Procurement Lead

Alistair Group; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 30 000 - 70 000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dedicated Procurement Specialist to enhance its growth trajectory in Africa. This role involves developing sourcing strategies, engaging with key stakeholders, and managing supplier relationships to drive value and innovation. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in procurement or supply chain management, with a focus on critical thinking and attention to detail. Join a dynamic team that values customer service and continuous improvement, and contribute to making Africa work better through effective procurement practices. If you're ready to take on this exciting challenge, we want to hear from you!

Qualifications

• 5-10 years of experience in procurement or supply chain management.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel and procurement software.

Responsibilities

• Lead sourcing strategies and ensure alignment with organizational goals.
• Engage with stakeholders to understand requirements and specifications.
• Manage procurement budget and track spending against targets.

Skills

Procurement or Supply Chain Qualification

5 - 10 years overall experience

Computer Literate

Attention to Detail

Critical thinking skills

Microsoft Excel

Strong interpersonal skills

Financially literate

Education

Procurement or Supply Chain Qualification

Tools

Procurement software

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Alistair Group is one of East and Southern Africa’s fastest-growing service companies, providing a variety of self-delivered logistics solutions across several geographies, aimed with the vision to Make Africa Work Better! With core competencies in road freight, warehousing, commodity trading and operational hire of material handling equipment, the Group strives for continuous expansion of innovative ancillary services to grow the business vertically, complimented by a healthy dose of entrepreneurial flair. The business has gone from strength to strength, growing quickly in both its geographical coverage and variety of services offered to clients. In 2024, the Group exceeded the 1000 employee mark and managed a fleet of well over 1000 trucks. With Alistair’s aggressive and exciting growth strategy, the Group is poised for significant further expansion and a greater impact in Africa.

Core Services

• Freight Forwarding
• Clearance & Forwarding
• Energy Industry Support Services
• Equipment Rental
• Commodity Trading
• Integrated Solutions
• Warehousing
• Ocean Freight

Industries

• Mining
• Oil & Gas
• Agriculture
• Construction
• Explosives
• Renewables

Mission

To make Africa work better

Company Values

Honesty, Customer Focus, Continual Improvement, Humility, and Safety

Accountabilities & Responsibility Areas

• Lead the development and execution of sourcing strategies for key categories of items and services, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, cost optimization, and supplier risk management
• Continuously engage with key stakeholders in the organization, including management, operations and finance to ensure up to date and complete knowledge about requirements and specifications for category items and services in line with the company’s overall business strategy
• Continuously stay updated with the market for category items and services and conduct comprehensive market research and analysis to benchmark incumbent suppliers, identify potential new suppliers, evaluate their capabilities, and ensure they meet quality, cost, and performance criteria
• Build and maintain strong, yet independent, relationships with key suppliers, driving strategic partnerships and fostering collaboration to deliver value and innovation across the organization
• Ensuring a productive labour climate in the Procurement function; in case of irregularities immediately report to management
• Leverage procurement technology and digital tools to enhance procurement activities, automate routine processes, and provide data-driven insights into purchasing decisions
• Manage the procurement budget, tracking spend against budgeted targets, identifying areas for cost reduction, and ensuring the achievement of saving goals
• Continuously evaluate sourcing strategies and identify opportunities for cost savings while maintaining or improving quality and service delivery
• Implement performance reviews with suppliers to assess service levels, quality, and cost against agreed terms, and ensure corrective action plans are developed when
• Motivate, organize and encourage teamwork within the workforce to ensure set productivity targets are met
• Ensure the filing of all Procurement related documentation for auditing purposes
• Ensure continuous monitoring of stock for re-ordering
• Communicate all delays or variances to the appropriate parties
• Investigate stock variances, delivery queries, identify and implement possible ways to prevent future variances/queries
• Ensure accurate and on-time purchasing of all products and services as required by the organization
• Expedite PO’s and communicate ETA’s and delays to all relevant parties
• Update min and max levels for ordering to ensure continuous availability of parts
• Source alternative solutions, obtain approval and purchase to ensure continuous supply to the organization
• Enforce Purchasing policies and procedures to ensure good
• Continually investigate opportunities for cost or efficiency savings
• Provide a high level of customer service with industry standard turnaround times for all requests
• Actively support the Company’s Health, Safety, Environment and Quality vision and values by observing safety practices at work while performing his/her duties
• Observing and adhering to safety policies, reporting unsafe acts and hazards

Skills and Qualifications

• Procurement or Supply Chain Qualification or studying towards one
• 5 - 10 years overall experience
• Computer Literate
• Self-motivated, Attention to Detail & Deadline-orientated
• Service orientated – actively seek ways to help people
• Critical thinking skills – identify alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems
• Comfortable with Microsoft Excel and procurement software
• Have the ambition to help drive the growth of a young company
• Strong interpersonal, communication and administration skills
• Ability to achieve excellent results working autonomously and/or in a team
• Excellent organisation skills
• Financially literate and disciplined
• Possess a “can-do” attitude always focussing on what “can" be done
• Possess a desire to continually develop, improve and be ambitious
• Be physically fit and able to use the correct lifting technique
• Able and willing to travel to operational sites and suppliers as needed

Work Hours: Monday to Friday, 7:20 AM – 4:20 PM, and Alternate Saturdays, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM.

The Company reserves the right to withdraw from the recruitment process at any time, at its sole discretion. The sharing of any aptitude test, assessment, or invitation to an interview does not constitute an offer of employment or guarantee any future employment with the Company. Candidates acknowledge that progression through any stage of the recruitment process does not imply or ensure an eventual offer of employment.