Assistant Manager - Purchase

Job Purpose

To lead strategic procurement activities for Paper (PBL & VABL), major raw materials, procurement planning, inventory optimization, alternate vendor development, budgeting, procurement compliance, CSR initiatives, e-tools adoption, and continuous improvement of procurement processes across plants.

Principal Accountabilities

1. Strategic Procurement, Negotiation & Pricing Management

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for PBL, VABL, and other key raw materials.
• Lead commercial negotiations, pricing analysis, and cost optimization initiatives.
• Monitor market trends, supplier performance, and commodity movements to support procurement decisions.
• Ensure timely finalization of contracts, price agreements, and purchase commitments.
• Identify and implement cost-saving opportunities and value engineering initiatives.

2. Procurement Planning & Inventory Optimization

• Drive procurement planning based on production plans, sales forecasts, inventory levels, and business requirements.
• Optimize inventory levels while ensuring uninterrupted supply of materials across plants.
• Monitor stock coverage, in-transit inventory, open orders, and supplier lead times.
• Coordinate with planning, production, logistics, and finance teams to improve working capital efficiency.

3. Alternate Vendor Development

• Identify, evaluate, and develop alternate suppliers for PBL, VABL, and other critical raw materials.
• Conduct supplier assessments covering quality, capacity, commercial competitiveness, and risk management.
• Support supplier onboarding and qualification activities.
• Build a robust supplier base to reduce dependency and supply chain risks.

4. Budgeting & Forecasting

• Lead annual budgeting and quarterly forecast exercises for Paper and key raw materials.
• Collaborate with plant purchasers and finance teams to prepare procurement budgets.
• Monitor budget adherence and identify cost variances.
• Support management reviews with detailed spend analytics and forecast accuracy reports.

5. MIS & Procurement Analytics

• Prepare and publish MIS reports for Paper and major raw materials.
• Price trends
• Inventory levels
• Supplier performance
• Cost-saving initiatives
• Budget vs. actual spend
• Provide analytical insights to support strategic decision-making.

6. Imported Raw Material Planning

• Manage planning and inventory optimization of imported raw materials related to plaster operations.
• Monitor shipment schedules, lead times, customs clearance status, and inventory coverage.
• Coordinate with suppliers, logistics partners, and plant teams to avoid supply disruptions.
• Drive actions to reduce inventory carrying costs while maintaining supply continuity.

7. CSR Compliance & E-Tools Excellence

• Support procurement teams in achieving Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) compliance requirements.
• Drive adoption and effective utilization of procurement digital tools and e-platforms.
• Troubleshoot operational issues related to procurement systems and e-tools.
• Coordinate with central procurement teams and plant purchasers to ensure achievement of CSR and digitalization targets.

8. Procurement Process Governance & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with procurement policies, SOPs, DOA requirements, and internal controls.
• Coordinate audit activities and closure of audit observations.
• Lead periodic review, revision, and implementation of procurement SOPs.
• Work closely with Finance, Internal Control, and Purchase teams to strengthen governance processes.
• Support risk assessment and compliance improvement initiatives.

9. Cross-Functional Coordination

• Collaborate with production, supply chain, planning, finance, quality, stores, and logistics teams.
• Ensure effective stakeholder communication for smooth procurement operations.
• Support strategic sourcing projects and procurement transformation initiatives.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Material cost savings achieved.
• Budget adherence and forecast accuracy.
• Inventory turns and working capital improvement.
• Supplier development and risk mitigation initiatives completed.
• Procurement compliance and audit closure performance.
• CSR compliance achievement.
• E-tools usage and digital adoption targets achieved.
• Procurement service levels and material availability.
• Alternate source development for critical materials.
• MIS accuracy and reporting timeliness.