Manager of Stores and Purchasing

Manager of Purchasing & Stores

Position Summary

The Manager of Purchasing & Stores is responsible for leading all procurement, sourcing, inventory management, stores operations, supplier performance, and contract management activities to support business objectives. This role ensures uninterrupted supply of materials and services while driving cost optimization, supplier development, inventory accuracy, and operational excellence. This position collaborates closely with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, Finance, and Supply Chain leadership to implement strategic sourcing initiatives and support organizational growth.

The position also oversees Source-to-Contract (S2C) activities, supplier relationship management, category strategy deployment, and warehouse/storeroom operations while ensuring adherence to company policies, quality standards, and best practices.

Key Responsibilities

Purchasing & Procurement

• Lead all purchasing activities for components, consumables, MRO supplies, tooling, spare parts, and contract services.
• Develop and implement sourcing strategies that support cost reduction, supplier reliability, risk mitigation, and production continuity.
• Negotiate supplier contracts, pricing agreements, payment terms, service levels, and commercial conditions.
• Manage supplier selection, qualification, onboarding, performance evaluation, and phase-out processes.
• Maintain approved supplier lists and drive supplier development initiatives.
• Coordinate purchasing activities with Engineering, Maintenance, Operations, Quality, and Finance to align procurement with production requirements and budget objectives.
• Ensure compliance with company procurement policies, internal controls, and purchasing procedures.
• Conduct market intelligence and supplier research to support sourcing decisions and category strategies.
• Lead RFx processes including RFI, RFQ, and RFP activities, supplier evaluations, and recommendation development.
• Prepare negotiation strategies, business cases, and sourcing recommendations for management review.

Source-to-Contract (S2C) Management

• Support global and regional category managers in the development and deployment of category strategies.
• Align sourcing requirements with business objectives and category plans.
• Execute sourcing strategies through supplier identification, tender management, commercial negotiations, supplier selection, and contract execution.
• Manage the full contract lifecycle, including implementation, compliance monitoring, renewals, amendments, and termination activities.
• Monitor contract utilization and support e-catalog and preferred supplier programs.
• Maintain supplier master data and procurement records within ERP and procurement systems.
• Track and report sourcing project status, savings performance, and strategic sourcing initiatives.

Stores & Inventory Management

• Oversee warehouse and storeroom operations including receiving, stocking, issuing, shipping, cycle counting, and inventory control.
• Establish and maintain inventory management systems that reduce excess inventory, stockouts, and obsolete materials.
• Define and maintain appropriate reorder points, minimum/maximum levels, and safety stock for critical materials.
• Ensure inventory transactions are accurately maintained within the ERP system.
• Conduct periodic audits to validate inventory accuracy between physical counts and system records.
• Maintain safe, clean, organized, and efficient warehouse facilities.

Logistics & Supplier Coordination

• Oversee receiving inspections and ensure discrepancies, damage, shortages, and non-conforming materials are addressed promptly.
• Coordinate expediting activities for critical materials and urgent production requirements.
• Collaborate with suppliers and internal stakeholders to resolve delivery, quality, and service issues.
• Monitor supplier delivery performance and implement corrective actions as necessary.

Supplier Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strategic supplier partnerships focused on quality, delivery, innovation, and cost competitiveness.
• Conduct supplier performance assessments using established KPIs and scorecards.
• Develop supplier improvement plans to address performance gaps and mitigate supply risks.
• Support supplier audits, capability assessments, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Collaborate with strategic suppliers to identify value engineering and cost-saving opportunities.
• Monitor supplier compliance with contractual obligations, quality expectations, sustainability goals, and ethical…