Purchasing Manager

Volm Companies•Wausau, WI

11d•$97,573 - $117,083•Hybrid

About The Position

The Purchasing Manager leads, develops, and mentors the procurement team while establishing cross-functional policies and procedures. This role requires a high level of integrity, strong relationship-building skills, and broad experience in supply chain, contract review, negotiation, supplier qualification, and volume contract bidding. The position is responsible for mitigating supplier and service-related risk across Volm Companies and ensuring cost reductions through effective sourcing strategies. The Purchasing Manager partners closely with the procurement team to drive cost savings, reduce inventory, strengthen supplier performance, and implement best practices in procurement and bidding processes.

Requirements

Strong leadership and management skills.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Ability to plan, organize and oversee multiple projects and operations.
Knowledge of purchasing, manufacturing, logistics and warehousing best practices and standards.
Proficiency in lean, continuous improvement and quality methodologies and tools.
Commitment to safety, compliance and customer satisfaction.
Analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills.
Experience with D365 Fin Ops, Cyberquery and other relevant software systems.
Proven ability to provide leadership and identify opportunities for development to accomplish the company goals and objectives.
Knowledge of business-related competencies and principles normally acquired by the completion of a Bachelor’s Degree in a business-related field and/or equivalent work experience.
10+ years of supply chain experience in domestic and international sourcing.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills with emphasis on teambuilding
Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
Ability to stand, walk, and move around for extended periods of time.
Capability to lift and carry objects of various weights up to 50 pounds (occasionally/ routinely/frequently).
Proficiency in using hands, fingers, and arms for tasks such as typing and writing.
Sufficient visual acuity to read documents and recognize details at close and distant ranges.
Ability to hear and understand verbal communication.
Flexibility to bend, stoop, and reach low or high objects.
Ability to perform physically demanding tasks, such as lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying heavy objects.
Adaptability to work in varying environmental conditions, such as temperature extremes, noise, dust, or fumes, depending on the nature of the job.
Willingness to adhere to safety protocols and wear protective gear, including helmets, goggles, gloves, and safety shoes, as required by the job.
The ability to drive a company owned/leased vehicle or personal vehicle on behalf of the company is required.
Inclusion in the company’s driver qualification program is required to drive a company owned/leased vehicle or personal vehicle.
Agree to the company driving policies that apply to company owned/leased vehicle or personal vehicle as applicable.
Possess and maintain a valid driver license and be a minimum of 21 years of age.
Maintain an acceptable driving record, as evidenced by completion of a baseline motor vehicle record check and ongoing monitoring.
When driving a personal vehicle on behalf of the company, must provide a copy of the declaration page from personal auto insurance that shows the policy dates and minimum coverage amounts ($300,000 bodily injury per accident/$100,000 property damage per accident or if driving less than 5 hours/200 miles a year $50,000 bodily injury per accident/$10,000 property damage per accident or the state minimum, whichever is more). This requirement is initially and then annually thereafter.

Responsibilities

Provide strong leadership, setting a positive example and fostering a collaborative work environment.
Manage and develop a team, providing feedback, coaching, and guidance to support their growth and success.
Set goals, plan work, and allocate tasks to ensure efficient utilization of resources and alignment with organizational objectives.
Maintain open and effective communication channels within the team and with other stakeholders.
Monitor team performance, provide timely feedback, and address performance issues as needed.
Identify training and development needs and support the professional growth of team members.
Resolve conflicts and make informed decisions to drive success.
Ensure compliance with company policies and regulations.
Directs, mentors and trains procurement team to be the best that they can be in their roles offering the opportunity for cross-training, growth and development within the organization.
Develops and maintains a strong professional partnership with key suppliers.
Acts as the lead facilitator for issue resolution & provides superior customer service in all aspects of purchasing.
Develop and maintain Vendor score card system on a regular basis
Ensure the following are considered SOP by the purchasing team: PO entry, acknowledgment, follow up, inventory control and reduction, updating supplier contracts and promoting optimum system setup for best ordering practices.
Controls purchasing departmental budget.
Capture and report savings thru bid process and negotiations utilizing volume contract bidding tools where appropriate to ensure savings are achieved for all of the Volm companies shared commodities.
Researches products and services across departmental lines to consolidate and leverage spend to achieve best value (quality, service, and price) for VOLM. Taking into account total cost of ownership.
Provide direction relative to New Product Development initiatives, ensuring complete data is provided to the plants for item setup in accordance SOP’s. Ensuring supplier contracts are created and updated in systems by team.
Continue to source products, research, develop, audit, review capacity of new suppliers working toward building relationships, and obtain appropriate documentation such as COI-certificates of insurance and indemnification requirements based on supplier risk level.
Drive continuous improvement efforts for the team and attend cross-functional meetings to improve processes across all Volm Companies.