Bitzer Us - Flowery Branch, GA
posted 5 months ago
About the position
The Purchasing Manager is a pivotal leadership role within BITZER US, Inc., a leading manufacturer in the refrigeration and air conditioning industry. This position is essential for driving the company's purchasing strategies and ensuring that inventory levels align with customer demand and business objectives. The Purchasing Manager will work in a dynamic environment, supporting both current production needs and new product development initiatives. The individual must be a collaborative team player, capable of meeting deadlines while leveraging relationships to achieve both short-term deliverables and long-term strategic goals. This role reports directly to the Director of Supply Chain and requires close interaction with various departments within BITZER Group and BITZER World Headquarters in Germany. In this role, the Purchasing Manager will be responsible for optimizing inventory levels by collaborating with suppliers and functional leaders. The individual will lead the purchasing team, setting goals, mentoring team members, and directly engaging in tasks such as placing purchase orders and resolving invoicing issues. The position also involves analyzing market trends, forecasting demand, and mitigating risks to enhance the purchasing process. The Purchasing Manager will negotiate contracts for both direct and indirect materials, conduct supplier analysis, and maintain metrics to support cost reduction and timely delivery. Utilizing BITZER Production Systems (BIPROS) principles, the manager will promote teamwork and continuous improvement within the purchasing team, while also producing regular reports to track key functional metrics related to spending and inventory health.
Responsibilities
- Optimize inventory levels to support customer demand and meet inventory level targets by collaborating with suppliers and functional leaders.
- Lead the purchasing team by developing goals, mentoring, and training team members.
- Directly perform work as needed, such as placing purchase orders in the MRP system and reconciling invoicing issues.
- Analyze market trends, forecast demand, and mitigate risks to optimize the purchasing process.
- Develop and implement key strategic partnerships to leverage the supply base and work with other BITZER locations for economies of scale.
- Negotiate contracts for direct and indirect materials.
- Conduct supplier analysis and maintain supplier metrics to support cost reduction and on-time delivery.
- Utilize BITZER Production Systems (BIPROS) to promote teamwork and continuous improvement for the Purchasing team.
- Produce weekly/monthly/quarterly reports to track and report key functional metrics to control spend, improve inventory health, and maximize working capital.
- Work directly with cross-functional teams and cultures, including BITZER World Headquarters in Germany.
Requirements
- BS Degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, or a related field.
- Minimum of 5-7 years of progressive experience and demonstrated leadership in purchasing or supply chain roles.
- Extensive working knowledge of MRP/ERP systems to develop and manage optimal inventory and cost levels.
- Experience in commodity management, procurement strategies, negotiations, and contract management.
- Strong project/program management experience.
- Detail-oriented approach with excellent organization, planning, analysis, problem-solving, and follow-through skills.
- Excellent interpersonal skills to effectively communicate with customers and suppliers across multiple cultures.
- Ability to read engineering drawings and communicate requirements.
Nice-to-haves
- Experience with MRP implementation is a plus.
- Negotiation experience of at least 1 year is preferred.
- Purchasing experience of at least 1 year is preferred.
Benefits
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Disability insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
- Education Reimbursement (must be approved by manager)
- Company Long Term Incentive Plan based on profitability, 100% vested after 6 years on a graded scale)
