Director, Operational Purchasing

POSITION OVERVIEW:

The Director, Operational Purchasing leads the purchasing execution organization supporting JENNMAR manufacturing facilities and operating businesses. This role translates approved global and regional sourcing strategies into consistent plant-level execution, ensuring material and service availability at the required cost, quality and delivery performance. The Director owns purchasing team capability, process compliance, order execution, supplier follow-through, inventory coordination, purchasing data integrity and operational performance improvement. Role mission: Build a reliable, low-friction, accountable procure-to-pay operating model that protects plant production, strengthens regional P&L performance, reduces working capital and ensures enterprise sourcing strategies deliver measurable results.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Operations or related field preferred; equivalent manufacturing procurement leadership experience considered.
• 8–10+ years of purchasing, materials or supply chain experience, including significant leadership of multisite or complex manufacturing purchasing teams.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Demonstrated experience in plant operations support, supplier delivery recovery, inventory and working-capital improvement, purchasing controls and KPI management.
• Strong analytical ability, financial and commercial judgment, ERP proficiency, advanced Excel/reporting capability and experience with process digitization; Microsoft D365 experience preferred.
• Ability to lead cross-functional change, coach teams, work effectively with operating leaders and communicate concise risk and performance assessments.
• Uncompromising ethics, safety mindset and adherence to delegated authority and company procurement policies

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead day-to-day purchasing operations across assigned plants and businesses, with standard service expectations, workload allocation, continuity coverage and timely escalation of material risks.
• Ensure disciplined procure-to-pay execution: requisition review, purchase order accuracy, authorization, acknowledgement, delivery follow-through, receipt/invoice exception resolution and open-PO closure.
• Enforce contract, approved-supplier, delegated-authority and purchasing-policy compliance; identify maverick spend, price leakage, unapproved terms and recurring process exceptions.
• Own the operating cadence for supplier delivery performance and shortage recovery; ensure clear ownership, action plans and proactive communications to plant and regional leaders.
• Partner with Planning and Operations on inventory days on hand, lead times, safety stock, MOQ, order quantities, excess/obsolete inventory and open-order exposure, balancing working capital with production protection.
• Provide accurate purchasing cost, price variance, service and inventory reporting to Operations, Category Management and Finance; support delivery and validation of negotiated savings.
• Deploy supplier scorecards and corrective-action reviews in partnership with Category and Quality teams, prioritizing critical and top-five suppliers in each deployed category.
• Lead ERP purchasing controls, item/supplier/pricing/lead-time data accuracy and standardized workflows, including Microsoft Dynamics 365 where implemented; drive analytics, automation, EDI and practical AI-enabled process improvements subject to company governance.
• Develop staffing plans, hire and coach purchasing personnel, conduct performance reviews and reinforce accountability, customer service, ethics and continuous improvement.
• Standardize plant purchasing processes and build clear work instructions, training, management dashboards and escalation practices across the applicable regions.

Operating Model and Leadership Accountability

• Operational and P&L alignment: Be the senior Procurement execution partner to regional and plant leadership; regularly review demand, shortages, service levels, material cost and inventory outcomes.
• Enterprise strategy deployment: Implement supplier awards, negotiated terms, specifications, approved supplier lists and category playbooks established by Category leadership; surface exceptions and improvement opportunities.
• People leadership: Establish team structure, location/plant coverage, priorities, performance standards, coaching, succession and appropriate cross-training for Buyers and Senior Buyers.
• Governance: Maintain clear decision rights and escalation pathways among Procurement, Category Management, Operations, Finance/AP and Quality.

Leadership Expectations and First-Year Priorities

• Assess the current Buyer / Senior Buyer model, site coverage, workload balance, performance gaps and escalation practices; recommend a practical organization and staffing plan.
• Implement a recurring region/plant purchasing performance review covering shortages, open orders, supplier OTD, inventory, PO compliance and price variance.
• Standardize purchasing execution procedures, supplier scorecards, training and D365-enabled reporting as sites transition to the new operating model.
• Partner with Category leadership to establish measurable contract adoption and savings realization; visibly reduce purchasing-related plant disruptions.

Additional duties may be assigned by Procurement leadership. Travel to plants, suppliers and regional locations will be required based on organizational coverage. Specific reporting relationships, geographic scope, travel expectation and final metrics remain subject to approval. Excellent benefits include medical with a standard PPO plan with deductibles as low as $1,500 and wellness credit up to $750; voluntary 401k plan with company match up to 12%; voluntary dental and vision plans; free telemedicine services; basic life and short-term disability coverage.

EOE M/F/D/V