Head of Procurement

GEA Systems North America; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

GEA Systems North America is seeking a senior procurement leader to drive local implementation of global policies, lead key buyer teams and ensure governance across sourcing, contracts and supplier management.

The role emphasizes strategic leadership, cross-functional collaboration and relentless focus on savings, risk management and operational excellence, including SAP S/4HANA readiness.

Responsibilities

• Translate global procurement policies into a local roadmap and objectives.
• Lead Strategic Buyers and Project Procurement teams within the approved structure.
• Governance: SOPs, thresholds, supplier onboarding and contract controls.
• Sourcing, bids, negotiations, supplier selection and performance management.
• SAP S/4HANA readiness, data cleansing and process alignment.

Tools

SAP S/4HANA

Job description

Responsibilities / Tasks

1. PROCUREMENT STRATEGY, OPERATING MODEL & LEADERSHIP

Translate global/regional procurement policies and category strategies into a documented local roadmap, annual objectives, clear accountabilities and implementation plans.

Lead Strategic Buyers, Operational Buyers, Project Procurement Managers/Project Buyers and relevant procurement support roles in the approved reporting structure; define capacity, workload, succession, development and performance expectations.

Clarify hand-offs, thresholds and escalation paths between Global Category Managers (not locally employed), Strategic Buyers, Operational Buyers, Project Procurement Managers and Project Buyers; prevent duplicate sourcing and ensure category alignment.

Provide functional guidance and dotted-line oversight to Service and other divisionally embedded procurement personnel: common SOPs, induction, coaching, competency assessments, periodic process reviews and corrective actions, without displacing their line managers.

Partner with the Head of Supply Chain, global procurement, division leaders, project execution, Service, Finance and Engineering to prioritize supply risks and business needs.

2. PROCUREMENT GOVERNANCE, POLICY & CONTROLS

Own local procurement SOPs, work instructions, RACI, delegated authorities, tender/RFQ thresholds, competitive-bidding rules, exceptions, supplier onboarding, PO controls and contract repositories in accordance with GEA standards.

Monitor compliance through sample reviews, exception reporting, process audits and documented corrective-action tracking; maintain segregation of duties and elevate material breaches promptly.

Oversee supplier, material and purchasing-price master-data governance, access rights, preferred-source usage and data quality, with responsible process owners.

Embed applicable legal, ethical, anti-bribery, sanctions, B-BBEE and sustainability requirements in procurement processes, in consultation with Compliance/Legal and local specialists.

3. SOURCING, CONTRACTS & SUPPLIER MANAGEMENT

Direct sourcing plans, RFx, bid evaluation, negotiations, supplier selection and contracting within the relevant approval framework; support high-value and high-risk negotiations and dispute resolution.

Coordinate with Global Category Managers on category strategy, framework agreements, supplier consolidation and cross-entity opportunities; avoid assuming the global Category Manager mandate locally.

Implement supplier segmentation, scorecards, business reviews, delivery/quality improvement plans, supplier risk assessments and escalation procedures.

Evaluate total cost of ownership, commercial terms, payment terms, FX, duties, freight, lead times, inventory exposure and continuity risks; deliver validated savings and cost avoidance with Finance.

Ensure project procurement plans, supplier commitments and expediting priorities are aligned with project milestones, engineering and operational requirements.

4. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT, DATA & PROCUREMENT EXCELLENCE

Define, maintain and review a monthly KPI dashboard with owners, targets, trends and corrective actions: savings and cost avoidance, on-time delivery, overdue POs, sourcing cycle time, contract coverage, preferred-supplier spend, compliance, supplier quality, master-data quality and training completion.

Generate actionable spend/category analysis, supplier concentration and market intelligence (raw materials, FX, freight and inflation) for leadership and sourcing decisions.

Lead continuous improvement and transformation projects across source-to-pay (S2P): process mapping, digital adoption, controls, governance, stakeholder communication, change management and benefit tracking.

Champion sustainable procurement, supplier due diligence, responsible sourcing and transparent procurement communications; coordinate initiatives with global Procurement Excellence teams.

Conduct structured monthly operating reviews and quarterly improvement-roadmap reviews, escalating overdue decisions and implementation barriers.

5. SAP S/4HANA AND DIGITAL PROCUREMENT READINESS

Act as accountable procurement functional lead for SAP rollout readiness and adoption, while the designated procurement key user owns detailed configuration/testing execution.

Hold regular documented check-ins with the procurement key user and program team; review process fit, gaps, test progress, training, capacity, readiness milestones, risks and open actions.

Ensure accountable owners complete supplier/material/pricing data cleansing, process documentat