Procurement Manager

Eleven Recruiting is searching for a Procurement Specialist for a well-established precision metal fabrication company in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina. The company delivers CNC laser cutting, forming, welding, and fabrication services to customers across the Southeast US, operating fully in-house across cutting, machining, and fabrication. With a team of 45 employees, many with decades of industry experience, the company serves a diverse customer base across automotive & motorsports, industrial equipment, architecture & construction, consumer products, and OEM & contract manufacturing.

Responsibilities:

• Select, implement, and own an ERP/inventory management system from the ground up — there is no formal system in place today.
• Build out procurement processes, purchase order workflows, and vendor management practices where none previously existed.
• Lead negotiations with suppliers and vendors to secure cost-effective agreements for carbon steel, aluminum, stainless, copper & brass, and specialty alloys.
• Identify and source vendors outside the current supplier base to find more cost-effective materials and reduce spend.
• Develop and manage long-term supplier agreements focused on cost reduction and improved delivery schedules.
• Process and analyze purchase orders and quote requests, ensuring materials meet technical and delivery requirements.
• Monitor supplier performance — on-time delivery, quality, and responsiveness — and address underperformance directly.
• Partner with the Quality Manager to build and maintain an Approved Supplier List and material qualification process as the company's quality system comes online.
• Manage inventory levels and material planning to support a low-volume, high-mix production environment across cutting, forming, welding, and machining.
• Build a rollout and scaling plan for procurement and inventory processes as headcount grows from 45 to roughly 90 employees.
• Track contract renewals, extensions, and modifications to ensure continuity of supply.
• Work cross-functionally with production, engineering, and quality to align procurement with day-to-day shop needs.

Qualifications:
Required

• 5–8 years of procurement or supply chain experience, ideally including strategic sourcing.
• Demonstrated experience building or implementing an ERP or inventory management system from the ground up.
• Experience negotiating supplier contracts and managing vendor relationships in a manufacturing environment.
• Comfortable operating with little existing infrastructure — building processes and systems rather than maintaining ones already in place.
• Strong analytical skills; comfortable working in Excel and evaluating supplier and vendor data.
• Clear communicator able to work across production, engineering, and leadership.

Preferred

• Experience sourcing metals (carbon steel, aluminum, stainless, copper & brass, specialty alloys) or similar raw materials.
• Experience in a precision metal fabrication, machining, or welded-manufacturing environment.
• Familiarity with ISO 9001 or AS9100 quality systems, or experience supporting a company toward certification.
• APICS or ISM certification.
• Experience building a procurement function inside a company going through rapid headcount growth.

Pay: $75,000.00 - $90,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Paid time off

Application Question(s):

• Are you ITAR compliant?

(ITAR Compliant: U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents ("green card" holders), and protected individuals (such as refugees or political asylees))

Experience:

• Inventory management: 3 years (Required)
• Manufacturing procurement or supply chain: 5 years (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $75,000 - $90,000