Website Summary

Join trak group in partnering with an established manufacturing client seeking an experienced Purchasing Manager to lead sourcing strategies, supplier negotiations, and cost optimization initiatives across multiple raw material categories. This position will oversee procurement activities involving steel, polymer resins, rubber compounding additives, and wire-rod metals used in a variety of manufacturing processes.

The ideal candidate brings a strong background in strategic sourcing, commodity management, supplier development, and contract negotiations, along with experience working in a technical manufacturing environment. This opportunity offers the ability to influence purchasing strategies, manage supplier relationships, reduce material costs, and lead procurement initiatives that directly impact operational performance and profitability.

Responsibilities

Strategic Sourcing & Commodity Management

• Develop and execute procurement strategies for raw materials used in manufacturing operations, including:

  • Steel metals for stamping applications

  • Polymer resins for plastic compounds

  • Compounding additives for rubber molding and extrusion

  • Wire-rod metals for cold-headed fasteners and hardware

• Monitor commodity markets and pricing trends to identify purchasing opportunities and mitigate financial risks.

• Utilize commodity indices, including CRU, LME, ICIS, and CDI, to evaluate pricing fluctuations and support sourcing decisions.

• Conduct quarterly and annual cost analyses to identify savings opportunities.

• Develop sourcing strategies that improve supplier competitiveness, material availability, and overall procurement efficiency.

• Support inventory planning and maintain appropriate stocking levels to ensure production continuity.

Supplier Management & Contract Negotiations

• Lead supplier sourcing initiatives, competitive RFQs, and supplier qualification processes.

• Evaluate supplier technical capabilities, manufacturing processes, and alignment with engineering and quality requirements.

• Negotiate multi-year supplier agreements covering pricing, cost reductions, payment terms, inventory commitments, and delivery expectations.

• Establish index-based pricing adjustments and annual cost reduction agreements.

• Manage supplier performance related to quality, cost, delivery, and service.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers and internal stakeholders.

• Develop alternative sourcing strategies and contingency supply chains to reduce supplier risk.

• Support supplier sustainability, ESG compliance, and responsible sourcing initiatives.

Technical Procurement & Tooling Management

• Partner with Engineering, Quality, and Operations to evaluate supplier capabilities and technical requirements.

• Review engineering drawings and blueprints to support material and supplier selection.

• Define and negotiate tooling requirements, including:

  • Tooling cavity counts and cycle times

  • Tooling ownership and maintenance responsibilities

  • Tooling amortization strategies

  • Tooling lifecycle and end-of-life disposition

• Ensure supplier agreements clearly define tooling ownership, quality standards, packaging, and delivery requirements.

• Support technical sourcing decisions for manufacturing materials and production tooling.

Cost Optimization & Risk Management

• Develop and implement cost reduction initiatives across assigned commodity categories.

• Analyze material costs, supplier pricing, and commodity market conditions.

• Utilize cost modeling and market intelligence to support procurement negotiations.

• Identify supply chain risks and implement mitigation strategies.

• Evaluate supplier capacity, financial stability, and operational capabilities.

• Collaborate with internal teams to balance material availability, inventory investment, and purchasing costs.

• Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on procurement efficiency and supplier performance.

Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Train, mentor, and motivate purchasing personnel.

• Provide guidance on sourcing strategies, supplier negotiations, and procurement best practices.

• Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, Operations, and Supply Chain teams to align purchasing strategies with business objectives.

• Support procurement planning, supplier development, and organizational improvement initiatives.

• Communicate commodity trends, supplier performance, and cost-saving opportunities to leadership.

Must-Haves

• Bachelor's degree.

• 5+ years of procurement or supply chain experience.

• 1+ years of SAP ERP experience.

• 1+ years of experience reading and interpreting engineering blueprints.

• Experience developing and executing strategic sourcing and procurement initiatives.

• Strong background in supplier contract negotiations and supplier relationship management.

• Understanding of commodity markets, pricing trends, and cost modeling.

• Experience managing supplier sourcing activities, RFQs, and supplier evaluations.

• Ability to analyze material costs and identify procurement savings opportunities.

• Strong understanding of manufacturing supply chains and raw material purchasing.

• Experience working cross-functionally with Engineering, Quality, Operations, and Supply Chain teams.

• Strong negotiation, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

• Demonstrated leadership abilities and experience supporting or mentoring purchasing personnel.

• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities.

• Ability to make strategic purchasing decisions while balancing cost, quality, delivery, and supply chain risk.

Preferred

• Experience purchasing steel, polymer resins, rubber compounding additives, or wire-rod metals.

• Background in automotive, metal stamping, plastics, rubber molding, extrusion, or fastener manufacturing.

• Familiarity with commodity pricing indices, including CRU, LME, ICIS, and CDI.

• Experience negotiating multi-year supplier agreements with index-based pricing structures.

• Knowledge of production tooling requirements, ownership agreements, and amortization strategies.

• Experience developing supplier contingency plans and supply chain risk mitigation strategies.

• Familiarity with supplier ESG and sustainability compliance requirements.

• Experience leading procurement cost reduction and supplier development initiatives.

• Background managing technical sourcing projects involving engineering specifications and manufacturing processes.

Position Details

• Industry: Manufacturing

• Focus: Strategic Sourcing, Direct Materials Procurement, Commodity Management, and Supplier Development

• Systems: SAP ERP and Microsoft Office