Director of Procurement

About the Company

At Grey Parrot Systems, we believe that excellence should be the standard, not the exception. Our commitment goes beyond delivering exceptional service. We're dedicated to evolving alongside the rapidly changing digital landscape, ensuring our clients always stay ahead of the curve.

About the Role

The Procurement Director is responsible for developing and executing procurement strategies that ensure the efficient acquisition, lifecycle management, and optimization of the company’s fleet assets, along with all other categories of direct and indirect spending.

Responsibilities

Essential Job Duties:

• Lead strategic sourcing and procurement for all fleet assets—including collection vehicles, chassis, bodies, hydraulics, compactors, and heavy equipment.
• Align long-term fleet procurement strategies.
• Evaluate TCO models to optimize acquisition, leasing, maintenance, and disposal decisions.
• Partner with Maintenance Operations to understand asset performance and translate insights into procurement decisions.
• Manage relationships with OEMs, body manufacturers, equipment distributors, and service vendors.
• Conduct analyses and monitor all other major spend categories for the organization, providing recommendations to senior leaders on vendor consolidation opportunities.
• Conduct competitive negotiations to secure favorable pricing, warranties, lead times, and service agreements.
• Oversee contract development, renewals, SLA monitoring, and supplier performance metrics.
• Ensure vendor compliance with safety standards, environmental regulations, and sustainability initiatives.
• Identify cost‑reduction opportunities through strategic sourcing, volume leverage, and process improvements.
• Monitor industry trends, pricing indices, regulatory changes, and production updates that impact procurement.
• Establish KPIs for procurement performance related to cost savings, lifecycle value, and uptime.
• Partner with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Safety, and Finance to align purchasing with operational requirements.
• Support fleet modernization initiatives including alternative fuel vehicles, electrification, and technology upgrades.
• Collaborate with Finance to support budget planning and capital forecasting for organization-wide investments.
• Oversee procurement strategies for parts, tires, consumables, and maintenance supplies.
• Work with Maintenance teams to optimize inventory levels and reduce downtime.
• Support end‑of‑life asset decisions including resale, redeployment, and disposal.
• Ensure procurement practices adhere to DOT, EPA, OSHA, and state/local regulations.
• Manage risk through supplier audits, compliance checks, and contract safeguards.
• Support sustainability targets through sourcing of low‑emission vehicles and environmentally responsible suppliers.

Scope of Responsibility:

This position is an independent contributor role, responsible for sourcing, vendor negotiations, contract management, and total cost of ownership (TCO) strategies for a diverse fleet including collection vehicles, roll-off trucks, recycling equipment, specialty hauling units, and related parts and services. This role may broaden into more general procurement for the organization over time leading a small team.

Requirements

Knowledge and Skill Requirements:

• Minimum 10 years of procurement experience with a strong focus on fleet, heavy equipment, or waste/recycling operations.
• Proven success in vendor negotiations and contract management.
• Expertise in fleet TCO, lifecycle planning, and OEM/manufacturer sourcing.
• Strong analytical skills and proficiency with procurement/ERP systems.
• Ability to build strong relationships and collaborate with Operations and Maintenance teams.
• Strong critical thinking skills with a practical, fleet-operations mindset.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Business, Logistics, or related field.

Physical Demands & Work Environment:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Frequent use of hands and fingers to handle, control, or feel objects, tools, or controls.
• Regularly required to talk and hear, both in person and by phone or web meetings
• Occasionally required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms.
• Ability to read and interpret data on a computer screen or printed documents.
• Work is performed in a typical office environment with moderate noise levels, in a climate-controlled environment with heating and air conditioning.
• Potential for remote work or hybrid work arrangement
• May be required to lift up to 30 pounds.

Travel Required:

• Occasional to Frequent travel to client locations required.

This job description is designed to provide a general overview of the responsibilities and qualifications required for the position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties or qualifications.

Physical Demands/Environmental Factors

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear
• Occasionally required to stand and walk
• Must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus

Equal Opportunity Statement

We are committed to diversity and inclusivity in our hiring practices.

Stay Connected

For more job openings, company updates, and industry insights, follow Grey Parrot Systems on LinkedIn.

👉 Grey Parrot Systems on LinkedIn

We are always looking for talented, driven professionals to join our growing team. Whether this role is the right fit today or not, connect with us and be the first to hear about new opportunities as we expand across Chicago, Detroit, and the Midwest.