Deputy Purchase Manager

1. Strategic Sourcing & Procurement

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for raw materials plastic, rubber, sheet metal, wiring harness and similar, automotive components, consumables, machines and related procurement categories.
• Manage both local/domestic and global procurement requirements.
• Identify, evaluate and develop reliable suppliers in India and overseas.
• Develop alternate / dual sources to ensure supply continuity and reduce supplier dependency.
• Manage RFQs, technical-commercial evaluations, supplier selection and commercial finalization.

2. Automotive & Supplier Management

• Build and maintain a strong automotive supplier network across India.
• Develop an understanding of the automotive OEM ecosystem and supplier requirements.
• Work with OEM / Tier-1 / Tier-2 suppliers and understand their quality, commercial and delivery expectations.
• Conduct supplier capability, capacity and commercial assessments.
• Drive supplier performance improvement in coordination with Quality, Engineering, Production and SCM teams.

3. Costing & Commercial Management

• Conduct detailed cost analysis / should-costing and supplier benchmarking.
• Evaluate cost elements including raw material, conversion, scrap/yield, tooling, logistics, packing and supplier margins.
• Lead commercial negotiations covering price, payment terms, MOQ, lead time, tooling, logistics and other commercial conditions.
• Monitor commodity movements, particularly Copper / Aluminium and other relevant raw materials, and assess their impact on purchase prices.
• Drive cost reduction, VA/VE, localization and alternate sourcing initiatives.

4. Project & New Product Procurement

• Handle procurement activities for new projects and product development from sourcing through SOP.
• Coordinate with Engineering, Quality, Project, Production and suppliers for prototypes, trials, tooling and commercialization.
• Ensure supplier readiness for project milestones and production requirements.
• Support APQP / PPAP and other automotive project-quality requirements.
• Participate in supplier selection and localization activities for new products.

5. Procurement Systems & Process Development

• Demonstrate working knowledge of IATF and ISO requirements relevant to the Purchase function.
• Ensure procurement processes and supplier-management practices are aligned with applicable quality-system requirements.
• Exposure to establishing, strengthening or developing procurement systems/processes will be preferred.
• Contribute to development of SOPs, supplier evaluation systems, procurement controls, documentation and process improvements.
• The candidate should be able to build and improve systems, rather than only operate within established processes.

6. Material Availability & Supply Chain

• Ensure uninterrupted availability of materials in line with production and project requirements.
• Coordinate supplier schedules, delivery commitments and shortage resolution.
• Proactively identify supply risks and implement contingency plans.
• Work closely with PPC, SCM, Production, Quality and suppliers to resolve material availability issues.
• Support inventory optimization while maintaining required service levels.

7. Stakeholder & Cross-Functional Management

• Independently manage technical and commercial discussions with suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Work closely with Engineering, Quality, Production, PPC, SCM, Finance, Sales and Project teams.
• Handle escalations and resolve commercial / supply-related issues effectively.
• Manage interactions with senior management, Japanese engineers / management and other key stakeholders.
• Present procurement updates, cost movements, supplier issues, project status and action plans to top management.

8. Team Leadership & Functional Ownership

• Allocate responsibilities, monitor performance and build team capability.
• Establish appropriate procurement processes, controls and operating mechanisms.
• Take ownership of the department's objectives and performance.

Skills Required:

• Experience in Automotive / Auto Components, preferably Electrical, Electronics, Wiring Harness or Instrumentation.
• Strong experience in procurement of raw materials, consumables and machines/equipment, including local and global sourcing.
• Good understanding of the automotive OEM ecosystem and Indian automotive supply chain.
• Strong supplier base development and supplier-management experience in India.
• Hands-on experience in:
• RFQ & sourcing
• Costing / should-cost analysis
• Commercial negotiations
• Supplier development
• Alternate-source development
• Localization
• Cost reduction / VA-VE
• Project procurement
• Good understanding of technical and commercial aspects of procurement.
• Working knowledge of IATF 16949 and ISO requirements, particularly APQP and project-related quality processes.
• Experience in establishing / developing procurement systems and processes will be preferred.
• Exposure to APQP / PPAP / new product development / commercialization.
• Good knowledge of SAP / ERP and MS Excel.
• Strong analytical, negotiation and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to independently manage multiple stakeholders and complex procurement requirements.