Purchasing Supervisor

Tenneco•Manitowoc, WI

About The Position

The Purchasing Supervisor plans, executes, and finalizes purchasing and procurement strategies for spending across the plant and organization. The role acquires resources within budget and facilitates communication among the plant, commodity buyers, and group constituents to deliver products and services in accordance with business plan objectives, including productivity and savings targets. The supervisor purchases materials, supplies, and services at the best available price, quality, and delivery, and directly supervises assigned personnel. The position covers all local site purchasing, including direct materials, MRO, capital projects, and other locally purchased services or items. It supports sourcing strategies and supplier management, manages the local purchasing budget and contracts, monitors spending and inventory, and works with suppliers and plant stakeholders to meet cost, quality, and delivery objectives. The role also ensures compliance with the Tenneco Integrity Policy and the facility’s Environmental Health and Safety Policy.

Requirements

3–5 years of purchasing experience in the automotive industry or in a mass-production manufacturing facility.
Ability to communicate effectively in English.
Strong knowledge of purchasing regulations and laws.
Excellent contract management skills.
Effective negotiation skills.
Ability to deal tactfully with peers and suppliers.
General knowledge of accounting and finance, marketing, and logistics.
Experience working independently and in a team-oriented environment.
Ability to prioritize and execute tasks effectively in a high-pressure environment.

Nice To Haves

A bachelor’s degree in Business, Purchasing, Supply Chain Management, or an applicable field is preferred.
Studies in economics or engineering are also relevant.

Responsibilities

Supervises and develops assigned staff responsible for plant procurement.
Proposes and manages the local Purchasing budget.
Implements Purchasing “Best in Class” processes and procedures.
Contributes to plant purchasing objectives, including purchasing index, quality level, supplier count, payment terms, and material cost reduction initiatives.
Manages purchasing across the site, including direct materials, MRO, capital projects, and other locally purchased services or items.
Contributes to the management of Purchasing projects.
Contributes to sourcing strategies in coordination with commodity managers and plant stakeholders.
Monitors and analyzes plant spending and inventory trends, recommends future actions, and identifies potential savings.
Analyzes market trends and conditions affecting current and future pricing, availability, lead time, and capacity of goods and services.
Coordinates with commodity managers to support or conduct negotiations concerning pricing, sale terms and conditions, and warranties with key suppliers and vendors.
Monitors vendor, service provider, outsourcer, and contractor performance to ensure service quality, and updates monthly supplier performance matrices in plant or Business Unit databases such as Zycus iPerform.
Develops and delivers purchasing and inventory reports, bid proposals, requirements documentation, and tender documents.
When necessary, develops and implements plans to auction, recycle, or otherwise sell obsolete inventory and equipment.
Manages compliant scrap sale contracts.
When necessary, coordinates delivery of CAPEX and other collateral equipment to the plant and ensures the company has the materials, tools, and services needed for operations.
Ensures supplied products meet quality and on-time delivery expectations and supplier budget targets, including PPM and OTD.
Coordinates supplier quality activities and manages supplier audits and improvement efforts when necessary.
Submits and follows up on Supplier Activation Requests (SARs) and new or modified supplier setups.
Ensures suppliers acknowledge purchase orders and maintains ERP pricing and vendor parameters and information to support purchase order accuracy.
Supports supplier-count optimization and improved payment terms.
Maintains local plant contracts, including facilities, parking, and logistics contracts.
Provides financial support to the plant through PPV review, upload, analysis, and support.
Contributes to supplier management, including managing supplier stop-shipment issues, pricing or payment disputes, escalations, and related communications as needed.
Ensures personal and departmental compliance with the Tenneco Integrity Policy and the facility’s Environmental Health and Safety Policy.
Performs other duties as assigned.