufacturing engineering experience in a production environment
- Demonstrated experience sourcing both domestically and internationally
- Proven track record of developing and implementing strategic sourcing initiatives, processes, and cross-functional partnerships
- People management experience with a record of coaching and motivating teams
- Strong commercial acumen and familiarity with manufacturing processes and total-cost analysis
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel; solid project management and business-case analysis skills
- Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
- Willingness to travel domestically up to 15% and internationally less than 5%
- Working knowledge of ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle) and procurement tools preferred
- Familiarity with lean manufacturing, VA/VE methodologies, and supplier development programs preferred
- Professional certification (e.g., CPSM, CSCP, or CIPS) preferred
- Requires periods of sedentary work, daily standing and walking on shop floor
- Requires repetitive upper body movement – keyboard and monitor use
- Visual and hearing acuity