Department: Supply Chain
Reports To: Head of Supply Chain
Job Purpose:
The Assistant Manager – Supply Chain will be responsible for leading the end-to-end procurement, strategic sourcing, vendor development, and supplier relationship management activities for the organization. The role ensures uninterrupted availability of raw materials, packaging materials, indirect goods, and services while optimizing cost, quality, delivery, and compliance.
As a key member of the Supply Chain team, this position will drive strategic sourcing initiatives, strengthen supplier partnerships, identify cost optimization opportunities, mitigate supply risks, and support the company's growth by ensuring a resilient and efficient procurement function.
Key Responsibilities:
Procurement Strategy & Execution
- Lead end-to-end procurement activities for all direct and indirect materials.
- Develop and execute procurement strategies aligned with business objectives.
- Ensure timely procurement to support production, sales, and business continuity.
- Balance cost, quality, service level, and inventory objectives while making sourcing decisions.
- Develop annual procurement plans in collaboration with Production, Planning, Finance, QA, and Commercial teams.
Strategic Sourcing
- Identify, evaluate, qualify, and onboard new suppliers locally and internationally.
- Conduct market intelligence to identify alternative sources and emerging suppliers.
- Lead RFQ/RFP/RFI processes and comparative commercial evaluations.
- Develop sourcing strategies that reduce dependency on single suppliers.
- Continuously benchmark market prices and sourcing practices.
Vendor Development & Relationship Management
- Build long-term strategic relationships with suppliers.
Evaluate supplier capability covering:
- Quality
- Capacity
- Financial stability
- Compliance
- Service performance
- Conduct supplier performance reviews using defined KPIs.
- Develop supplier improvement plans where necessary.
- Maintain an approved vendor database.
Negotiation & Cost Optimization
- Lead commercial negotiations to achieve optimal pricing and commercial terms.
- Identify value engineering and cost-saving opportunities.
- Drive annual cost reduction initiatives without compromising quality.
- Negotiate contracts, payment terms, rebates, warranties, and service agreements.
- Monitor commodity price trends and recommend sourcing actions.
Supply Risk Management
- Identify procurement risks and develop mitigation strategies.
- Ensure alternative suppliers are available for critical materials.
- Monitor geopolitical, regulatory, and market risks affecting procurement.
- Develop contingency sourcing plans.
Inventory & Supply Planning Support
- Work closely with Planning to ensure material availability.
- Monitor inventory levels to avoid stock-outs and excess inventory.
- Support demand forecasting through supplier collaboration.
- Improve procurement lead times and order fulfillment.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner closely with:
- Production
- Planning
- Quality Assurance
- Finance
- Commercial
- Regulatory Affairs
- Warehouse
- Engineering
- to ensure procurement activities fully support business operations.
Compliance & Governance
- Ensure procurement activities comply with company policies and ethical standards.
- Maintain complete procurement documentation and audit readiness.
- Ensure supplier compliance with food safety, quality, legal, environmental, and sustainability requirements.
- Support internal and external audits.
Process Improvement & Digitalization
- Continuously improve procurement processes for efficiency and transparency.
- Develop procurement dashboards and performance reports.
- Utilize ERP systems effectively for procurement planning and tracking.
- Drive digital procurement initiatives and process automation where applicable.
Team Contribution
- Support capability development within the Supply Chain function.
- Share procurement market insights with management.
- Mentor junior procurement team members when required.
- Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, continuous improvement, and accountability.