What are the responsibilities and job description for the Purchasing Manager position at Lummus Group?
Role Overview:
The Purchasing Manager leads and manages procurement activities in support of manufacturing operations, aftermarket services, and equipment-based projects. This role ensures the timely, cost-effective, compliant, and high-quality acquisition of materials, components, equipment, and services to meet production schedules and customer commitments.
The Purchasing Manager provides strategic sourcing leadership while remaining engaged in day-to-day execution. This position supervises Buyers or Purchasing Specialists and plays a key role in supplier performance management, cost control, inventory alignment, and supply chain risk mitigation.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Sourcing & Procurement Leadership
- Develop and implement purchasing strategies aligned with production goals, financial objectives, and long-term business plans
- Lead end-to-end sourcing for direct and indirect materials, MRO supplies, capital equipment, and services
- Negotiate pricing, contracts, terms, and long-term agreements to optimize total cost of ownership (TCO)
- Drive cost-reduction initiatives through competitive bidding, value engineering, supplier consolidation, and market analysis
- Monitor commodity trends and market conditions to proactively manage cost and supply risk
- Serve as escalation point for critical supplier shortages, pricing disputes, or contractual issues
Supplier Management & Risk Mitigation
- Source, evaluate, qualify, and onboard suppliers based on quality, pricing, delivery, financial stability, and capacity
- Establish strategic supplier partnerships to improve reliability, innovation, and responsiveness
- Implement supplier performance scorecards measuring KPIs
- Conduct regular supplier business reviews and address performance gaps
- Develop dual-sourcing and contingency strategies to mitigate supply chain disruptions
Inventory & Cost Control
- Collaborate with operations, planning, and distribution teams to ensure appropriate inventory levels and material availability
- Support demand forecasting and material planning processes
- Partner with finance to manage purchasing budgets and track cost savings initiatives
- Identify opportunities to reduce excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory
- Analyze spend data to identify consolidation and cost optimization opportunities
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Serve as the primary procurement liaison for Engineering, Production, Quality, Distribution, and Project Management teams
- Support new product introductions by sourcing components and ensuring supplier readiness
- Provide input on lead times, material constraints, and cost impacts during project planning
- Coordinate with planning and logistics to align purchasing decisions with transportation and delivery requirements
Team Leadership & Oversight
- Provide day-to-day leadership, mentoring, and workload coordination for Buyers and Purchasing Specialists
- Review purchase orders, contracts, and sourcing decisions for accuracy and compliance
- Support hiring, onboarding, and training of procurement team members
- Establish performance goals and provide ongoing feedback and development planning
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement
Systems, Reporting & Continuous Improvement
- Ensure accurate and timely data entry and maintenance in ERP and procurement systems
- Develop and analyze purchasing metrics, including spend analysis, supplier performance, cost savings, and purchase price variance
- Implement process improvements to increase efficiency, compliance, and visibility across procurement activities
- Lead or support digital transformation initiatives related to procurement systems and reporting tools
- Standardize procurement policies and procedures to enhance governance and internal controls
Required Skills and Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Engineering, or related field preferred
- 7 years of progressive experience in purchasing, strategic sourcing, or supply chain management
- Demonstrated experience negotiating supplier agreements and managing vendor performance
- Working knowledge of inventory management and production support processes
- Experience with ERP systems (preferably Infor or comparable platforms)
- Strong analytical, negotiation, and problem-solving skills
- Excellent communication and leadership skills with the ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders
Preferred Experience
- Professional certification such as CPSM, CPM, or APICS (CPIM/CSCP)
- Experience managing international suppliers
- Background in cost modeling, value engineering, and supplier development
- Experience leading procurement transformation or system implementation initiatives
Equal Opportunity Employer