PURCHASING MANAGER (Manufacturing)

My client, a very successful and ambitious Manufacturing company in Stoke-On-Trent has exclusively retained me to find them an experienced Purchasing Manager for an exciting, varied and rewarding long term permanent career opportunity. This business is extremely modern in culture and thinking and puts no limits on how far your career can grow within the company. Plenty of opportunity for development.

Job Title: Purchasing Manager

Reporting to: Head of Procurement

Job Purpose

The Purchasing Manager is responsible for coordinating the purchasing activity, purchasing resources and purchasing budgets for all subcontracted supply chain activities which support Operations.

Position in the Organisation

The Purchasing Manager will report to the Head of Procurement. This position will collaborate closely with colleagues, department managers, and senior managers to ensure business objectives and plans are achieved.

Key Responsibilities

Responsibilities will include various tasks related to Purchasing & Category Management, across key areas including Quality, Delivery, Cost, Risk, People & Management. By executing these key responsibilities effectively, the Purchasing Manager will contribute significantly to the success of the company’s commercial & organisational goals.

Purchasing Manager tasks and duties:

• Quality
• To be responsible for approving new suppliers according to requirements, including supplier assessment criteria, financial health checks, relevant ISO quality standards etc.
• Ensure all suppliers formally sign up to the companies Quality Assurance standards for ongoing supply, particularly in relation to product quality, traceability, labelling, documentation etc.
• Delivery
• Early Supplier Engagement - ensure strategies and preferred partners are communicated effectively to Engineering leads so that only appropriate suppliers are engaged early on in projects.
• Work with Engineering leads and Cost Estimation to agree cost targets and delivery of these targets through the project process.
• Cost
• Responsible for compiling and delivering the annual budgets, for your area of responsibility.
• Focus on Cost Management and improved levels of transparency (Quotation Analysis Forms) to leverage costs.
• Risk
• Set objectives for QDCR (quality, delivery, cost, risk) performance reviews. Prioritise suppliers for performance reviews. Ensure business resource is available to support.
• Ensure that there is sufficient installed capacity within the supply chain to achieve the 5-yr plan volumes.
• Manage escalations from Supply Chain, including root cause analysis and ensuring continuity of supply.
• People
• Conduct annual / bi-annual appraisals for all direct reports.
• Complete a skills matrix review quarterly, setting objectives for areas of improvement.
• Provide leadership & support regarding individual team member’s Development plans.
• Management
• Manage own & team resource and set priorities to deliver business objectives.
• Utilise Supplier Dashboard data & information to make recommendations in relation to supplier selection and improvement, ensuring that the Dashboard is completed and maintained.
• Ensure that Purchasing & Supply Chain Policies and Procedures are strictly adhered to.

Requirements for the position:

• Purchasing in a Manufacturing environment.
• Excellent commercial acumen.
• 5-10 years of relevant experience.
• Graduate calibre.
• CIPS qualified / Part-qualified & willing to study.
• Engineering or Design understanding.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Excellent organisational skills are crucial for managing multiple tasks, maintaining accurate records, and prioritising workload efficiently.

• Proficiency in computer skills and familiarity with Google Suite would be an advantage.

Partnership agreement

You will be given required training and support by the company. It is your responsibility to learn and apply the training to achieve long-term outstanding performance. This will initially be measured by your processes and then your results. You will be expected to have a proactive approach to your performance and should be ready and willing to learn new skills. The scope of this role is limited only by your ability.