Purchasing Manager

ERMCO-ECI Greeneville • Greeneville, TN

5d

About The Position

The Purchasing Manager leads strategic procurement of materials, components, and services critical to manufacturing operations. The role aligns sourcing strategies with business objectives and maintains a robust dual-source supplier program to strengthen supply chain resilience, cost competitiveness, and business continuity. The manager leads a team of buyers, builds supplier partnerships, and collaborates across functions to ensure material availability, mitigate risk, and uphold standards that support customers and the business.

The role drives procurement excellence by ensuring a reliable supply of materials, mitigating supply chain risks, and enabling operations to consistently deliver for customers.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Proven experience in procurement supervision, ideally as a Purchasing, Buyer, or Expeditor Lead, Supervisor, or Manager.
• Strong negotiation, supplier contract management, and strategic sourcing skills.
• Knowledge of supply chain principles, procurement best practices, and vendor relations.
• Analytical mindset and experience in cost analysis and procurement forecasting.
• Experience with sourcing tools, ERP/procurement systems, and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build trust with teams and vendors.
• Ability to manage priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Knowledge of relevant industry regulations and compliance standards.
• Ability to lead and develop teams.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with 8-D and 5 Why Root Cause Analysis.
• Experience in lean manufacturing and continuous improvement tools; Six Sigma is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute procurement strategies that ensure material availability, support production requirements, and optimize cost, quality, and lead-time performance.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the purchasing team by establishing goals, performance metrics, and accountability while fostering collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Partner with Operations, Production, Engineering, Quality, Receiving, and Finance to support business objectives and improve supply chain performance.
• Build and strengthen strategic supplier relationships, including a dual-source supplier strategy to improve supply continuity, competitiveness, and risk mitigation.
• Negotiate supplier pricing, contracts, and commercial terms to maximize value, reduce risk, and achieve cost savings.
• Monitor supplier performance, market conditions, and industry trends to identify opportunities for improvement, cost optimization, and supply assurance.
• Oversee end-to-end procurement, including purchase order management, supplier issue resolution, and compliance with company policies and ethical standards.
• Drive inventory optimization to maintain appropriate stock levels, reduce excess inventory and waste, and improve working capital performance.
• Lead vendor return, recovery, and escalation processes, including RMA management, supplier corrective actions, cost recovery, and expedited freight mitigation.
• Champion ethical sourcing, supplier diversity, and sustainable procurement practices.
• Use ERP, MRP, procurement, and business intelligence systems to analyze data, monitor KPIs, improve decision-making, and enhance procurement effectiveness.
• Promote innovation, continuous improvement, and operational excellence to deliver sustainable cost savings and long-term business value.
• Lead, develop, and inspire high-performing teams, strengthening direct reports’ skills, capabilities, and engagement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager