Team Lead/Purchasing Manager

National Food Group•Novi, MI

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Purchasing Manager leads a team of Buyers and partners across the organization to strengthen buyer expertise, develop category strategies, build and maintain key vendor relationships, optimize processes, and deliver on organizational goals. Essential Duties Lead, coach, and develop a team of Buyers by setting direction, providing feedback, and fostering growth. Serve as the escalation point for purchasing-related issues. Build and maintain long-term, strategic supplier relationships to ensure quality, cost-effectiveness, innovation, and reliability. Identify, evaluate, and establish new vendor relationships and contracts. Lead contract negotiations with strategic vendors, focusing on quality, cost, deliverables, and process improvement. Streamline purchasing processes in collaboration with cross-functional leaders and departments. Develop and execute category-level purchasing strategies to drive growth. Monitor market trends, economic conditions, and industry best practices relevant to assigned categories. Deliver on sales, margin, and inventory objectives.

Requirements

10+ years of purchasing experience, preferably in the food industry.
5+ years of leadership experience.
Bachelor’s degree preferred.
Lead and develop a team in a fast-paced environment.
Manage multiple projects and deadlines with competing priorities.
Adapt quickly to shifting business needs and priorities.
Build and maintain strong internal and external business relationships.
Travel up to 15% to vendors, customers, and trade shows.
Proven leadership and strategic thinking.
Mastery of the buyer role with strong business process development.
Exceptional communication and negotiation skills.
Strong relationship-building and problem-solving abilities.
Detail-oriented with solid organizational skills.
High learning agility and urgency to deliver results.
Proficiency in ERP systems and Microsoft Excel.
Awareness of industry trends and market dynamics.

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and develop a team of Buyers by setting direction, providing feedback, and fostering growth.
Serve as the escalation point for purchasing-related issues.
Build and maintain long-term, strategic supplier relationships to ensure quality, cost-effectiveness, innovation, and reliability.
Identify, evaluate, and establish new vendor relationships and contracts.
Lead contract negotiations with strategic vendors, focusing on quality, cost, deliverables, and process improvement.
Streamline purchasing processes in collaboration with cross-functional leaders and departments.
Develop and execute category-level purchasing strategies to drive growth.
Monitor market trends, economic conditions, and industry best practices relevant to assigned categories.
Deliver on sales, margin, and inventory objectives.