Procurement Manager

Life Lab; Pune District; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Job summary

Life-Lab seeks a hands-on Procurement Manager to lead procurement strategy and execution for STEM educational models, science kits, components, raw materials, and related products.

You will own procurement planning, coordinate the function, manage supplier performance, drive cost and quality improvements, and work with R&D, production, warehouse, finance, and program teams to support goals.

Qualifications

• Graduate or postgraduate qualification in Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Operations, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 25 years of experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, vendor management, or supply chain operations; experience coordinating or supervising a team is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to plan work, prioritise competing requirements, solve problems, and take ownership of procurement outcomes.
• Strong negotiation, analytical, communication, stakeholder-management, and team-coordination skills.
• Proficiency in MS Excel or Google Sheets; experience with procurement systems, trackers, or reporting dashboards is an advantage.
• Willingness to travel for supplier visits, market research, and sourcing requirements. Experience in manufacturing, fabrication, engineering materials, product development, or educational products is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Procurement strategy & planning
• Team leadership & performance
• Develop procurement plans aligned with project timelines, production requirements, budgets, and business priorities.
• Establish sourcing approaches, purchasing priorities, and clear processes to improve cost, quality, and delivery reliability.
• Plan and allocate procurement tasks, set priorities and timelines, and guide team members through day-to-day procurement activities.
• Review progress, resolve bottlenecks, build team capability, and establish clear accountability for timely and accurate execution.
• Supplier strategy & relationship management
• Negotiation, budgets & cost optimisation
• Build and maintain a strong supplier network across cities, including vendors, manufacturers, and fabricators.
• Lead supplier evaluation and onboarding, assess capacity and quality, conduct strategic vendor visits, manage escalations, and develop backup sources to reduce supply risk.
• Lead high-value or critical negotiations on price, payment terms, quality, minimum order quantities, and delivery commitments.
• Monitor spend against budgets, analyse cost drivers, identify savings opportunities, and improve value without compromising product quality.
• Cross-functional planning & R&D support
• Process, controls & reporting

Skills

Procurement leadership

Procurement strategy

Vendor management

Negotiation

Cost optimisation

Analytical thinking

Team coordination

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Graduate or postgraduate in SCM/Engineering/Operations/Business

Tools

MS Excel

Google Sheets

Job description

CAREERS / LIFE-LAB

Procurement Manager

Experience

25 years preferred

Location

Pune, Maharashtra

Employment

Full-time

Compensation

As per industry standards

The Opportunity

Life-Lab is seeking a hands-on Procurement Manager to lead procurement strategy and execution for STEM educational models, science kits, components, raw materials, and related products. This role goes beyond purchase processing: you will own procurement planning, lead and coordinate the procurement function, manage supplier performance, drive cost and quality improvements, and work closely with R&D, production, warehouse, finance, and program teams to ensure procurement supports organisational and project goals.

Key Responsibilities

Procurement strategy & planning

Team leadership & performance

Develop procurement plans aligned with project timelines,
production requirements, budgets, and business priorities.

Establish sourcing approaches, purchasing priorities, and clear
processes to improve cost, quality, and delivery reliability.

Plan and allocate procurement tasks, set priorities and timelines,
and guide team members through day-to-day procurement
activities. Review progress, resolve bottlenecks, build team
capability, and establish clear accountability for timely and
accurate execution.

Supplier strategy & relationship management

Negotiation, budgets & cost optimisation

Build and maintain a strong supplier network across cities,
including vendors, manufacturers, and fabricators. Lead supplier
evaluation and onboarding, assess capacity and quality, conduct
strategic vendor visits, manage escalations, and develop backup
sources to reduce supply risk.

Lead high-value or critical negotiations on price, payment terms,
quality, minimum order quantities, and delivery commitments.

Monitor spend against budgets, analyse cost drivers, identify
savings opportunities, and improve value without compromising
product quality.

Cross-functional planning & R&D support

Process, controls & reporting

Qualifications & Skills

• Graduate or postgraduate qualification in Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Operations, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 25 years of experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, vendor management, or supply chain operations; experience coordinating or supervising a team is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to plan work, prioritise competing requirements, solve problems, and take ownership of procurement outcomes.
• Strong negotiation, analytical, communication, stakeholder-management, and team-coordination skills.
• Proficiency in MS Excel or Google Sheets; experience with procurement systems, trackers, or reporting dashboards is an advantage.
• Willingness to travel for supplier visits, market research, and sourcing requirements. Experience in manufacturing, fabrication, engineering materials, product development, or educational products is an advantage.