Sr. Purchasing Manager

About the Opportunity

Our client is seeking an experienced Senior Purchasing Manager to lead MRO and indirect procurement activities across multiple manufacturing locations. This is a highly visible leadership role responsible for developing and executing sourcing strategies, managing supplier relationships, driving cost savings, and building a high-performing purchasing organization.

The ideal candidate will bring 10+ years of purchasing/procurement experience with significant MRO and indirect spend exposure, along with a demonstrated history of leading teams across multiple locations. Experience managing remote and geographically dispersed employees is highly valued.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead MRO and indirect purchasing strategy across multiple manufacturing locations, aligning procurement activities with broader business objectives.
• Develop and implement sourcing strategies that leverage market intelligence, supplier capabilities, cost opportunities, and supply chain risk considerations.
• Lead negotiations for complex supplier agreements, RFPs, and RFQs to achieve competitive pricing and maximize total cost of ownership.
• Manage and develop a geographically dispersed purchasing team, including direct and indirect reports and remote employees.
• Establish supplier performance expectations, KPIs, scorecards, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Identify cost-reduction opportunities across MRO and indirect categories while maintaining quality, service, and operational continuity.
• Partner closely with Operations, Engineering, Finance, and other functional leaders across multiple facilities.
• Monitor supply chain risks and develop mitigation strategies to protect manufacturing operations.
• Drive procurement process improvements, standardization, and continuous improvement/Kaizen initiatives across locations.
• Ensure compliance with purchasing policies, governance requirements, contractual obligations, and applicable legal and sustainability standards.
• Prepare and present procurement performance, savings, supplier, and MRO-related reporting to senior leadership.
• Resolve complex supplier and internal purchasing issues through strong negotiation, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Recruit, coach, develop, and evaluate purchasing team members while fostering accountability, collaboration, and high morale.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive purchasing, procurement, or supply chain experience.
• Strong background in MRO and indirect purchasing, ideally within a manufacturing environment.
• 3+ years of people leadership experience, including management of direct and indirect reports.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams across multiple locations and/or remote employees.
• Strong strategic sourcing, supplier negotiation, and cost-analysis capabilities.
• Experience developing and executing sourcing strategies and managing supplier performance.
• Strong understanding of purchasing processes, supply chain management, and procurement best practices.
• Proven ability to identify and implement process improvements and standardization initiatives.
• Excellent problem-solving, communication, presentation, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Strong ability to influence stakeholders and lead difficult supplier negotiations.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

What We’re Looking For

The successful candidate will be a strategic and hands-on procurement leader who can operate across multiple manufacturing locations while developing people and driving measurable results. The strongest candidates will have deep MRO/indirect purchasing expertise, multi-site leadership experience, and a proven ability to lead both local and remote teams in a complex manufacturing environment.