Purchasing Supervisor

Burnout Brands•Bardstown, KY

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Purchasing Supervisor leads the day-to-day activities of the Purchasing Department, ensuring materials, components, and services are available when needed at the best overall value. Reporting to the Director of Purchasing, this role supervises purchasing staff, manages strategic supplier relationships, and drives measurable cost reductions and process improvements through negotiation, sourcing, data analysis, workflow standardization, and continuous improvement. The supervisor works closely with Operations, Production Planning, Engineering, Quality, Finance, and Inventory Control to support production, reduce supply-chain risk, and improve supplier performance. The role is fully onsite at the company’s Bardstown, Kentucky location, in an office and production-facility environment. It involves regular computer and standard office-equipment use, periodic entry into production, warehouse, and shipping areas, and occasional domestic or international travel of up to 33%. Steel-toed footwear and other personal protective equipment are required in designated areas. Occasional lifting of up to 50 pounds may be required for product reviews. The position manages purchasing activities from requirements review and supplier selection through purchase-order placement, expediting, delivery follow-up, and discrepancy resolution. It oversees supplier negotiations, cost-reduction initiatives, supplier qualification and performance, purchasing KPIs, ERP purchasing data, process standardization, and supply-risk mitigation. The role also hires, develops, coaches, and manages purchasing professionals and is responsible for departmental priorities, performance, staffing coverage, and compliance with health and safety requirements. Post-secondary education in supply chain management, business, operations, or a related field is preferred. A supply-chain designation or certification such as CSCP, CPIM, or CPSM is an asset. Candidates need at least five years of progressive purchasing or supply-chain experience in manufacturing and at least two years of supervisory or team-lead experience. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the USA. The company describes a team-driven, collaborative culture that values strong working relationships, work/life balance, respect, and support, with Friday team breakfasts and quarterly potlucks. Benefits include a 401(k) with company match, paid time off and sick time, medical, dental, and vision insurance, and an employee discount.

Requirements

Minimum five years of progressive purchasing or supply-chain experience in a manufacturing environment.
Minimum two years of supervisory or team-lead experience.
Demonstrated experience achieving measurable cost reductions, conducting supplier negotiations, and improving purchasing processes.
Strong knowledge of purchasing practices, strategic sourcing, supplier management, commercial terms, inventory principles, and manufacturing supply chains.
Proficiency with an ERP system for purchasing, materials planning, supplier management, and reporting.
Advanced spreadsheet and data-analysis skills, including the ability to turn purchasing information into priorities, actions, and measurable results.
Strong negotiation, problem-solving, planning, communication, and stakeholder-management skills.
Ability to manage competing priorities, respond effectively to urgent supply issues, and maintain accuracy in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
High degree of integrity, sound judgment, accountability, and professionalism.
Legally authorized to work in the USA.
An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.

Nice To Haves

Post-secondary education in supply chain management, business, operations, or a related field.
Supply-chain designation or certification such as CSCP, CPIM, or CPSM.
Experience with SAP B1.

Responsibilities

Manage the complete purchasing cycle, including requirements review, requests for quotation, supplier selection, purchase-order placement, order confirmation, expediting, delivery follow-up, and discrepancy resolution.
Manage a portfolio of strategic and complex suppliers, including international suppliers, and ensure team members maintain balanced supplier portfolios.
Lead supplier negotiations covering price, payment terms, lead times, minimum order quantities, freight, tooling, warranty, rebates, and other commercial terms.
Develop and maintain a measurable purchasing cost-reduction pipeline aligned with financial targets and operational priorities.
Use competitive bidding, supplier consolidation, specification review, value analysis, alternate sourcing, volume leverage, and total-cost analysis to reduce costs while protecting quality and supply continuity.
Establish savings baselines with Finance, track forecast and realized savings, distinguish cost avoidance from verified savings, and report results against targets.
Analyze purchasing spend, purchase price variance, supplier concentration, freight costs, order frequency, and transactional costs to identify savings and working-capital opportunities.
Partner with Engineering, Quality, Operations, and Finance on supplier transitions, make-versus-buy analysis, design-to-cost opportunities, and other cost-reduction initiatives.
Evaluate, qualify, and develop suppliers with Quality and Operations, including identifying alternate and dual-source options for critical materials.
Monitor supplier cost, quality, on-time delivery, responsiveness, and lead-time performance; conduct supplier reviews and implement corrective action plans when expectations are not met.
Coordinate supplier non-conformances, returns, credits, warranty claims, and commercial disputes to achieve timely resolutions.
Identify and communicate supply risks, shortages, capacity constraints, and market changes, and develop and implement mitigation plans.
Measure purchasing effectiveness using KPIs including verified cost savings, purchase price variance, supplier on-time delivery, overdue purchase orders, supplier quality, lead-time performance, and purchase-order accuracy.
Standardize purchasing workflows, approval controls, supplier records, and departmental procedures to improve speed, consistency, compliance, and audit readiness.
Maintain accurate supplier, pricing, lead-time, order-quantity, and purchasing data in the ERP system.
Reduce manual work and avoidable purchasing transactions through workflow improvements, blanket purchase orders, supplier scheduling, reporting tools, automation, and other process changes.
Develop and maintain purchasing procedures, work instructions, and standard work; monitor compliance and conduct follow-up reviews to sustain improvements.
Build effective internal stakeholder relationships and communicate purchasing decisions, supply risks, and supplier commitments clearly and promptly.
Protect confidential supplier, pricing, commercial, and company information, and ensure purchasing activities comply with company policies and delegated authority.
Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.
Hire, develop, coach, and manage a team of purchasing professionals.
Set departmental priorities, service expectations, performance objectives, and cost-reduction targets.
Provide employees with regular direction, feedback, training, and development opportunities.
Complete annual employee performance reviews.
Address employee performance or conduct concerns promptly in partnership with Human Resources.
Manage departmental workload, staffing coverage, attendance, and timecards to maintain dependable operational support.
Promote accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and data-based decision-making within the department.
Ensure employees comply with health and safety requirements, receive required training, report hazards and incidents, and use required personal protective equipment.