Purchase & Planning Supervisor

H.B. Fuller; Remote; ZAR 500 000 - 700 000; Full time

Job summary

A global adhesives company is seeking a procurement professional in South Africa to implement and manage procurement processes. Candidates should have 5-8 years of experience in procurement or supply chain management, with strong knowledge of inventory management and planning. Excellent English communication skills and proficiency in SAP are essential. The role involves collaboration with various teams to ensure timely material availability and adherence to quality standards.

Qualifications

• 5-8 years of experience in procurement, S&OP, customer service or similar.
• Fluency in English, both spoken and written.
• Ability to work under time pressure and manage priorities.

Responsibilities

• Implement robust procurement processes to ensure timely delivery.
• Develop optimal procurement plans based on customer orders.
• Collaborate with customer service and quality control teams.
• Utilize MRP systems to optimize inventory levels.
• Ensure adherence to global and local quality standards.

Skills

In-depth knowledge of production planning

Procurement process expertise

Inventory management skills

Teamwork

Good communication skills

Time management

Tools

SAP

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Outlook

Job description

As the largest pureplay adhesives company in the world, H.B. Fuller’s (NYSE: FUL) innovative, functional coatings, adhesives and sealants enhance the quality, safety and performance of products people use every day. Founded in 1887, with 2024 revenue of $3.6 billion, our mission to Connect What Matters is brought to life by more than 7,500 global team members who collaborate with customers across more than 30 market segments in over 140 countries to develop highly specified solutions that enable customers to bring world-changing innovations to their end markets. Learn more at www.hbfuller.com.

Primary Duties

Purchasing

• Implement robust procurement processes to ensure on-time delivery of Finished Goods (FG) in alignment with the demand plan and confirmed Sales Orders.

• Sustain business process implementation in the Supply Chain with strict adherence to global and local quality standards.

• Collaborate with Global Sourcing and S&OP teams for centrally purchased products to ensure supply alignment and availability.

• Manage FG supply (both imported and local) in compliance with customs, excise, import regulations, and H.B. Fuller global policies, including coordination with the EIMEA Sourcing team.

• Oversee customs clearance and logistics coordination for both import and local shipments.

• Ensure timely processing of purchase invoices and submission of all necessary documents to the Accounts department.

• Follow up on vendor payments while ensuring full compliance with the defined payment processes.

• Implement EXIM processes in the Purchasing function, ensuring adherence to all applicable Excise, Customs, and Import laws.

• Coordinate with vendors to ensure timely deliveries, address material quality issues, and handle supplier claims as needed.

• Prepare and maintain key MIS reports such as Open Purchase Orders and EXIM reports for internal and external stakeholders.

Planning

• Develop optimal procurement plans based on customer orders, safety stock levels (MTO/MTS), batch size requirements, and delivery timelines.

• Monitor end-to-end order movement from entry to actual dispatch from the source location.

• Operate in alignment with defined Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to maintain customer satisfaction.

• Utilize MRP systems to optimize inventory levels and meet targeted Days on Hand (DOH) inventory goals.

• Generate demand forecasts using statistical methods and ensure alignment of supply to meet forecasted demand.

• Regularly review and act upon slow-moving and obsolete inventory to minimize financial impact.

• Support South Africa site’s Inventory and SIFOT (Shipped In-Full On-Time) targets by deploying best-in-class planning practices.

• Take personal accountability for skill development through participation in internal training programs.

• Ensure ISO documentation related to the Purchase function is updated and maintained as per standards.

Accountability

Cooperation with customer service, quality control, production planners, warehouse & purchasing, to ensure in-time availability of material; communication above interfaces to follow up on customer orders proactively.

Preferred Qualifications

• In-depth knowledge of the production planning process, Procurement process & Inventory management.

• Min. 5-8 years job experience in procurement, S&OP, customer service, EXIM process, or similar.

• Language skills English fluently spoken and in writing.

• Computer skills: familiar with SAP, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook.

• Personal skills: teamwork, reliability, persistence, good communicator, customer focused, very good sense of time; ability to work under time pressure, priority & managerial courage.

H.B. Fuller is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and proud to have created a collaborative culture where employees around the world are seen, heard, and respected. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability, or marital status or status as a protected veteran, or any other legally protected classification.

H.B. Fuller does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or staffing firms. To conduct business with H.B. Fuller, a written service agreement must be executed by Human Resources prior to submitting any information relating to a potential candidate. Without a signed service agreement, H.B. Fuller shall not be obligated for payment of any fee or compensation.