Department: Purchase & Procurement
Location : Wardha, Maharashtra
Reporting To: Senior Manager. Purchase / Plant Head
Industry: Steel / Manufacturing

Position Overview

We are looking for an experienced Sr. Manager / Manager Purchase & Procurement to lead the plant-wide procurement and stores operations. The role will be responsible for strategic sourcing, vendor development, procurement of raw materials, stores & spares, consumables and engineering materials, while ensuring cost competitiveness, quality, timely availability and optimum inventory levels.

The incumbent will work closely with Plant Operations, Production, Maintenance, Finance, Quality, Logistics and Commercial teams to ensure uninterrupted plant operations and effective working-capital management.

Key Roles & Responsibilities:

1. Strategic Procurement & Supply Chain Management

- Develop and implement procurement strategies aligned with plant production and business requirements.
- Plan procurement based on production schedules, consumption patterns, inventory levels and future requirements.
- Ensure timely availability of critical materials to avoid production or maintenance stoppages.
- Develop procurement plans for raw materials, consumables, stores, spares, engineering items and services.
- Monitor market trends, commodity prices and supply-demand dynamics to identify procurement opportunities.
- Establish appropriate rate contracts, annual contracts and long-term supply agreements wherever required.
- Maintain strong control over purchase lead times, payment terms and procurement cycles.

2. End-to-End Sourcing & Vendor Ecosystem Development

- Identify, evaluate and onboard reliable vendors for plant requirements.
- Conduct vendor identification, pre-qualification, technical evaluation, commercial evaluation and negotiations.
- Develop alternate and backup vendors for critical materials to minimize supply-chain risks.
- Maintain and continuously improve the approved vendor base.
- Evaluate vendors on quality, price, delivery performance, service and credit terms.
- Build long-term relationships with strategic suppliers while maintaining commercial discipline.
- Conduct periodic vendor performance reviews and initiate corrective actions where required.

3. Raw Material Procurement

- Manage procurement of key raw materials required for steel plant operations, as applicable, such as:
- DRI / Sponge Iron
- Steel Scrap
- Pig Iron
- Steel Billets / Blooms
- Ferro Alloys
- Dolomite
- Ferro Manganese (Fe-Mn)
- Silico Manganese (Si-Mn)
- - Other process-specific raw materials





- Track raw material prices and market movements to optimize purchase timing and cost.
- Ensure material specifications and quality requirements are clearly communicated to suppliers.
- Coordinate with Quality and Production teams for material inspection and acceptance.

4. Stores, Spares & Consumables Procurement

- Ensure timely procurement of mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and engineering spares.
- Manage procurement of consumables such as lubricants, welding consumables, refractory materials, PPE and other plant requirements.
- Develop critical-spares procurement strategies based on equipment criticality and maintenance requirements.
- Coordinate with Maintenance and Engineering teams to understand technical specifications and urgency.
- Ensure procurement of genuine and technically compliant spares while optimizing costs.

5. Inventory Optimization & Working Capital Control

- Establish optimum inventory levels for critical and non-critical materials.
- Monitor stock levels, ageing, slow-moving and non-moving inventory.
- Reduce excess inventory without compromising plant operations.
- Implement inventory planning based on minimum, maximum, reorder and safety-stock levels.
- Coordinate with Stores, Maintenance and Production teams for effective inventory utilization.
- Identify opportunities to reduce blocked working capital through better procurement planning and inventory control.

6. Cost Reduction & Value Engineering

- Drive procurement cost-reduction initiatives through competitive bidding, negotiations, alternate sourcing and vendor development.
- Benchmark purchase prices against market rates and historical prices.
- Identify opportunities for alternate materials, standardization and value engineering in coordination with technical teams.
- Negotiate favorable price, payment, credit, freight and delivery terms.
- Track and report procurement savings and cost-avoidance initiatives.
- Develop long-term contracts for high-value and regularly consumed materials wherever commercially beneficial.

7. Logistics & Material Flow Optimization

- Coordinate with suppliers and logistics teams to ensure timely material movement to the plant.
- Optimize transportation and freight costs.
- Monitor delivery schedules and resolve logistics-related delays.




- Ensure proper documentation for incoming materials.
- Coordinate with Stores and Security teams for smooth receipt and unloading of materials.
- Develop appropriate logistics strategies for bulk and critical materials.

8. Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Coordination

- Lead and develop the Purchase, Procurement and Stores team.
- Allocate responsibilities and monitor team performance.
- Train team members on procurement processes, negotiation, vendor management and ERP systems.
- Coordinate closely with Plant Head, Production, Maintenance, Finance, Quality, Stores, Logistics and Commercial teams.
- Establish clear procurement processes, approval mechanisms and accountability within the team.

Essential Skills & Competencies

- Strong knowledge of vendor sourcing, evaluation and development practices.
- Excellent negotiation and commercial skills.
- Strong understanding of procurement processes and supply-chain management.
- Good knowledge of raw materials, stores, spares and consumables used in steel/manufacturing plants.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
- Ability to conduct cost analysis, price benchmarking and financial analysis.
- Strong understanding of inventory management and working-capital optimization.
- Good knowledge of logistics and material movement.
- Strong vendor relationship management skills.
- Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams.
- Strong communication, leadership and decision-making skills.
- Proficiency in MS Excel, ERP/SAP or other procurement systems.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced plant workplace and handle urgent procurement requirements.

Preferred Experience

- 815 years of relevant experience in Purchase/Procurement, preferably in Steel, Metals, Manufacturing or Heavy Engineering industries.
- Experience in plant procurement and stores operations will be preferred.
- Candidates with hands-on experience in procurement of DRI, scrap, billets, ferro alloys, refractory, engineering spares and plant consumables will have an advantage.
- Experience in managing procurement teams and large vendor ecosystems is preferred.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

- Procurement cost savings and cost avoidance
- Material availability and procurement lead time
- Vendor delivery performance
- Vendor quality performance
- Inventory turnover and inventory value
- Reduction in slow/non-moving inventory
- Working-capital optimization
- Freight and logistics cost optimization
- Critical material availability
- Purchase price variance
- Contract and PO compliance
- Audit and procurement process compliance

📌 Senior Manager - Purchase & Procurement (TMT) (Wardha)
🏢 OFB Tech
📍 Wardha