PROCUREMENT MANAGER

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly capable, commercially astute, and operationally rigorous Procurement Manager to assume end-to-end responsibility for the company’s procurement, sourcing, inventory planning, sales operations, logistics coordination, and order fulfilment functions.

This is a highly cross-functional and execution-critical role that requires the successful candidate to manage complex commercial priorities, multiple stakeholders, international suppliers, fluctuating market conditions, and time-sensitive customer requirements simultaneously.

The role extends significantly beyond routine purchasing and sales administration. The successful candidate will be expected to develop sourcing strategies, safeguard supply continuity, negotiate commercially advantageous terms, optimize working capital, control inventory exposure, support margin management, and ensure the accurate and timely fulfilment of customer orders.

Acting as a central coordination point between management, sales, procurement, finance, warehouse, logistics providers, suppliers, and customers, the candidate must demonstrate strong ownership, sound commercial judgement, attention to detail, and the ability to resolve operational issues under pressure.

The position will also be responsible for strengthening internal controls, improving operational processes, managing business risks, and implementing scalable systems that support the company’s continued growth.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Procurement and Sourcing Management

• Assume full ownership of the end-to-end procurement lifecycle, including demand planning, supplier identification, commercial evaluation, contract negotiation, purchase execution, delivery monitoring, and supplier performance management.
• Develop and implement comprehensive sourcing strategies across local and international markets to achieve competitive pricing, supply continuity, quality consistency, and favorable commercial terms.
• Conduct detailed market intelligence, pricing analysis, supplier benchmarking, cost modelling, and total-cost-of-ownership evaluations to support procurement decisions.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate procurement risks arising from market volatility, geopolitical developments, raw material shortages, freight fluctuations, currency exposure, and supplier dependency.
• Align procurement plans with sales forecasts, inventory targets, customer commitments, cash-flow priorities, and overall business objectives.
• Establish alternative and contingency supply arrangements to minimize operational disruption and ensure business continuity.
• Lead negotiations involving pricing, payment terms, credit arrangements, minimum order quantities, lead times, product specifications, exclusivity arrangements, and long-term supply agreements.

Supplier Governance and Relationship Management

• Build, develop, and manage a resilient network of qualified local and international suppliers, manufacturers, principals, and service providers.
• Establish comprehensive supplier performance frameworks covering pricing competitiveness, quality, delivery reliability, responsiveness, documentation accuracy, and service standards.
• Conduct periodic supplier reviews, audits, risk assessments, and performance evaluations.
• Manage supplier escalations involving delayed shipments, material shortages, specification deviations, quality complaints, documentation discrepancies, and contractual non-performance.
• Lead commercial and operational discussions with suppliers to secure corrective actions, replacement arrangements, compensation, or improved contractual protection.
• Maintain strong strategic relationships with key suppliers while ensuring that commercial decisions remain aligned with the company’s interests.
• Ensure supplier records, agreements, certifications, product documentation, and compliance information remain complete and current.

Inventory Strategy and Working Capital Optimization

• Develop and oversee the company’s inventory planning and replenishment strategy, balancing customer service requirements against working capital constraints and supply-chain risks.
• Analyse stock movement, demand patterns, forecast accuracy, inventory turnover, ageing stock, slow-moving items, and potential obsolescence.
• Establish appropriate minimum stock levels, reorder points, safety-stock parameters, and replenishment cycles across product categories.
• Monitor inventory exposure and recommend corrective actions to reduce excess stock, prevent shortages, and improve cash conversion.
• Investigate stock discrepancies and coordinate with warehouse, finance, sales, and operations teams to implement preventive controls.
• Ensure that inventory availability supports committed sales orders, project requirements, and anticipated customer demand.
• Lead initiatives to improve inventory accuracy, traceability, storage efficiency, and stock visibility across locations.

Sales Operations and Commercial Control

• Oversee the complete sales administration process, including customer enquiries, quotation preparation, pricing validation, order entry, documentation, invoicing, and fulfilment tracking.
• Ensure quotations and sales orders are commercially accurate, properly authorized, and aligned with approved pricing, margins, payment terms, and product availability.
• Support the sales team in developing pricing strategies, reviewing margins, evaluating deal profitability, and identifying commercial risks.
• Coordinate complex customer orders involving customized specifications, special packaging, labelling requirements, documentation, staged deliveries, or project-based fulfilment.
• Maintain oversight of open quotations, outstanding orders, delivery schedules, invoicing status, and customer commitments.
• Identify potential fulfilment risks and initiate recovery plans before they affect customer service levels.
• Handle customer escalations relating to product availability, delivery delays, documentation errors, order discrepancies, and service failures.
• Ensure all commercial commitments are communicated accurately to the relevant internal and external stakeholders.

Order Fulfilment and Cross-Functional Coordination

• Assume overall accountability for the successful fulfilment of customer orders from initial enquiry through final delivery and invoicing.
• Coordinate closely with procurement, sales, warehouse, finance, logistics providers, suppliers, and customers to ensure alignment across the order lifecycle.
• Manage competing priorities, urgent orders, supply constraints, shipment delays, and last-minute customer changes.
• Review operational bottlenecks and implement recovery measures to avoid missed deadlines, penalties, customer complaints, or business disruption.
• Maintain clear communication with stakeholders and provide timely updates on order status, delivery risks, and required decisions.
• Ensure all departments fulfil their respective responsibilities within agreed timelines.

Logistics, Freight and Shipment Management

• Oversee local and international logistics planning, including freight sourcing, shipment scheduling, route evaluation, delivery coordination, and cost control.
• Evaluate freight quotations and negotiate with freight forwarders, shipping lines, transporters, warehouses, and other logistics partners.
• Manage import, export, cross-border, and local delivery arrangements involving multiple shipment modes and documentation requirements.
• Monitor shipment progress and proactively resolve delays, rollovers, customs issues, port congestion, documentation discrepancies, and delivery disruptions.
• Ensure the timely preparation and accuracy of commercial invoices, packing lists, delivery orders, shipping instructions, certificates, permits, and other required documentation.
• Coordinate closely with customers and internal teams on delivery windows, site restrictions, unloading requirements, packaging specifications, and special handling instructions.
• Review logistics costs and identify opportunities to reduce freight, storage, demurrage, detention, and handling expenses.
• Ensure logistics activities comply with applicable regulatory, safety, customs, and customer requirements.

Reporting, Analysis and Management Support

• Prepare comprehensive procurement, sales, inventory, margin, supplier, and logistics reports for management review.
• Analyze commercial and operational data to identify trends, exceptions, risks, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement.
• Develop and monitor key performance indicators relating to procurement savings, supplier performance, inventory turnover, fulfilment accuracy, delivery performance, and gross margins.
• Provide management with actionable insights, recommendations, and early warnings relating to supply-chain risks and business performance.
• Support annual budgeting, forecasting, cost planning, business reviews, and strategic decision-making.
• Maintain accurate documentation and transaction records to ensure full traceability and management visibility.

Governance, Compliance and Internal Controls

• Establish and maintain robust procurement, sales, inventory, and order-processing controls.
• Ensure transactions comply with company policies, approval limits, contractual obligations, customer requirements, and applicable regulations.
• Review commercial documents for accuracy, completeness, authorization, and risk exposure before execution.
• Support internal and external audits by ensuring all documents, approvals, supplier records, and transaction trails are properly maintained.
• Identify control weaknesses and implement corrective and preventive measures.
• Ensure confidentiality and appropriate handling of sensitive commercial information, pricing structures, supplier agreements, and customer data.

Process Transformation and Continuous Improvement

• Conduct detailed reviews of existing procurement, sales, inventory, and logistics workflows.
• Identify process gaps, duplicated work, control weaknesses, communication breakdowns, and system limitations.
• Lead improvement initiatives aimed at reducing manual errors, shortening turnaround times, improving data visibility, and increasing operational efficiency.
• Develop and document standard operating procedures, approval workflows, reporting structures, and performance standards.
• Support the implementation and enhancement of ERP, accounting, inventory, and operational management systems.
• Drive user adoption and ensure process improvements are consistently implemented across departments.
• Develop scalable operating structures capable of supporting higher transaction volumes, new product lines, and business expansion.

Leadership and Stakeholder Management

• Provide daily leadership, direction, supervision, and mentorship to junior executives and operational personnel.
• Allocate responsibilities, monitor performance, review work quality, and ensure tasks are completed within required timelines.
• Establish a disciplined, accountable, and performance-oriented working environment.
• Act as the primary escalation point for complex procurement, sales, inventory, logistics, and fulfilment matters.
• Coordinate senior-level discussions involving suppliers, customers, service providers, and internal stakeholders.
• Manage differing commercial and operational priorities while maintaining alignment with the company’s overall objectives.
• Support management with organizational planning, resource allocation, departmental development, and business expansion initiatives.

RequiredCompetencies

• Strong commercial judgement with demonstrated capability in negotiation, sourcing, pricing, supplier management, and cost control.
• Ability to manage complex procurement, sales, inventory, and logistics activities concurrently.
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving abilities, with the capacity to interpret commercial and operational data.
• Strong understanding of inventory management, demand planning, supply-chain risk, and working capital optimisation.
• Exceptional attention to detail, particularly in pricing, documentation, contracts, order processing, and financial information.
• Ability to remain composed, decisive, and solution-oriented when managing urgent requirements and operational disruptions.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills across different organisational levels and cultures.
• Demonstrated leadership capability, accountability, and willingness to take full ownership of outcomes.
• Ability to manage high transaction volumes, competing deadlines, and frequently changing priorities.
• Strong process-improvement mindset with the ability to implement structured systems and controls.

Preferred Qualifications and Experience

• Diploma or degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Logistics, Finance, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Relevant experience in procurement, trading, distribution, manufacturing, chemicals, industrial products, or supply-chain operations.
• Demonstrated experience managing international suppliers, freight arrangements, inventory planning, and customer fulfilment.
• Previous supervisory, team-lead, assistant managerial, or managerial experience is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with ERP, inventory, procurement, and accounting systems, including QuickBooks.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and the preparation of commercial and management reports.
• Experience handling import and export documentation, supplier contracts, and project-based customer requirements would be advantageous.

Other Information

• Immediate or short-notice availability is preferred.
• The successful candidate must be prepared to manage urgent operational matters and business-critical escalations when required.
• Appointment at Assistant Manager or Manager level will depend on the candidate’s experience, leadership capability, and demonstrated level of commercial responsibility.