Purchasing Manager

Central Garden & Pet; Wisconsin; On-site; USD 85,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

401k with company match

Paid vacation and holidays

Life and disability insurance

Education assistance

Job summary

Central Garden & Pet is seeking a Purchasing Manager to lead a small purchasing group in Franklin, guiding two transactional buyers and coordinating with Supply Chain, Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Customer Support teams. The role emphasizes workflow improvements, strategic inventory planning, and on-time purchasing to support sales, inventory, and service goals.

The successful candidate will have a Bachelor’s in a related field, 4+ years in supply chain, and strong leadership with ERP

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain or related discipline.
• 4+ years supply chain experience.
• Lead projects and negotiate with cross functional teams.
• Multitask across projects from different departments.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems, preferably SAP.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Possesses strong interpersonal skills, works well with others, respectful of all team members, and good time management skills.
• Lead, develop and manage team of transactional buyers.
• Ability to meet deadlines and establish goals and objectives in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• In a cross functional team environment develop inventory strategies and communicate and execute plan.
• Analyze and optimize the process related to managing purchase orders.
• Ensure alignment between business, sourcing and purchasing strategies.
• Set measurable objectives to drive improvement in days on hand to lower inventory dollars.
• Work with sourcing to keep minimum order quantities aligned with business objectives and forecasts.
• Develop and track supplier metrics.
• Execute all the required operational activities related to purchasing and management of materials and services required by the company according with defined policies.
• Manage and develop transactional buyers.
• Set goals and KPI’s to help drive and monitor success.
• Integrate innovative ideas from suppliers and other sources into internal ways of working to bring continuous improvement.
• Partner with sourcing to ensure the agreed upon service levels with suppliers (indirect and direct) are adhered to.
• Work with the procurement team to drive out cost and hit our low-cost producer / continuous improvement goals and initiatives.
• Work with Demand planners to optimize inventory levels and coverage profiles for purchased items.
• Manage all other activities of the purchasing department.

Skills

Project leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Time management

Written communication

Verbal communication

Team leadership

Deadline orientation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain or related discipline

Tools

SAP

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Description

Description

The Purchasing Manager role is responsible for executing several roles within our procurement group: The first will be to manage the day-to-day activities of the Purchasing group in Franklin, consisting of two transactional buyers. The second function would be to place purchase orders and manage their delivery dates. Lastly, manage and streamline processes within the group, to improve efficiency and drive continuous improvement. These activities will enable the business to meet sales, inventory, financial and service objectives. Collaboration with other members of Supply Chain, Sales, Marketing, Finance and Customer Support Teams is paramount to achieving these objectives. Purchasing manager role will report to the Director of S&OP.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Purchasing Manager role is responsible for executing several roles within our procurement group: The first will be to manage the day-to-day activities of the Purchasing group in Franklin, consisting of two transactional buyers. The second function would be to place purchase orders and manage their delivery dates. Lastly, manage and streamline processes within the group, to improve efficiency and drive continuous improvement. These activities will enable the business to meet sales, inventory, financial and service objectives. Collaboration with other members of Supply Chain, Sales, Marketing, Finance and Customer Support Teams is paramount to achieving these objectives. Purchasing manager role will report to the Director of S&OP.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• In a cross functional team environment develop inventory strategies and communicate and execute plan.
• Analyze and optimize the process related to managing purchase orders.
• Ensure alignment between business, sourcing and purchasing strategies.
• Set measurable objectives to drive improvement in days on hand to lower inventory dollars.
• Work with sourcing to keep minimum order quantities aligned with business objectives and forecasts.
• Develop and track supplier metrics.
• Execute all the required operational activities related to purchasing and management of materials and services required by the company according with defined policies.
• Manage and develop transactional buyers.
• Set goals and KPI’s to help drive and monitor success.
• Integrate innovative ideas from suppliers and other sources into internal ways of working to bring continuous improvement.
• Partner with sourcing to ensure the agreed upon service levels with suppliers (indirect and direct) are adhered to.
• Work with the procurement team to drive out cost and hit our low-cost producer / continuous improvement goals and initiatives.
• Work with Demand planners to optimize inventory levels and coverage profiles for purchased items.
• Manage all other activities of the purchasing department.

EXPERIENCES/SKILLS/EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain or other related discipline.
• 4+ years supply chain experience
• Lead projects and negotiate with cross functional teams.
• Multitask across projects from different departments.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems, preferably SAP
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Possesses strong interpersonal skills, works well with others, respectful of all team members, and good time management skills.
• Lead, develop and manage team of transactional buyers.
• Ability to meet deadlines and establish goals and objectives in a fast-paced environment.

BENEFITS PACKAGE & EMPLOYEE PROGRAMS

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Free Life and Disability Insurance
• Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
• 401k with 3% company match and annual employer discretionary contribution
• Paid vacation, holidays and sick time
• Employee Assistance Program
• Access to thousands of free online courses
• Discounts on cell phones, movie tickets, gym memberships, and more!
• Education Assistance (both college degrees and professional certifications)
• Referral Program with cash bonus
• Access to on-demand pay
• Paid parental leave

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT) (NASDAQ: CENTA) understands that home is central to life and has proudly nurtured happy and healthy homes for over 40 years. With fiscal 2023 net sales of $3.3 billion, Central is on a mission to lead the future of the Pet and Garden industries. The Company’s innovative and trusted products are dedicated to helping lawns grow greener, gardens bloom bigger, pets live healthier and communities grow stronger. Central is home to a leading portfolio of more than 65 high-quality brands including Amdro®, Aqueon®, Cadet®, Farnam®, Ferry-Morse®, Four Paws®, Kaytee®, K&H®, Nylabone® and Pennington®, strong manufacturing and distribution capabilities and a passionate, entrepreneurial growth culture. Central is based in Walnut Creek, California and has 6,700 employees across North America and Europe. Visit www.central.com to learn more.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disabi