Senior Manager Purchase & Strategic Sourcing

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Experience: 1015 Years

Industry: Automotive / Engineering / Manufacturing

Function: Purchase, Strategic Sourcing & Supplier Development

Designation: Senior Manager Purchase & Strategic Sourcing

Job Summary

We are looking for an experienced Senior Manager – Purchase & Strategic Sourcing to lead strategic procurement, sourcing, supplier development, vendor development, localisation and cost optimisation initiatives across a wide range of engineering components.

The ideal candidate should have strong hands-on experience in sourcing and procurement of Castings, Forgings, Sheet Metal Components, Fabricated Parts, Plastic Components, Rubber Components and Aluminium Die Casting Parts.

The role requires solid commercial, technical and supplier-management capabilities, along with experience in local and global sourcing, imports, localisation, cost analysis and supplier negotiations.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Sourcing

- Develop and implement strategic sourcing strategies for direct materials and engineering components.
- Identify, evaluate and develop reliable domestic and international suppliers.
- Drive sourcing decisions based on cost, quality, delivery, capacity and technology.
- Conduct RFQs, technical-commercial evaluations and supplier negotiations.
- Develop long-term sourcing strategies aligned with business and product requirements.

2. Supplier & Vendor Development

- Identify potential suppliers for Castings, Forgings, Sheet Metal, Fabrication, Plastics, Rubber and Aluminium Die Casting components.
- Lead supplier development activities from supplier identification through qualification and SOP.
- Conduct supplier capability assessments, audits and commercial evaluations.
- Work closely with Quality and Engineering teams for supplier approval and development.
- Improve supplier performance in terms of Quality, Cost and Delivery (QCD).

3. Costing & Cost Optimisation

- Develop and validate should-cost models for various components.
- Analyse raw material, conversion, tooling, machining, processing,



overhead and logistics costs.
- Conduct cost benchmarking and identify cost-reduction opportunities.
- Lead annual cost negotiations and VA/VE initiatives.
- Drive cost savings through alternate sourcing, process optimisation, localisation and supplier competition.

4. Imports & Global Sourcing

- Manage sourcing of components and raw materials from international suppliers.
- Evaluate import versus local sourcing economics.
- Coordinate with suppliers, logistics partners and internal stakeholders for import procurement.
- Ensure effective management of lead times, landed cost, customs, freight and commercial terms.
- Identify opportunities for global sourcing while maintaining supply-chain reliability.

5. Localisation

- Develop localisation strategies for imported components.
- Identify and develop suitable domestic suppliers for localisation projects.
- Drive localisation from supplier identification development trials validation approval SOP.
- Track localisation savings and ensure achievement of project timelines and targets.

6. Supplier Performance Management

- Monitor supplier performance through QCD metrics.
- Develop corrective action plans for underperforming suppliers.
- Work with suppliers to improve capacity, productivity, quality and delivery performance.
- Develop alternate and backup sources for critical components.
- Maintain strong supplier relationships while ensuring commercial competitiveness.

7. Cross-Functional Collaboration

- Work closely with Engineering, Quality, Production, Supply Chain, Finance and New Product Development teams.
- Participate in new product development and design reviews from a sourcing perspective.




- Support DFM/DFA initiatives and identify opportunities for cost-effective manufacturing processes.
- Ensure sourcing activities are aligned with project timelines and production requirements.

Component / Commodity Experience Required Candidates should have strong sourcing experience in multiple categories, preferably:

- Castings Ferrous & Non-Ferrous
- Forgings
- Sheet Metal Components
- Fabricated Components
- Plastic Injection Moulded Components
- Rubber Components
- Aluminium Die Casting Components
- Machined Precision Components
- Tooling Dies and Fixture

Candidate Profile

- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical / Production / Industrial Engineering or equivalent.
- 10–15 years of experience in Purchase, Strategic Sourcing, Supplier Development or Procurement within Automotive, Engineering or Manufacturing industries.
- Strong experience in sourcing engineering components and working with manufacturing suppliers.
- Should possess excellent negotiation, analytical, commercial and supplier-management skills.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing processes and component costing.
- Experience handling both domestic and international suppliers is highly desirable.
- Exposure to ERP systems and procurement tools is preferred.

Key Performance Indicators

- Annual procurement cost savings
- Localisation savings and percentage
- Supplier development and qualification timelines
- Supplier Quality and Delivery performance
- Import cost optimisation
- New supplier development
- VA/VE savings
- Procurement lead-time reduction
- Alternate source development
- Supplier capacity and risk management

Ideal Candidate: A commercially strong procurement professional with deep knowledge of engineering manufacturing processes who can combine strategic sourcing, supplier development, technical costing and negotiation to deliver measurable cost savings and a resilient supplier base. Interested candidates can call me at

Thanks and Regards

L Sainath Jayaram

SAI HR CONSULTANTS

DIRECTOR TALENT ACQUISITION

(phone hidden)

[email protected]

📌 Purchase Head - Reputed Manufacturing Firm - Ambattur - Chennai
🏢 SAI Hr Consultants
📍 Chennai