The Purchasing Manager oversees daily purchasing operations to ensure materials and services meet the organization’s quality, delivery, and cost requirements. This role leads and develops the purchasing team, manages supplier execution, and ensures purchasing activities support production schedules, customer commitments, and business needs. Working closely with Planning, Operations, Engineering, Quality, Program Management, and Finance, the Purchasing Manager drives supplier performance, resolves material shortages, manages purchasing risks, and improves processes and data accuracy.
Compensation: $120,470 - $150,587
Key Responsibilities
Team Leadership and Development
- Direct daily purchasing activities, establish priorities, and allocate resources to meet production and program requirements.
- Recruit, train, coach, and develop purchasing personnel; establish clear expectations and evaluate performance.
- Build team capability in purchase order management, supplier communication, material issue resolution, and ERP utilization.
- Promote accountability, proactive communication, and timely resolution of purchasing and supplier issues.
Purchasing Execution and Cost Control
- Oversee timely purchase order placement and maintenance in accordance with approved suppliers, pricing, agreements, and authorization requirements.
- Ensure supplier acknowledgments accurately reflect purchase order pricing, quantities, specifications, and required delivery dates.
- Resolve pricing discrepancies, invoice issues, and purchase order changes with suppliers and internal stakeholders.
- Monitor purchase price variances and ensure negotiated pricing, payment terms, and agreement benefits are applied.
- Support customer proposals by obtaining and validating material pricing, lead times, and availability.
- Monitor expediting, transportation, and other purchasing-related costs to support budget and operational objectives.
Supplier Performance and Relationships
- Manage day-to-day supplier relationships to support material availability, production schedules, and program requirements.
- Monitor supplier delivery, quality, capacity, and responsiveness against established expectations and purchasing agreements.
- Conduct supplier performance reviews, manage escalations, and drive recovery plans and corrective actions for recurring issues.
- Partner with Quality and Engineering to resolve supplier nonconformances and support supplier development and qualification activities.
- Hold suppliers accountable for purchase order requirements, delivery commitments, and contractual obligations.
Material Availability and Risk Management
- Partner with Planning and Operations to align purchasing priorities with production schedules and customer commitments.
- Oversee supplier delivery follow-up, expediting, and escalation of material shortages.
- Maintain visibility into open purchase orders, past-due deliveries, long-lead materials, and supply risks.
- Coordinate recovery actions for supplier delays, capacity constraints, quality issues, obsolescence, and supply disruptions.
- Support evaluation and qualification of alternate materials or suppliers by coordinating purchasing information and requirements with Engineering, Quality, and other stakeholders.
- Communicate material risks, recovery status, and decisions requiring management support.
Process Improvement and Controls
- Improve purchasing workflows, purchase order management, and ERP data accuracy.
- Establish and track purchasing metrics, including supplier on-time delivery, purchase order placement timeliness, past-due orders, purchase price variances, and shortage reduction.
- Support inventory objectives by aligning purchasing execution with demand and managing order changes, cancellations, and excess material exposure.
- Maintain accurate purchasing records and ensure compliance with company policies, approval requirements, and applicable contractual obligations.
- Support corporate procurement initiatives and implement consistent purchasing practices.
Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related field, with at least six years of relevant experience and four years of people management experience; or
- Master’s degree in a related field, with at least six years of relevant experience and two years of people management experience.
About Frontgrade
At Frontgrade, we build mission-critical electronics that perform without compromise in the world’s most demanding environments, from deep space to national defense. With decades of proven heritage, we deliver high-reliability components, subsystems, and integrated solutions trusted when failure is not an option. But our strength is not just in what we build. It is in the people who make it possible. From engineers and product managers to sales teams, marketers, and skilled manufacturing professionals, every role plays a direct part in enabling missions that protect, explore, and connect our world. We move with purpose, collaborate across disciplines, and take pride in delivering solutions our customers rely on in the highest-stakes environments. If you want your work, whatever your specialty, to contribute to something bigger, you will find your place at Frontgrade.
Why Work for Us
We believe mission success starts with taking care of our people. That’s why we offer competitive health, wealth, and wellbeing benefits from day one. You’ll also find real opportunities to learn, grow, and advance, whether you’re building technical expertise, leading teams, or expanding into new areas. Here, your growth is part of the mission.
Additional Information
This position may require access to technology, materials, software or hardware that is controlled by either ITAR or EAR U.S. export laws. As a condition of any job offer, in order to be employed in this position, you may need to obtain a U.S. Government export license(s), as required by law.
Other benefits include:
- Immediate Medical (FSA and HSA), Dental, and Vision
- 401K Match with 100% immediate vesting
- 9X80 compressed work schedule for qualifying roles
- Career Opportunity and Growth
- Tuition Reimbursement/Student Loan Repayment
- Generous PTO and 11 paid Holidays per year (a combination of both designated and floating holidays)
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8 weeks of 100% Paid Family Leave