Director of Procurement/Supplier Development Purchasing

East Penn Manufacturing - Deka Batteries; Lyons (Berks County); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

East Penn Manufacturing - Deka Batteries seeks a Director of Procurement and Supplier Development to lead procurement strategy, supplier selection, contract development, supplier performance, and risk management. This role partners with Engineering, Quality, Operations, Sales, Finance and senior management to secure quality materials and services at competitive total cost.

The Director develops procurement practices, mentors staff, drives continuous improvement, and provides clear reporting on

Responsibilities

• Establish, implement, and continuously improve purchasing and receiving policies, procedures, controls, and standard work.
• Develop and maintain a long-term supplier strategy in collaboration with senior management.
• Create a consistent model and templates for contract purchasing, supplier agreements, and commercial negotiations.
• Oversee the full procurement process, from supplier identification and qualification through contract execution and purchase transactions.
• Ensure supplier-selection decisions are coordinated with Engineering, Quality, Operations, Sales, and other stakeholders, with Procurement maintaining commercial and sourcing governance.
• Lead market studies, competitive bidding, negotiations, and contracting activities that support cost reduction, cost containment, quality, and continuity of supply.
• Monitor commodity and raw-material pricing and translate market movement into sourcing recommendations and business actions.
• Assign buyers to commodity-specific projects and establish consistent reporting of results, risks, and opportunities to senior management.
• Evaluate alternative materials and suppliers in collaboration with Engineering, Quality, and Operations, including total cost and value-benefit analysis.
• Lead major contract negotiations, including agreements with annual spend exceeding $10 million.
• Analyze inbound freight costs by material and part number and recommend appropriate terms of sale, freight responsibility, and ownership transfer.
• Identify logistics improvements that reduce total landed cost and strengthen service performance.
• Balance supplier on-time delivery, inventory availability, inventory carrying cost, and material turns when developing sourcing and replenishment strategies.
• Evaluate insurance and ownership-of-goods considerations in partnership with Finance, Legal, and Risk Management, as applicable.
• Lead supplier selection, qualification, development, and ongoing performance management in alignment with business requirements.
• Partner with Supplier Quality Assurance to assess and improve supplier quality systems, process capability, corrective-action effectiveness, and performance.
• Coordinate supplier documentation and commercial agreements before suppliers are added to the approved supplier list, including disclosure and indemnity requirements as applicable.
• Participate in the engineering approval process for supplied samples and production-part approvals, including status reporting and cross-functional issue resolution.
• Confirm that the business case, expected benefits, validation approach, and risks are defined before new suppliers, materials, or part numbers are introduced.

Job description

Get to know East Penn!

East Penn is a stable, essential employer, that is poised for the energy needs of the future with 80 years of sustainable lead battery and battery accessory manufacturing expertise!

At East Penn, our employees are our culture; our employees will always be the heart of the company. We are a private, family-owned enterprise committed to cultivating an atmosphere that honors the contributions of everyone. We want our employees to have long-term careers, and many do. Almost 40% of our workforce has over a decade of service. Our open-door management policy, comprehensive benefits package, annual bonus program for all, and career advancement opportunities are just some of the ways we show our employees how incredibly valued they are.

Our hiring process may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help in the initial review of applications by identifying candidates whose qualifications best match job requirements. These tools do not make hiring decisions. All final hiring decisions regarding interviews and employment are made by our employee recruiting and hiring teams.

East Penn is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

EOE/VEVRAA

Overview

The Director of Procurement and Supplier Development leads procurement strategy, supplier selection, contract development, supplier performance, and supply risk management. This role establishes purchasing and receiving practices, strengthens supplier capability, and partners with Engineering, Quality, Operations, Sales, Finance, and senior management to secure quality materials and services at competitive total cost while supporting business objectives.The Director also develops and mentors procurement personnel, drives continuous improvement, and provides clear reporting on cost, risk, delivery, inventory, and supplier-development initiatives.

Responsibilities

Procurement Strategy and Governance

• Establish, implement, and continuously improve purchasing and receiving policies, procedures, controls, and standard work.
• Develop and maintain a long-term supplier strategy in collaboration with senior management and key business functions.
• Create a consistent model and templates for contract purchasing, supplier agreements, and commercial negotiations.
• Oversee the full procurement process, from supplier identification and qualification through contract execution and purchase transactions.
• Ensure supplier-selection decisions are coordinated with Engineering, Quality, Operations, Sales, and other stakeholders, with Procurement maintaining commercial and sourcing governance.

Strategic Sourcing and Cost Management

• Lead market studies, competitive bidding, negotiations, and contracting activities that support cost reduction, cost containment, quality, and continuity of supply.
• Monitor commodity and raw-material pricing and translate market movement into sourcing recommendations and business actions.
• Assign buyers to commodity-specific projects and establish consistent reporting of results, risks, and opportunities to senior management.
• Evaluate alternative materials and suppliers in collaboration with Engineering, Quality, and Operations, including total cost and value-benefit analysis.
• Lead major contract negotiations, including agreements with annual spend exceeding $10 million.

Logistics, Inventory, and Total Cost

• Analyze inbound freight costs by material and part number and recommend appropriate terms of sale, freight responsibility, and ownership transfer.
• Identify logistics improvements that reduce total landed cost and strengthen service performance.
• Balance supplier on-time delivery, inventory availability, inventory carrying cost, and material turns when developing sourcing and replenishment strategies.
• Evaluate insurance and ownership-of-goods considerations in partnership with Finance, Legal, and Risk Management, as applicable.

Supplier Development and Supplier Quality

• Lead supplier selection, qualification, development, and ongoing performance management in alignment with business requirements.
• Partner with Supplier Quality Assurance to assess and improve supplier quality systems, process capability, corrective-action effectiveness, and performance.
• Coordinate supplier documentation and commercial agreements before suppliers are added to the approved supplier list, including disclosure and indemnity requirements as applicable.
• Participate in the engineering approval process for supplied samples and production-part approvals, including status reporting and cross-functional issue resolution.
• Confirm that the business case, expected benefits, validation approach, and risks are defined before new suppliers, materials, or part numbers are introduced.

Risk, Compliance, and Business Continuity

• Assess and mitigate procurement and supp