Lead MRO Procurement Specialist

Oil-Dri Corporation of America; Ripley (MS); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

401(k) match

Medical, dental, and vision

HSA/FSA options

Life insurance

Disability coverage

Parental leave

PTO and holidays

Wellness programs

Professional development

Job summary

Oil-Dri Corporation of America in Ripley, MS, seeks a Lead MRO Procurement Specialist to drive maintenance-parts purchasing and storeroom optimization at our Ripley site. You will convert requisitions into POs in the JDE system, manage supplier performance, and ensure uptime through strategic stocking and data-driven decisions.

Responsibilities include negotiating terms, reducing emergency buys, mentoring junior buyers, and partnering with Maintenance, Operations, and Finance to maintain

Qualifications

• 5+ years in progressive MRO procurement or manufacturing supply.
• ERP/MRP purchasing and inventory experience.
• Knowledge of mechanical, electrical, hydraulics and repair services.
• Strong negotiation, spend analysis, and value documentation.
• Advanced Excel and reporting skills.

Responsibilities

• Own MRO purchasing for stock items, non-stock parts, services, tools and consumables.
• Prioritize critical needs to protect plant uptime and communicate risks.
• Convert requisitions to POs in JDE with accurate details.
• Optimize storeroom stocking strategies and inventory parameters.
• Maintain master data: supplier lead times, costs, locations, substitutes.
• Lead strategic sourcing: RFQs, negotiate terms, qualify sources.
• Manage supplier performance including corrective actions.
• Promote controls, ethics, and data governance in procurement.
• Improve purchasing performance by reducing emergencies and cycle times.
• Coach junior buyers and users on disciplined purchasing and analytics.

Skills

MRO procurement

ERP knowledge

Negotiation

Excel

Collaboration

Inventory management

Data-driven

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

JDE

ERP/MRP systems

Job description

Compensation: Competitive salary + annual bonus

Work Model: Onsite with regular plant and storeroom presence

• This position is based at an active mine and manufacturing site and requires daily onsite presence.
• Regular in-person attendance consistent with the Company's established work schedule is an essential function of this position to facilitate effective collaboration, communication, and business operations.

About Oil-Dri

Founded in 1941, Oil-Dri Corporation of America is a leading global manufacturer of specialty sorbent products serving both consumer and business markets. Headquartered in Chicago, Oil-Dri is a publicly traded, family-controlled organization built on honesty, integrity, and accountability. Our mission is simple: Create Value From Sorbent Minerals®.

About the Role

The Lead MRO Procurement Specialist serves as the site-facing procurement leader for maintenance, repair, and operations materials and services at Oil-Dri's Ripley manufacturing facility.

This role protects plant uptime by ensuring critical parts, consumables, repair services, and facility services are available at the required quality, cost, and lead time. The position combines daily purchasing execution with strategic sourcing, supplier performance, JDE master data, inventory discipline, and storeroom optimization.

Your Impact

• Own MRO Procurement: Manage purchasing for assigned stock items, non-stock parts, repair services, tools, consumables, and indirect requirements.
• Protect Plant Uptime: Prioritize critical, emergency, and production-impacting needs and communicate supply risks through resolution.
• Execute Accurate Purchasing: Convert approved requisitions into purchase orders in JDE and verify commercial, technical, and delivery details.
• Optimize Inventory: Partner with Maintenance, Operations, and storeroom teammates to establish stocking strategies and inventory parameters.
• Maintain Master Data: Protect accurate JDE item-branch planning data, supplier lead times, costs, locations, equipment references, and approved substitutes.
• Lead Strategic Sourcing: Conduct RFQs, negotiate total cost and commercial terms, qualify alternate sources, and document value.
• Manage Supplier Performance: Address quality, delivery, service, continuity risk, corrective actions, and onboarding requirements.
• Strengthen Controls: Follow approval, accounting, ethics, records-retention, master-data, and segregation-of-duties requirements.
• Improve Purchasing Performance: Reduce emergency buys, invoice exceptions, stockouts, manual touches, and purchasing cycle time.
• Build Capability: Coach junior buyers and site users on disciplined purchasing practices and responsible use of approved analytics and AI-assisted tools.

What You Bring

• Experience: 5+ years of progressive MRO procurement, industrial purchasing, maintenance-materials, storeroom, or manufacturing-supply experience.
• ERP Knowledge: Experience with ERP/MRP purchasing and inventory processes.
• MRO Knowledge: Working knowledge of mechanical, electrical, controls, hydraulics, pneumatics, mobile equipment, safety supplies, tools, and repair services.
• Negotiation: Proven ability to negotiate, resolve supplier issues, analyze spend and inventory data, and document measurable value.
• Technology: Advanced Microsoft Excel and business-reporting skills.
• Judgment: Strong operational urgency, commercial judgment, data discipline, and ethical decision-making.
• Collaboration: Ability to influence and work effectively across Maintenance, Operations, Engineering, Finance, Accounting, Master Data Governance, and Procurement.

Core Competencies for Success

• MRO sourcing and purchasing execution
• Inventory and storeroom optimization
• Supplier performance and commercial negotiation
• ERP master-data accuracy and purchasing controls
• Operational urgency and plant partnership
• Analytics, problem-solving, and continuous improvement

Preferred Experience

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain, business, engineering, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience considered
• JDE purchasing and inventory experience
• CPSM, CPM, CSCP, CPIM, or a related professional certification
• Experience with supplier performance programs, VMI, consignment, critical-spares analysis, or storeroom optimization

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive salary + annual bonus opportunity
• 401(k) with 6% company match
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options
• Company-paid life insurance and AD&D coverage
• Short-term and long-term disability coverage
• Paid parental leave
• Paid time off and company holidays
• Fitness and wellness programs
• Career growth, training, and professional development opportunities

Equal Opportunity Statement

Oil-Dri is committed to providing equal opportunity for all teammates and qualified candidates without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, mental or physical disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. Accordingly, all employment decisions and personnel actions or programs such as hiring, promotion, discipline, compensation, benefits, transfers, reductions in workforce, and training, etc. will be consistent with the principle of equal employment opportunity.