Assistant Purchase Manager

Zepcruit; Bhiwandi; On-site; INR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Zepcruit seeks an Assistant Manager – Purchase to oversee sourcing of raw materials and packaging for a fruit juice plant, focusing on cost, quality, and compliance.

The role includes supplier onboarding, SLA management, and contract governance with emphasis on cold chain logistics and FEFO inventory control.

You will work with QA to ensure regulatory compliance and deliver weekly procurement cost savings and reports.

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level degree in a relevant field (Food Tech, Agricultural Sciences, Chemical Engineering or Supply Chain Management).
• MBA/PGDM in Materials Management is highly preferred.
• 3–5 years of progressive procurement experience in food manufacturing, beverage plants, or F&B sectors.
• Expertise in fruit cycle forecasting, cold storage vetting, sensory evaluation awareness, rapid inventory turnover, and elite contract negotiation.

Responsibilities

• Strategic & Tactical Sourcing: Procure RM/PM including temperature-sensitive materials and packaging.
• Supply Chain & Shelf-Life Management: Monitor cold chain and optimize inventory to avoid downtime.
• Compliance & Food Safety: Audit suppliers with QA to ensure regulatory alignment (FSSAI, FDA, global standards).
• Management Systems & Reporting: Maintain material masters and generate procurement cost-saving reports.

Skills

Fruit forecasting

Cold chain logistics

Vendor negotiation

Inventory optimization

Contract management

Education

B.Tech / B.Sc in Food Tech/SCM

MBA or PGDM in Materials Management

Job description

The Assistant Manager – Purchase is responsible for the uninterrupted, cost-effective, and compliant sourcing of all Raw Materials (RM) and Packaging Materials (PM) required for the fruit juice manufacturing plant. This role specializes in managing high-risk, time-sensitive supply chains where material shelf-life, volatile agricultural markets, cold chain logistics, and strict food safety regulations directly impact plant profitability.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic & Tactical Sourcing

Portfolio Sourcing: Procure temperature-sensitive raw materials, fresh agricultural commodities, fruit & vegetable pulps, flavourings, and specialized food-grade packaging.

Supplier Development: Identify, onboard, and evaluate specialized RM/PM vendors capable of meeting strict food safety criteria.

Contract Management: Execute and monitor service level agreements (SLAs) with suppliers to secure volume discounts and stable pricing.

2. Supply Chain & Shelf-Life Management

Cold Chain Logistics: Monitor inbound cold chain transportation to guarantee strict temperature compliance during transit and prevent raw material spoilage.

Inventory Optimization: Minimize working capital lock-up while ensuring zero production downtime due to stock-outs.

Waste Mitigation: Enforce strict First Expired, First Out (FEFO) purchasing guidelines to completely eliminate factory material write-offs.

3. Compliance & Food Safety

Regulatory Compliance: Audit suppliers alongside the Quality Assurance (QA) team to ensure 100% alignment with FSSAI, FDA, and global food safety standards.

Traceability Maintenance: Ensure immediate batch and lot traceability for all inbound direct materials to mitigate product recall risks.

Risk Management: Adapt procurement schedules rapidly to handle seasonal crop fluctuations, yield variances, and sudden demand spikes.

4. Management Systems & Reporting

Data Management: Manage Material Masters, Purchase Info Records, Source Lists, and Shelf-Life Expiration Date (SLED) tracking.

MIS Reporting: Generate weekly and monthly procurement cost saving, vendor performance, and inventory variance reports for management review.

Candidate Profile & Qualifications

Educational Background: Bachelor's degree (B.Tech / B.Sc) in Food Technology, Agricultural Sciences, Chemical Engineering, or Supply Chain Management. An MBA or Post Graduate Diploma in Materials Management is highly preferred.

Professional Experience: 3 to 5 years of progressive procurement experience directly within food manufacturing, beverage plants, or F&B sectors.

Core Competencies: Expert fruit cycle forecasting, cold storage vendor vetting, sensory evaluation awareness, rapid inventory turnover strategies, and elite contract negotiation skills.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

1. Material Availability (OOS): Achieve 0% production line stoppages due to raw material stock-outs.

2. Purchase Price Variance (PPV): Meet or exceed annual cost-saving and price-mitigation targets against market indices.

3. Inventory Spoilage Rate: Maintain direct material write-offs and aging expiration stock below <1%.

4. Supplier OTIF (On-Time In-Full): Maintain a vendor delivery compliance rate of ≥ 98%.

5. Quality SLA Adherence: Zero critical non-compliance reports (NCRs) from QA during inbound material audits.