Procurement Specialist

Staples India; Chennai District; On-site; INR 700,000 - 1,100,000; Full time

Job summary

Staples India Business Innovation Hub Private Limited is seeking a Procurement Specialist to oversee sourcing, supplier management, procurement operations and spend optimization. You will work with stakeholders across Finance, Operations, Legal, Logistics and suppliers to ensure compliant, efficient procurement aligned with policies.

The role demands strong analytical capability, commercial awareness and disciplined execution across multiple priorities and supplier relationships.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Procurement, Supply Chain, Business Administration, Finance or related discipline.
• 4–7 years of relevant procurement experience.
• Experience managing sourcing activities and supplier negotiations.
• Strong understanding of procurement processes and supplier management.
• Experience with SAP, Ariba, Coupa or similar platforms is advantageous.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; analytics experience is desirable.
• Experience in global organizations with multiple geographies is beneficial.
• Commercial mindset and ability to translate business needs into procurement actions.
• Strong negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Attention to detail and execution-focused with ability to handle multiple priorities.

Responsibilities

• Manage procurement activities across assigned categories, ensuring requirements are understood and fulfilled on time.
• Support and execute sourcing activities, including supplier identification, RFIs/RFQs/RFPs, bid analysis, and supplier selection.
• Conduct market and supplier research to identify competitive sourcing opportunities and risks.
• Evaluate supplier proposals based on terms, quality, capability, lead times and value.
• Support negotiations to achieve favorable pricing and terms.
• Coordinate procurement lifecycle from sourcing to PO creation, delivery and closure.
• Ensure procurements adhere to policies and governance.
• Analyze procurement spending and identify savings opportunities.
• Monitor pricing trends and provide insights for sourcing decisions.
• Identify opportunities for consolidation and supplier rationalization.
• Track savings and maintain reporting for leadership.
• Maintain relationships with key suppliers and service providers.
• Monitor supplier performance against agreed metrics and conduct periodic reviews.
• Address supplier issues in collaboration with stakeholders.
• Support supplier onboarding, due diligence and data maintenance.
• Identify and communicate risks and mitigation actions.
• Partner with business teams to translate requirements into procurement approaches.
• Act as procurement point of contact for stakeholders across functions.
• Build relationships with Finance, Legal, Operations, Logistics, Technology.
• Communicate procurement recommendations and risks clearly.
• Develop and maintain process documentation and trackers.
• Share best practices and drive continuous improvement.

Skills

Procurement

Sourcing

Negotiation

Supplier Management

Stakeholder Management

Analytical Thinking

Cost Optimization

Compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Procurement/Supply Chain/Business Administration/Finance

Tools

SAP

Ariba

Coupa

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Staples India Business Innovation Hub Private Limited | Permanent

We are looking for a Procurement Specialist to support the organization across sourcing, supplier management, procurement operations and spend optimization. The role will be responsible for managing procurement activities from understanding business requirements through supplier identification, sourcing, negotiation, purchase execution and ongoing supplier coordination. The individual will work closely with business stakeholders, Finance, Operations, Legal, Logistics, and suppliers to ensure that goods and services are procured efficiently, competitively and in line with established policies and business requirements.

The successful candidate will combine strong analytical capability with commercial awareness and execution discipline. They should be comfortable managing multiple priorities, resolving supplier or stakeholder issues, and identifying opportunities to improve cost, quality, process efficiency and compliance.

Key Responsibilities - Procurement & Sourcing

• Manage procurement activities across assigned categories, ensuring requirements are clearly understood and fulfilled within agreed timelines.
• Support and execute sourcing activities, including supplier identification, RFIs/RFQs/RFPs, bid analysis, commercial evaluation and supplier selection.
• Conduct market and supplier research to identify competitive sourcing opportunities, alternative suppliers and potential supply risks.
• Evaluate supplier proposals based on commercial terms, quality, capability, lead times, service levels and overall business value.
• Support negotiations with suppliers to achieve competitive pricing and favorable commercial terms.
• Coordinate the procurement of lifecycle from sourcing and approval through purchase order creation, delivery and closure.
• Ensure procurement decisions are aligned with organizational policies, delegated authorities and compliance requirements.

Spend & Cost Management

• Analyze procurement spending to identify savings opportunities, demand patterns, supplier concentration and areas for better spend control.
• Monitor pricing and commercial trends within assigned categories and provide insights to support sourcing decisions.
• Identify opportunities for consolidation, competitive bidding, demand optimization and supplier rationalization.
• Track savings and procurement benefits and maintain appropriate reporting for leadership.
• Support initiatives designed to improve procurement efficiency and maximize value from supplier relationships.
• Develop and maintain effective relationships with key suppliers and service providers.
• Monitor supplier performance against agreed commercial, quality, delivery and service expectations.
• Coordinate periodic supplier reviews and track agreed actions through to closure.
• Address supplier issues, commercial disputes and service concerns in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
• Support supplier onboarding, documentation, due diligence and ongoing supplier data maintenance.
• Identify and communicate potential supply, pricing or service risks and support appropriate mitigation actions.

Stakeholder Management

• Partner with business teams to understand requirements and translate them into appropriate procurement approaches.
• Act as a procurement point of contact for stakeholders across functions and provide guidance on sourcing, supplier selection and purchasing processes.
• Build strong working relationships with Finance, Legal, Operations, Logistics, Technology and other relevant teams.
• Manage competing stakeholder requirements while maintaining procurement standards and timelines.
• Communicate procurement recommendations, commercial considerations and potential risks clearly to stakeholders.

Procurement Operations & Systems

• Ensure purchase orders, supplier records, contracts, catalogues and other procurement information are maintained accurately.
• Support the administration and ongoing effectiveness of procurement platforms and buying channels.
• Monitor procurement transactions to identify process gaps, exceptions or compliance issues.
• Help improve catalogue content, supplier information and user access to enable a smoother purchasing experience.
• Maintain accurate procurement records and reports to support audits, management reviews and business decision-making.
• Work with technology and process teams to identify opportunities for automation and improved procurement workflows.

Process Improvement

• Identify inefficiencies within existing procurement processes and recommend practical improvements.
• Support implementation of procurement policies, tools, technologies and standard operating practices.
• Contribute to projects focused on automation, process simplification, compliance and user experience.
• Develop and maintain appropriate process documentation, trackers and performance measures.
• Share best practices and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across the procurement function.

Reporting & Analytics

• Prepare regular procurement reports covering spend, supplier performance, savings, sourcing activity and process metrics.
• Analyze procurement data to identify trends, exceptions and opportunities for improvement.
• Develop clear presentations and insights for procurement and business leadership.
• Maintain accurate trackers for sourcing activities, contracts, supplier reviews and key deliverables.

Requirements

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Procurement, Supply Chain, Business Administration, Finance or a related discipline.
• 4–7 years of relevant experience in procurement, sourcing, purchasing, supply chain or supplier management.
• Experience managing sourcing activities, supplier negotiations and procurement operations.
• Strong understanding of procurement processes, commercial principles and supplier management.
• Experience working with procurement systems such as SAP, Ariba, Coupa or similar platforms would be an advantage.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; experience with procurement analytics or reporting tools is desirable.
• Experience working in a global organization or supporting stakeholders across multiple geographies would be beneficial.
• Commercial mindset: Understands the financial and business implications of procurement decisions.
• Analytical thinking: Comfortable working with spend, pricing, supplier and market data to develop meaningful insights.
• Negotiation: Able to engage suppliers confidently and work towards mutually beneficial commercial outcomes.
• Stakeholder management: Builds credibility with business partners and manages differing priorities effectively.
• Problem solving: Approaches supplier, process and operational challenges with a structured and practical mindset.
• Ownership: Takes responsibility for commitments and drives activities through to completion.
• Attention to detail: Maintains accuracy across commercial information, contracts, purchase transactions and reporting.
• Execution focus: Able to manage multiple sourcing and operational activities while meeting deadlines.
• Adaptability: Comfortable operating in an environment where priorities and business requirements can change.
• Collaboration: Works effectively across procurement and wider business teams.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role means procurement requirements are fulfilled efficiently, competitively and with the right level of governance.