Strategic Purchasing Leader – Manufacturing

Arbon Equipment Corporation; Dubuque (IA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Rite-Hite in Dubuque, IA seeks a Purchasing Supervisor to lead site-level purchasing, including sourcing strategies, supplier management, and team performance. You will oversee Buyers and Senior Buyers while partnering with Global Supply Chain and Operations to ensure material availability and cost competitiveness.

In this role you will drive supplier selection, contract negotiations, and performance monitoring, with a focus on optimizing inventory, lead times, and total cost of ownership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, or related field or equivalent experience.
• 3+ years purchasing or supply chain experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong supplier negotiation and contract management skills.
• Experience with sourcing strategies and supplier performance management.
• Understanding of inventory management and replenishment models, including vendor-managed inventory (VMI).
• Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems; JD Edwards experience preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to influence and collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop, and manage a team of Buyers and/or Senior Buyers by setting priorities, coaching team members, and driving performance.
• Develop and execute site-level sourcing strategies to support supply continuity, cost competitiveness, and supplier performance.
• Build and maintain strategic supplier relationships, serving as the primary site-level contact for key suppliers.
• Lead supplier selection, pricing, and contract negotiations, including approval of site-level agreements.
• Monitor supplier performance through scorecards, delivery and quality metrics, and corrective action plans.
• Develop and manage inventory and replenishment strategies using demand forecasts and planning inputs to balance material availability.
• Align sourcing strategies with production requirements and capacity plans to ensure material availability.
• Identify and mitigate supply chain risks, including single-source dependencies, capacity constraints, and potential disruptions.
• Drive site-level cost performance through savings initiatives, cost reduction programs, and total cost of ownership improvements.
• Partner with Production, Engineering, and Global Supply Chain to align purchasing strategies with business and technical needs.
• Support new product development (NPD) through supplier selection, cost modeling, and supply readiness planning.
• Establish and continuously improve purchasing processes, systems, and governance to drive consistency, efficiency, and compliance.
• Maintain accurate purchasing, supplier, and planning data to support effective replenishment and decision-making.
• Serve as the escalation point for complex supplier and purchasing issues, guiding resolution and decision-making.
• Monitor key performance metrics, including cost, supplier lead times, and supplier performance.
• Identify and implement continuous improvement initiatives across sourcing, supplier management, and purchasing operations.

Skills

Supplier negotiation

ERP/MRP knowledge

Excel proficiency

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain or related field

Tools

JD Edwards

Job description

Rite-Hite in Dubuque, IA seeks a Purchasing Supervisor to lead site-level purchasing, including sourcing strategies, supplier management, and team performance. You will oversee Buyers and Senior Buyers while partnering with Global Supply Chain and Operations to ensure material availability and cost competitiveness.

In this role you will drive supplier selection, contract negotiations, and performance monitoring, with a focus on optimizing inventory, lead times, and total cost of ownership.