Purchasing Manager - Assembly

The Purchasing Manager - Assembly provides leadership and strategic direction to the Purchasing team at the Wallingford, CT facility. This role is responsible for developing and executing procurement strategies that support operational excellence, cost reduction, supplier performance, and long-term business growth.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead strategic procurement initiatives to support company objectives and growth strategies.
• Support the General Manager and Executive Team by gathering and analyzing spending and investment data for key programs.
• Maintain awareness of upcoming programs and business opportunities to ensure procurement decisions are made proactively and effectively.
• Partner closely with Engineering to ensure procurement considerations are integrated into design-for-manufacturing initiatives and future product designs.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify and close operational gaps.
• Issue purchase orders and expedite materials as required to support production schedules.
• Drive total cost of ownership (TCO) reductions through supplier collaboration, process improvements, and strategic sourcing initiatives.
• Develop and implement sourcing strategies, including vendor consolidation, annual agreements, and volume-based pricing arrangements.
• Develop and manage formal commodity strategies, including spot buys, forward buys, and forward contracting.
• Assess and monitor commodity and supply chain risks among key suppliers and provide regular updates to the Executive Team.
• Conduct periodic supplier audits to evaluate quality, delivery performance, and continuous improvement efforts.
• Develop requests for proposals (RFPs) and negotiate supplier contracts to achieve cost reductions and service improvements.
• Research, evaluate, and qualify new suppliers to support business needs.
• Identify and mitigate risks associated with single-source suppliers.
• Develop and maintain the Approved Vendor List (AVL) in partnership with the Quality Department.
• Lead supplier communications and negotiations.
• Maintain a supplier management matrix identifying key suppliers and the status of associated supply agreements.
• Establish and maintain processes that ensure strategic procurement activities include appropriate due diligence and integration for long-term master agreements.
• Develop standardized supplier performance metrics, including targets, scorecards, and action plans.
• Track, measure, and report TCO metrics for key suppliers.
• Manage, monitor, and report on supplier quality programs and performance.

Qualifications/Requirements

• Demonstrated leadership and decision-making skills.
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to motivate, influence, develop, and train team members.
• Working knowledge of Lean principles and tools, with the ability to translate theory into practical implementation.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across multiple departments and with diverse personalities.
• Strong interpersonal, negotiation, and communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment while remaining hands-on and proactive.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving abilities.
• Strong sense of urgency and ability to prioritize effectively.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
• Experience with ERP systems and reporting tools; Oracle experience preferred.