Purchasing Manager – Indirect Category

Upscale; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Upscale Malaysia seeks an experienced procurement leader to drive indirect category strategies, lead a small-to-mid sized team, and partner with global suppliers. The role covers greenfield setups, supplier management, and cross-functional collaboration to ensure cost-effective, reliable operations.

You will manage negotiations, contract management, and risk/compliance, with fluency in English and strong analytical skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Mechanical, Electrical, Supply Chain, or related disciplines.
• 10-12 years of procurement or strategic sourcing experience, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Strong negotiation and contract management skills.
• Analytical mindset with strong data interpretation capabilities.
• Good interpersonal communication with influencing skills; ability to quickly learn diverse fields and work with various internal groups.
• Proficiency in SAP and Coupa is preferred.
• Fluent in English; Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin proficiency is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Facility, Operations, Engineering, IT, Administration, Finance for large-scale sourcing and procurement of building infrastructure and service.
• Identify supply bottlenecks impacting project timeline and monitor contractor performance against milestones.
• Support Capex budgeting and tracking, ensure transparency of project spend.
• Establish long-term contracts for MRO, facility services, indirect consumables and utilities.
• Define, develop and implement all non-production and service procurement category strategies in alignment with Global Indirect Procurement to support ramping up planning and maintain sustained operations.
• Collaborate with Global Indirect Purchasing on global initiatives for non-production and service procurement
• Conduct market and supplier analysis with respect to cost drivers, risks, innovations, capacity.
• Identify savings opportunities and value improvement initiatives
• Lead supplier selection processes from RFQs/RFPs and contract award.
• Conduct commercial and contractual negotiations
• Manage framework agreements with regional/international suppliers
• Continuously drive total cost of ownership (TCO) optimization
• Establish and maintain strategic supplier network and relationships
• Monitor supplier performance with respect to cost, quality, delivery, service.
• Lead business reviews to identify improvement potential and to conduct CIP.
• Directly lead, train and supervise the daily operation of the indirect purchasing team.
• Allocate responsibilities and ensure workload balance
• Coach and mentor team members to strengthen negotiation, analytical, and strategic skills
• Identify and mitigate supply risks and bottlenecks.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, governance standards and sourcing procedures
• Monitor contractual obligations, supplier compliance, team integrity.
• Ensure accurate and complete documentation for audit readiness.
• Manage budget owner's demands and guide requirements to achieve best supply solution.
• Align sourcing decisions with relevant stakeholders.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Mechanical, Electrical, Supply Chain, or related disciplines

Tools

SAP

Coupa

Job description

Who we are looking for

We are looking for purpose-driven builders: hands-on professionals with entrepreneurial spirit who enjoy setting up structures, improving processes and taking ownership in a fast-moving environment.

As pioneers of our Malaysia site, you will help to shape not only your function, but also how we work together locally — while being connected to a global team of around 1,000 employees from ~60 nationalities across Asia, Europe and the US.

We offer competitive benefits, outstanding technical expertise, development opportunities and training.

Responsibilities

Greenfield Setup

• Collaborate with Facility, Operations, Engineering, IT, Administration, Finance for large-scale sourcing and procurement of building infrastructure and service.
• Identify supply bottlenecks impacting project timeline and monitor contractor performance against milestones.
• Support Capex budgeting and tracking, ensure transparency of project spend.
• Establish long-term contracts for MRO, facility services, indirect consumables and utilities.

Category Strategy & Planning

• Define, develop and implement all non-production and service procurement category strategies in alignment with Global Indirect Procurement to support ramping up planning and maintain sustained operations.
• Collaborate with Global Indirect Purchasing on global initiatives for non-production and service procurement
• Conduct market and supplier analysis with respect to cost drivers, risks, innovations, capacity.
• Identify savings opportunities and value improvement initiatives

Strategic Sourcing

• Lead supplier selection processes from RFQs/RFPs and contract award.
• Conduct commercial and contractual negotiations
• Manage framework agreements with regional/international suppliers
• Continuously drive total cost of ownership (TCO) optimization

Supplier Management

• Establish and maintain strategic supplier network and relationships
• Monitor supplier performance with respect to cost, quality, delivery, service.
• Lead business reviews to identify improvement potential and to conduct Continuous Improvement Projects (CIP).

Team and Performance Management

• Directly lead, train and supervise the daily operation of the indirect purchasing team.
• Allocate responsibilities and ensure workload balance
• Coach and mentor team members to strengthen negotiation, analytical, and strategic skills

Risk & Compliance Management

• Identify and mitigate supply risks and bottlenecks.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, governance standards and sourcing procedures
• Monitor contractual obligations, supplier compliance, team integrity.
• Ensure accurate and complete documentation for audit readiness.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Manage budget owner's demands and guide requirements to achieve best supply solution.
• Align sourcing decisions with relevant stakeholders.

Qualifications and Skills Required

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Mechanical, Electrical, Supply Chain, or related disciplines.
• 10-12 years of procurement or strategic sourcing experience, with at least 5 years in a leadership role in small to mid-sized teams in international manufacturing companies.
• Strong negotiation and contract management skills
• Analytical mindset with strong data interpretation capabilities
• Good interpersonal communication with influencing skills; ability to quickly learn diverse fields and work with various internal groups.
• Proficiency in SAP and Coupa is preferred.
• Fluent in English; Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin proficiency is a plus.

Working Conditions & Environment

Majority of the work is at Batu Kawan site.

Visits to supplier locations will be requested as needed.

Occasional travel, to Headquarters in Germany or other regional sites.