Purchasing Supervisor

Nidec Motor Corporation; Lexington (TN); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Nidec is seeking a Supervisor, Purchasing to lead the day-to-day procurement activities, including PO creation, tracking, and supplier communications. This frontline management role combines people leadership with hands-on oversight to ensure timely, cost-effective sourcing that supports manufacturing and service needs.

You will supervise Buyers and Purchasing Coordinators, coach staff, monitor performance, and enforce procurement policies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or associate degree in supply chain or related field.
• 5–8 years in purchasing or procurement.
• Experience leading purchasing staff.
• Knowledge of ERP and PO workflows.
• Strong organizational and communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities under deadlines.
• Attention to detail and accountability.

Responsibilities

• Supervise daily purchasing activities to ensure timely orders.
• Coordinate workloads and priorities across purchasing tasks.
• Ensure POs align with demand, specs, and approved suppliers.
• Lead purchasing staff and provide coaching and feedback.
• Communicate with suppliers and resolve delays or issues.
• Ensure compliance with procurement policies and controls.
• Monitor open POs and delivery status; support changes.
• Collaborate with Materials Control, Production Scheduling, Inventory Control, and Finance.

Skills

People leadership

Procurement knowledge

Supply chain fundamentals

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in supply chain

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

Job Summary

Supervisor, Purchasing is a first-line management role responsible for supervising day‑to‑day purchasing activities to ensure timely, accurate, and cost‑effective procurement of materials and services. This role combines direct people leadership with hands‑on operational oversight, focusing on execution discipline, supplier coordination, policy compliance, and service responsiveness.

Job Description

Role Overview The Supervisor, Purchasing leads daily execution of purchasing activities including purchase order creation, order tracking, supplier communication, and resolution of purchasing issues. The role is operational and execution‑focused, emphasizing work prioritization, issue resolution, coaching, and adherence to procurement processes, while aligning purchasing actions with business and operational needs. This position includes direct supervisory responsibility for Buyers, Purchasing Coordinators, or Purchasing Support staff and typically reports to a Purchasing Manager, Procurement Manager, or Supply Chain Leader.

Key Responsibilities

• Supervise daily purchasing activities to ensure timely and accurate order placement
• Coordinate workloads, priorities, and coverage across purchasing tasks
• Ensure purchase orders align with demand, specifications, and approved suppliers
• People Leadership & Supervision
  • Directly supervise purchasing staff
  • Assign work, manage capacity, and monitor performance
  • Provide procedural guidance, coaching, and regular performance feedback
  • Support onboarding, training, and skill development
  • Participate in performance evaluations and corrective actions
• Supplier Coordination & Issue Resolution
  • Support communication with suppliers regarding orders, deliveries, and issues
  • Serve as first‑level escalation point for purchasing delays, discrepancies, or shortages
  • Coordinate corrective actions with suppliers and internal stakeholders
• Policy Compliance & Controls
  • Ensure adherence to procurement policies, approval limits, and controls
  • Reinforce proper documentation and purchase order practices
  • Support audits, reviews, and compliance reporting activities
• Order Tracking & Service Support
  • Monitor open purchase orders and delivery status
  • Support resolution of late deliveries or order changes
  • Ensure purchasing activities support production, operations, and service needs
• Systems, Documentation & Reporting
  • Ensure effective use of ERP and purchasing systems
  • Maintain accurate purchasing records and documentation
  • Monitor purchasing metrics and provide operational reports as required
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration
  • Partner with Materials Control, Production Scheduling, Inventory Control, and Finance
  • Coordinate purchasing activity to support production plans and inventory strategies
  • Provide purchasing input to operational planning and execution discussions
• Continuous Improvement
  • Identify opportunities to improve purchasing efficiency and responsiveness
  • Support standardization of purchasing processes and best practices
  • Participate in continuous improvement and procurement operations initiatives

Qualifications

• Associate or Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Finance, or related field preferred (or equivalent experience)
• Typically 5‑8 years of purchasing, procurement, or supply chain experience
• Prior experience leading, mentoring, or coordinating purchasing or operations staff strongly preferred
• Strong understanding of purchasing processes and supply chain fundamentals
• Knowledge of ERP systems, purchase order workflows, and procurement controls
• Proven frontline leadership or supervisory capability
• Strong organizational, problem‑solving, and communication skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a deadline‑driven environment
• High accountability, judgment, and attention to detail

Additional Job Details

• Management – M1
  • Works to achieve operational, functional, and/or business targets within a team with direct and indirect impact on departmental or job‑family results
  • Plans and establishes operational plans and day‑to‑day objectives for a team of entry‑level professionals and/or skilled support employees
  • Assigns tasks to a team to achieve operational targets and service standards
  • Communicates with parties typically within own department or job family, and may communicate with parties external to the department which may include clients or partners depending upon the job area
  • Explains policies, practices and procedures of the area of responsibility to others within the team
  • Sometimes requires ability to influence others outside of own job area on policies, practices and procedures
  • Responsible for making minor to moderate improvements of processes, systems, or products to enhance performance of the job area
  • Problems may be difficult but not complex; typically solved through drawing from prior experience and analysis of issues
  • Manages a small to mid‑sized team consisting of three or more entry‑level professionals or skilled support employees
  • Leads, directs and reviews the work of team members to accomplish operational plans and results
  • Provides day‑to‑day work direction for team to maintain steady workflow and productivity and resolve operational decisions
  • Provides primary input to hiring, firing, promotion, performance and rewards decisions for direct reports
  • Understands basic management approaches such as work scheduling, prioritizing, coaching and process execution
  • Typically has a bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional certification and 3 years of prior relevant experience

Equal Employment Opportunity and AffNo more text lining and policy affirmation

Nidec is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action employer encouraging diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, genetic information, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Work Shift Schedule

First Shift (United States of America)

No Soliciting

Nidec will not accept unsolicited resumes from individual recruiters or third‑party agencies in response to Nidec job postings. No fee will be paid to third parties who submit unsolicited candidates directly to our hiring managers. Pre‑approval from the Nidec Talent Acquisition team is required before any external candidate can be submitted and such candidate must be submitted to the Nidec Talent Acquisition team.