Regional Material Management & Program Purchasing Leader

ZF Group; Zone 7 Ambattur; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

ZF Group in India seeks a senior procurement leader to translate regional requirements into purchasing metrics and to drive cost optimization across BOMs and supplier programs.

The candidate will oversee regional programs, supplier readiness, and launch management while aligning regional and functional priorities within the automotive domain.

Qualifications

• BE/BTech in Mechanical/Industrial/Production or related field.
• Experience leading cross-functional regional or global teams in a complex environment.
• Knowledge of purchasing, materials management and supplier ecosystems, preferably in automotive.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic and operational planning requirements from the Region into purchasing metrics.
• Ensure fulfilment of OP targets in PPV and P&L of the plant/region.
• Install capacity according to volumes shared by product lines and SCM.
• Drive regional supplier readiness and launch management with gate approvals.
• Manage BOM cost targets, target-cost processes, and product cost optimization.

Skills

Purchasing

Materials management

Cross-functional leadership

Strategic thinking

Automotive industry experience

Stakeholder management

Education

BE/BTech in Mechanical/Industrial/Production

Job description

Role & responsibilities

• Lead strategic and operational planning requirements from the Region into purchasing metrics.
• Ensure fulfilment of OP targets in Purchase Price Variance (PPV) and P&L of the plant / region.
• Install capacity according to volumes shared by product lines and SCM.
• Ensure business needs from the Region are considered in Domain S and vice versa, including approval of commodity strategy.
• Drive GDPEP purchasing deliverables for new launches in the Region.
• Lead supplier readiness and launch management, including regional approval of gate 8 and handover SOP +6 with action plans for yellow items.
• Manage product changes, supplier phase-in / phase-out, and define, drive and approve change requests.
• Support New Program Introduction (NPI) and SWAT entries through regional PL/PS PP involvement.
• Manage BOM cost targets, target-cost processes, measure tracking and forecasts, with focus on product cost optimization and VAVE.
• Drive launch management and supplier readiness for regional programs.
• Participate in regional make-or-buy decisions.
• Manage directed buys and support intercompany purchases for PO-only requirements.
• Approve CQ1/CQ2 for regional BOM cost estimation approval.

Preferred candidate profile

• B.E./B.Tech (Mechanical/Industrial/Production or related domain)
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in purchasing and materials management functions.
• Experience leading cross-functional, regional, or global teams in a complex business environment.
• Experience in the automotive industry is preferred.
• Ability to think strategically and align regional, divisional, and functional priorities to achieve business objectives.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve business objectives while balancing quality, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Strong stakeholder management skills within a matrix organization.