Key Responsibilities 

• To own company set objectives for the Purchasing department and cascade those objectives with the purchasing team or supply chain. Holding regular meetings to present status on key projects that will deliver the strategic needs of the business. 

• Plan, schedule, and monitor goods and services to meet the production requirements of the company employing such techniques but not limited to JIT, Kanban, Blanket POs, and Reschedules. 

• Ensuring raw materials, components and production supplies are ordered accurately and are delivered on-time to support assembly / distribution / Installation schedules. 

• Manage inventory and safety stock levels, optimizing service performance with the most effective use of capital. 

• Set-up and maintain material, supplier, and planning system data in the MRP/ERP system. 

• Perform Root Cause Counter Measure when shortages occur. 

• Support and provide direction regarding material availability or limitations against inventory / Installation plans and develop action plans to address.  

• Gather necessary resources to address action items and follow up on all material shortage-related issues.  

• Manage inventories to ensure continuous customer supply while maximizing stock turns. 

• Engage in key stakeholder management with engineering, production, intercompany sales, and operations functions. 

• Communicates/elevates issues as needed to stakeholders. Actively interact with Business segments, quality, warehousing & transportation to solve material issues & react to consumption patterns.  

• Analyse data using Excel, creating pivot charts to identify key areas for supplier performance improvements. 

• Work with supply base to ensure material availability; quickly resolving any gaps in availability, capacity, quality, and cost to minimize business impact.  

• Accurate and timely reporting of key measurables such as Supplier delivery metrics. 

• Special projects and new project development as assigned.  

• Negotiate freight costs, Inco and payment terms to improve margin and cash flow. 

• Implement stock holding and call off systems for both indirect and direct production supplies which take into account product life and customer schedule coverage. 

• Achieve the most competitive pricing at either unit price or the lowest Total Cost of Acquisition in relation to any sourcing activities assigned to you. 

• Track material markets to support inflationary and cost reduction discussions. Introduce cost saving or process improvement solutions that show demonstrable benefits to established KPI’s such as cost, quality and delivery adherence. 

• Adhere to all policies and regulations in relation to product sourcing, governed either by legislation, customer specific / contractual requirements. 

• Seek to develop areas requiring improvements through challenging the existing processes and suggesting ways to improve that will bring benefit to the business adopting Lean Thinking & Culture. 

• Quality driven and raises standards where necessary to meet new requirements from customers, suppliers, legislation; and communicates them appropriately within Purchasing procedures. 

• Adhere strictly to all sourcing / buying processes and those defined within Wanzl Standard Operating Procedures for Purchasing.  

• Define, work with and promote Supplier Partnership procedures and practices. 

• To develop annual performance improvement plans related to key suppliers or projects or for strategic / key suppliers, working in conjunction where necessary with quality, engineering or customers. 

• Building open & honest long-lasting relationships with key decision makers within the organisation as well as strong inter-working relationships and driving process improvements at Wanzl facilities. 

Skills and Qualifications 

• Extensive Experience of material buying and planning in a manufacturing / Distribution setting. 

• Experience with MRP / ERP systems. 

• Experience in supply chain management and inventory control. 

• Proficiency in MS Office products (especially Word, Excel, Visio and Project).  

• Ability to work in a cross-functional team environment. 

• Excellent oral and written communications skills; ability to communicate with an analytical approach. 

• Ability to communicate effectively and build strong relationships with external partners.  

• Must be a highly motivated self-starter and be able to work under ambiguity.  

• Must be organized and able to balance multiple priorities appropriately. 

• Must be goal-focused and committed to completing task.  

• Logical thinking with creative problem-solving ability. 

• Detail-orientated, highly motivated, patient, and diligent. 

• Proven track record on reducing cost / lead times and improving delivery terms. 

• General Finance / Accountancy knowledge would be beneficial 

• Strong negotiation skills 

• Experience in framework agreements and robust understanding of Terms and Conditions