Procurement Manager

Position Summary The Procurement Manager is a critical operations role responsible for managing QuickCable's sourcing, supplier relationships, and purchasing activities across all raw materials, components, and indirect spend categories. This individual will own the full procurement lifecycle — from supplier identification and qualification through negotiation, purchase order management, and performance monitoring — ensuring QuickCable maintains a reliable, cost‑competitive supply chain that supports our manufacturing and product development operations. This is a hands‑on leadership role for a procurement professional who is equally comfortable negotiating with copper rod suppliers and building internal processes from scratch. The ideal candidate brings manufacturing industry experience, strong analytical skills, and a bias for building long‑term supplier relationships grounded in quality, reliability, and value. Key Responsibilities Develop and execute sourcing strategies for all direct materials including copper, lead, connectors, lugs, terminals, and packaging. Identify, evaluate, and qualify new suppliers; maintain an approved vendor list aligned with quality, delivery, cost, and compliance requirements. Lead supplier negotiations for pricing, payment terms, lead times, and contractual agreements — targeting year‑over‑year cost reductions without compromising quality. Build and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers; conduct regular business reviews and performance assessments. Develop dual‑source or alternate‑source strategies for critical materials to reduce single‑source risk. Monitor commodity market trends and provide proactive guidance to leadership on pricing exposure and hedging opportunities. Purchasing & Order Management Own the purchase order process end‑to‑end: requisition review, PO issuance, confirmation, expediting, and receipt coordination. Manage inventory replenishment in partnership with Operations to maintain appropriate safety stock levels without excess. Resolve invoice discrepancies, delivery issues, and supplier disputes in a timely and professional manner. Implement and enforce purchasing policies, approval thresholds, and compliance standards. Leverage ERP system to manage procurement workflows, track orders, and report on spend and supplier performance. Supply Chain Resilience & Risk Management Proactively identify supply chain risks — geopolitical, logistical, capacity, or financial — and develop contingency plans. Lead qualification of domestic and allied‑nation suppliers in support of defense and government contract requirements (BAA/DFARS compliance). Coordinate with Engineering and Quality on supplier corrective actions, material non‑conformances, and first‑article inspections. Track supplier lead times and capacity; communicate proactively with internal stakeholders when supply risks are identified. Cross‑Functional Collaboration Partner with Engineering and Product Development on new product introductions — sourcing components, issuing RFQs, and managing sample qualification timelines. Work closely with Operations, Planning, and Finance to align procurement decisions with production schedules, inventory targets, and cash‑flow objectives. Support Sales and Customer Service with lead‑time information and supply availability for key customer commitments. Report on procurement KPIs — cost savings, supplier on‑time delivery, purchase price variance, and spend analytics — to senior leadership. Required Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, or related field. 5+ years of procurement or purchasing experience in a manufacturing environment. Demonstrated experience managing direct material sourcing (raw materials, components, assemblies). Strong negotiation skills with a track record of achieving cost savings and improved supplier terms. Proficiency with ERP purchasing modules (Epicor or similar). Solid understanding of supply chain risk management, supplier qualification, and dual‑sourcing strategies. Excellent analytical skills — comfortable working with spend data, cost models, and commodity price indices. Strong communication skills — able to manage supplier relationships and present to senior leadership. Highly organized, detail‑oriented, and capable of managing multiple priorities in a fast‑paced environment. Preferred Qualifications Experience sourcing copper, wire, cable, electrical components, or industrial MRO materials. Familiarity with defense/government procurement requirements — DFARS, BAA, ITAR awareness. CPSM, CIPS, or equivalent professional certification. Experience with commodity hedging or price index‑linked purchasing contracts. Background working with both domestic and international supplier bases. #J-18808-Ljbffr