Lead, Plant Purchasing Operations Partner

The Role 

Serves as the site-level purchasing operations lead, directly supporting plant execution and ensuring uninterrupted material flow. Acts as the plant's voice within the Purchasing Center, representing site priorities and operational requirements while ensuring alignment with enterprise procurement processes, standard work, and governance. Leads resolution of complex supply and execution challenges impacting production schedules, customer commitments, inventory health, and operational performance. Partners closely with Planning, Operations, Quality, Logistics, and Procurement Operations teams to mitigate risk, coordinate escalations, and drive timely resolution of supply constraints, shortages, and fulfillment issues. Provides advanced procurement operations leadership through influence rather than direct authority, ensuring consistent execution practices, visibility to supplier performance risks, and alignment between site priorities and regional purchasing center activities. Supports continuous improvement initiatives that enhance service, reliability, and execution effectiveness across the supply chain.  

What You'll Do 

• Lead resolution of complex supply and procurement execution challenges, including constrained supply, material shortages, inventory risk, and production-impacting disruptions. 

• Coordinate and drive escalation management between plants, suppliers, Planning, Quality, and Purchasing Center teams to ensure rapid issue resolution. 

• Serve as the primary site liaison for Procurement Operations, ensuring plant priorities and requirements are appropriately represented in execution decisions. 

• Identify and communicate emerging supplier performance, supply continuity, and fulfillment risks that may impact operational performance. 

• Partner with Planning and Operations teams to ensure procurement execution supports production schedules, inventory strategies, and customer demand requirements. 

• Facilitate root cause analysis and corrective action activities for recurring supply disruptions and execution gaps. 

• Ensure purchasing execution risks and performance gaps are appropriately elevated through operational governance forums, including S&OE and S&OP processes. 

• Promote standard work, escalation disciplines, and purchasing governance practices across supported sites. 

• Analyze purchasing execution performance and leverage key metrics to identify improvement opportunities related to on-time delivery, inventory health, fulfillment accuracy, and issue resolution effectiveness. 

• Support implementation of process improvements, automation initiatives, and digital tools that improve visibility, standardization, and execution performance. 

• Provide guidance and subject matter expertise to procurement, planning, and operational stakeholders on purchasing processes, escalation management, and risk mitigation strategies.  

What We Seek 

• Typically requires a minimum of 8 years of related experience with a bachelor’s degree, or 6 years with a master’s degree, or equivalent experience in Supply Chain, Purchasing, Procurement Operations, Operations, or a related field. 

• Demonstrated experience managing complex procurement execution, supply continuity, supplier performance, and exception management challenges. 

• Advanced knowledge of procurement operations, purchasing processes, supply planning concepts, and ERP/MRP systems (SAP preferred). 

• Experience leading cross-functional issue resolution and influencing stakeholders across Planning, Operations, Quality, Logistics, Finance, and Procurement teams. 

• Demonstrated ability to identify risks, analyze data, and develop practical solutions that improve operational performance and supply reliability. 

• Experience developing or supporting governance processes, KPI management, escalation frameworks, and continuous improvement initiatives. 

• Strong analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills with the ability to influence decisions without direct authority. 

• Experience leveraging metrics, dashboards, and operational performance indicators to support decision-making and improve execution outcomes.