Overview
The Purchasing Product Manager is responsible for the strategic procurement, inventory optimization, and supplier management of stainless-steel flat rolled products across multiple branches. This role actively controls inventory levels, aligns purchasing with sales forecasts and customer requirements, and maintains strong relationships with domestic and international mills. The position requires deep technical knowledge of stainless-steel products, hands-on collaboration with sales, and a results-driven approach to cost, availability, and supply reliability.
Responsibilities
Inventory and Product Management
- Actively manage and optimize inventory levels based on historical sales, forecasts, lead times, and usage trends.
- Review specific products to maintain consistent and balanced stocking levels across three or more branch locations.
- Monitor inventory performance, identifying excess, slow-moving, or obsolete material and maintaining a monthly dead/slow-moving inventory report for sales.
- Expedite vendor deliveries to meet customer and branch demand
Purchasing and Supplier Management
- Source and purchase stainless steel flat rolled products in alignment with company strategy, customer requirements, and market conditions.
- Maintain and develop strong relationships with stainless steel flat rolled mills and vendors, with a clear understanding of mill capabilities, constraints, and rolling schedules.
- Solicit and qualify new supply sources while maintaining and strengthening existing vendor partnerships.
- Communicate vendor changes, updates, pricing movements, and availability to branch management and sales teams.
- Negotiate pricing, terms, and supply agreements with a focus on cost savings, quality, and reliability.
Sales and Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Work closely with sales teams on new applications, customer requirements, and product substitutions.
- Provide timely updates to sales regarding mill pricing, availability, and production schedules.
- Support customer-specific solutions by aligning product availability with technical and commercial needs.
Compliance & Reporting
- Ensure adherence to all company policies, procedures, and procurement standards.
- Utilize ERP systems and Excel-based tools to track inventory, purchasing activity, and supplier performance.
- Support import/export compliance activities as applicable.
Qualifications
Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, or a related field or equivalent relevant experience.
- 7+ years of procurement experience purchasing stainless steel flat rolled mill products.
- Strong working knowledge of material specifications, grades, finishes, tolerances, applications, and Mill Test Reports (MTRs).
- Hands-on experience with ERP systems in a purchasing or inventory management environment.
Technical and Professional Skills
- Proven ability to actively control and optimize inventory, not simply monitor it.
- Strong negotiation, analytical, and supplier relationship management skills.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (critical to role success).
- Excellent organizational and time-management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
- Clear, effective communicator with strong collaboration skills across sales, operations, and leadership.
- Results-oriented mindset with a focus on cost control, supply continuity, and vendor quality.
- Strong problem-solving skills and ability to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
- Experience with import/export compliance is a strong plus.
- High level of professionalism, multitasking ability, and strong work ethic.
