Strategic Procurement Expert

Job Summary:

We are seeking a seasoned Purchase Lead to join our team. In this role, you will be responsible for leading purchase planning, overseeing vendor coordination, and driving efficiency in procurement operations.

About the Role:

• You will work closely with various teams to convert demand projections into efficient purchase plans and ensure product availability across regions.
• You will manage procurement operations and existing vendor relationships.
• You will also have the opportunity to work on strategic projects like logistics or cost optimization, depending on business priorities.

Key Responsibilities:

I. Demand Planning & Projections

You will collaborate with key stakeholders to build and validate monthly/quarterly demand projections using historical data and sales trends.

You will translate demand forecasts into actionable purchase plans for both perishable and non-perishable SKUs.

You will get final approvals from management on forecast assumptions and purchase timelines.

You will ensure projections are shared timely with vendors—3 months for non-perishable, 6 months for perishables.

II. Purchase & Vendor Management

You will coordinate with ongoing vendors to ensure timely PO issuance & delivery as per agreed timelines.

You will monitor basic SLA adherence like lead time, fulfilment rate, and product quality; flag deviations and coordinate resolution.

You will maintain clean documentation for POs, pricing, and approvals.

You will coordinate with Finance for timely invoice processing and payment closure.

III. Inventory & Cost Management

You will maintain optimal inventory levels Pan-India and prevent both stockouts and overstocking.

You will track stock cover by SKU and manage liquidation of slow-moving or ageing inventory.

You will monitor purchase budgets, control cost deviations, and support wastage reduction.

You will drive improvement in inventory turnover and overall purchase efficiency.

IV. Reporting, Documentation & Cross-functional Sync

You will build and maintain Excel-based dashboards and trackers for POs, stock cover, vendor performance, and budget utilization.

You will work with the Online team to manage RIS for platform-exclusive SKUs.

You will ensure clean, audit-ready documentation of all purchase operations.

You will collaborate closely with NPD, Warehouse, Sales, and Finance for seamless execution.

B. Strategic & Cross-Functional Projects:

In addition to core planning work, the candidate will be expected to take ownership of some strategic projects that drive efficiency & improvement across the supply chain, like:

• Logistics optimization – Route planning, long-haul load optimization, freight benchmarking.
• Cost optimization – Identifying opportunities to save via process tweaks or vendor rationalization.
• QC process design & rollout – Defining and implementing quality checks across regions
• Warehouse or production process improvement – SOP standardization for procurement and warehouse functions

Note: Projects will be assigned based on business priorities. Flexibility, curiosity, and ownership mindset are key.

Requirements:

• 5–10 years of experience in purchase planning / inventory management / procurement in a consumer brand, retail, or FMCG company.
• Strong analytical skills with comfort in handling large datasets and Excel-based planning models.
• Ability to work with cross-functional teams and align multiple stakeholders.
• Detail-oriented, logical thinker with a knack for structuring chaos.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and open to picking up new projects.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Graduate/Postgraduate in Business, Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, or related field
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel / Google Sheets (Advanced level).
• Familiarity with ERP tools, inventory planning systems is a plus.