Vice President of Purchasing

Harvey Hohauser & Associates - Retained Executive Search; Michigan; On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Harvey Hohauser & Associates is partnering with a family-owned manufacturing group to appoint a strategic, hands-on Vice President of Purchasing. The role leads purchasing across several plants, aligning with enterprise goals while staying close to suppliers and operations for meaningful results.

The ideal candidate has 15+ years in procurement within automotive or engineered products, with strong negotiation, lean, and financial acumen, and a track record of leading teams and influencing senior

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or professional certification preferred.
• Experience leading purchasing in a multi-site manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead purchasing across multiple businesses and four direct reports.
• Develop and execute enterprise-wide sourcing and supplier-management strategies.
• Drive cost reductions, improve quality and on-time delivery, and mitigate supplier risk.
• Influence senior leadership and cross-functional teams to execute purchasing initiatives.
• Coach and develop high-performing purchasing professionals.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Supplier management

Negotiations

Cost analysis

Lean manufacturing

Quality systems

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Executive presence

Financial acumen

Education

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, business, engineering, finance or related discipline

Job description

Our client is a family-owned group of manufacturing businesses serving the automotive and broader industrial markets. With multiple manufacturing operations in the United States, the organization provides an integrated range of capabilities spanning product design and development, engineering, tooling, advanced machining, injection molding, value-added assembly, and related manufacturing services. As a family-owned enterprise, the organization takes a long-term approach to its business, customers, suppliers, and employees. Its culture values teamwork, accountability, innovation, continuous improvement, and a commitment to delivering high-quality results.

The Opportunity:

Our client is seeking a strategic, hands‑on Vice President of Purchasing who brings an ownership mentality and thrives on turning opportunity into results. This executive will lead purchasing across multiple businesses, combining enterprise-level thinking with a willingness to stay close to the plants, programs, suppliers, and people who make things happen. The VP will leverage the organization’s collective buying power and supplier relationships to reduce total cost, strengthen quality and delivery, mitigate risk, and create greater value across the businesses. This is an opportunity for a proven purchasing leader to make a meaningful impact—building upon a solid foundation while advancing a more integrated, disciplined, and forward-looking purchasing organization positioned for continued growth.

This position reports to the Chief Administrative Officer and has four (4) direct reports.

The Requirements:

• 15+ years of progressive experience in purchasing, procurement, strategic sourcing, commodity management, or supply chain with significant leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated success leading purchasing within a complex, multi-site manufacturing environment.
• Experience within automotive, engineered products, plastics, tooling, or another technically sophisticated manufacturing environment strongly preferred.
• Broad expertise in strategic sourcing, supplier management, commodity strategy, negotiations, contracting, cost analysis, and supplier performance management.
• Strong understanding of lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and quality‑management principles.
• Experience operating within disciplined automotive or manufacturing quality systems preferred.
• Strong analytical and financial acumen.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop high‑performing purchasing professionals.
• Proven ability to influence across organizational and functional boundaries and effectively lead changes.
• Firm but fair approach, strong negotiation, communication, and relationship‑building skills with the executive presence necessary to interact effectively with senior leadership and key suppliers.
• Get‑it‑done mentality, results oriented and metrics-driven.
• High degree of integrity, humility, accountability, and respect for others.
• Travel required is less than 20% to company and supplier locations, and/or as business needs require.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, business, engineering, finance or a related discipline required; an advanced degree or relevant professional certification is preferred.