Director of Purchasing

Summit Fire And Security•Mendota Heights, MN

17d

About The Position

The Director of Purchasing leads enterprise purchasing strategy and operations across all divisions within the fire and life safety business. This role partners closely with the Director of Sourcing & Vendor Relations to align category strategies, preferred vendor programs, and supplier performance standards. The Director represents the Supply Chain Management team in the development of tools, data structures, and workflow enhancements that strengthen the end-to-end procurement process. This position manages Purchasing Managers, purchasing teams, and compliance functions, ensuring accurate data, consistent execution, strong internal controls, and alignment with corporate governance requirements. The Director also plays a key role in M&A integration by transitioning acquired purchasing functions into Oracle Fusion standards, processes, and systems. The position serves as the go-to leader for resolving field purchasing issues and oversees training, development, and continuous improvement initiatives to elevate capability and performance.

Requirements

High School diploma/ GED, required.
Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience, highly preferred.
8-10+ years of progressive procurement or supply chain leadership experience.
Experience managing multi-site or enterprise procurement teams.
Proven success implementing procurement systems, analytics, and process optimization.
Strong leadership in supplier performance management and cross-functional collaboration.
Must have the ability to effectively read, write and communicate in English with employees, customers, and board of directors.
Proven ability to facilitate meetings, lead discussions, and deliver concise updates to senior leadership
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and motivate others at all organizational levels
Demonstrated emotional intelligence and active listening skills to build trust and manage sensitive conversations diplomatically.
Microsoft Office suite, required.
Deep understanding of ERP systems, with Oracle Fusion experience, strongly preferred.
Valid driver's license with acceptable driving record required.
Must be able to comply with SFPH's Drug and Alcohol policy and Background screening requirements, which may also include customer specific requirements based on contractual agreement.
Frequent travel up to 50% of the time.

Nice To Haves

Experience leading purchasing integration during acquisitions preferred.

Responsibilities

Leadership & Strategy Set the long-term purchasing strategy and annual operating plan aligned to company goals, supply risk profile, and budget.
Lead enterprise purchasing operations through Purchasing Managers and other direct reports.
Partner closely with the Director of Sourcing & Vendor Relations to execute category strategies, preferred supplier programs, pricing structures, and contract compliance.
Establish enterprise purchasing standards, policies, and controls to ensure consistent execution across all business units.
Provide executive-level insights on performance, risks, savings, and operational trends.
Support M&A planning by assessing newly acquired purchasing structures, identifying gaps, and recommending integration steps.
Oversee daily execution of requisitions, purchase orders, sourcing activity, confirmations, and pricing accuracy.
Ensure strong Procure-to-Pay performance, including cycle time, order accuracy, and on-time delivery.
Represent SCM as the product owner for procurement systems, tools, and analytics.
Lead Oracle Fusion process ownership, including workflow configuration, training, data quality governance, and system optimization.
Ensure strong process integration between Purchasing, Sourcing, Finance, Inventory Management, and field operations.
Partner with IT to improve automation, analytics, and reporting tied directly to Oracle Fusion and other procurement technologies.
Coordinate with AP, Inventory, Receiving, and Operations to resolve discrepancies, improve throughput, and reduce rework.
Direct the Compliance Manager to identify gaps, conduct root-cause analysis, and implement corrective actions.
Strengthen compliance governance across all purchasing teams, ensuring adherence to policies, delegated authority limits, and supplier programs.
Maintain strong internal controls and audit readiness, including documentation standards, approval compliance, and data accuracy.
Lead supplier compliance initiatives related to safety, contractual obligations, and quality expectations.
Oversee procurement risk management, including supply continuity planning and supplier audits.
Play a central role in integrating new acquisitions into corporate governance, policy structures, and system controls.
Design and deliver structured training programs to effectively ramp new hires and upskill existing staff on systems, standards, and supplier programs.
Establish KPIs for purchasing teams and drive accountability through performance scorecards and coaching.
Foster a culture focused on service, accuracy, responsiveness, and continuous improvement.
Mentor high-potential talent and support leadership succession planning.
Serve as the go-to leader for resolving field purchasing issues, urgent material needs, pricing conflicts, and supplier performance challenges.
Work directly with branch operations and field teams to ensure purchasing provides a responsive, service-based support model.
Escalate supplier constraints and collaborate with Sourcing on corrective action plans.
Act as the primary liaison between centralized purchasing, business unit leadership, and operational teams across all divisions.
Collaborate extensively with Business Units, field teams, IT, Finance, Sourcing, Inventory Management, and Operations to ensure process alignment, spend management accuracy, and supplier performance.
Partner with IT to support system enhancements, automation, and data integrity within Oracle Fusion.
Lead procurement components of M&A integration, ensuring newly acquired operations follow corporate procurement standards and system processes.
Other duties may be assigned.