Job description

Position Summary

The Senior Procurement Manager is responsible for developing and executing the organization's procurement strategy across trading, manufacturing, and corporate operations. The role provides strategic leadership over sourcing, purchasing, supplier relationship management, contract negotiation, procurement governance, inventory optimization, and cost management while ensuring uninterrupted supply of raw materials, finished goods, consumables, capital equipment, and services.

The position plays a critical role in improving profitability by driving procurement excellence, building strategic supplier partnerships, reducing total cost of ownership, mitigating supply chain risks, and supporting the company's long-term growth objectives throughout the UAE, GCC, and international markets.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Procurement Leadership

• Develop and execute procurement strategies aligned with the company's business growth, operational requirements, and financial objectives.
• Establish long-term sourcing strategies for raw materials, engineered wood products, manufacturing inputs, packaging materials, capital equipment, and indirect procurement.
• Lead procurement transformation initiatives to improve efficiency, governance, and overall procurement performance.
• Develop procurement policies, procedures, and best practices across the organization.

Strategic Sourcing & Category Management

• Lead strategic sourcing initiatives through supplier evaluation, competitive bidding, RFQs, RFPs, and tender management.
• Develop category management strategies to optimize supplier portfolios and procurement spend.
• Conduct market intelligence and benchmark pricing to identify new sourcing opportunities and emerging market trends.
• Identify opportunities for supplier consolidation while maintaining supply continuity.

Supplier Relationship Management

• Build and maintain long-term strategic relationships with key regional and international suppliers.
• Conduct supplier qualification, audits, performance evaluations, and business reviews using measurable KPIs.
• Develop supplier improvement programs to enhance quality, service, delivery, innovation, and cost competitiveness.
• Collaborate with suppliers to introduce value engineering and continuous improvement initiatives.

Contract & Commercial Management

• Lead commercial negotiations involving pricing, payment terms, rebates, warranties, delivery schedules, Incoterms, service level agreements, and long-term supply contracts.
• Ensure all procurement contracts minimize commercial, legal, and operational risks.
• Review and approve major procurement agreements in coordination with Finance and Legal departments.

Cost Optimization & Value Creation

• Identify and implement sustainable cost reduction initiatives without compromising quality or service.
• Drive Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) analysis across procurement categories.
• Monitor procurement savings against annual budgets and establish measurable procurement KPIs.
• Lead value engineering initiatives with suppliers and internal stakeholders.

Supply Chain & Inventory Optimization

• Collaborate closely with Production Planning, Logistics, Warehouse, Sales, and Finance to align procurement with operational demand.
• Ensure optimal inventory levels while minimizing excess stock and stock-out risks.
• Support Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) through procurement forecasting and capacity planning.
• Develop alternative sourcing strategies to minimize supply disruptions.

International Procurement

• Manage procurement activities across UAE, GCC, Asia, Europe, North America, and other international sourcing markets.
• Maintain strong knowledge of global sourcing practices, import/export regulations, customs procedures, Incoterms, freight costs, and international trade compliance.
• Coordinate closely with logistics teams to optimize inbound transportation costs and delivery performance.

Procurement Governance & Compliance

• Ensure procurement activities comply with company policies, ethical sourcing standards, regulatory requirements, and corporate governance principles.
• Implement procurement controls, approval authorities, and supplier due diligence processes.
• Maintain transparency throughout sourcing and contract award processes.

Leadership & People Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop the procurement team to achieve operational excellence.
• Establish departmental KPIs and monitor team performance.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and professional development.
• Support succession planning and capability development within the procurement function.

Reporting & Performance Management

• Develop procurement dashboards and executive reports covering:
• Procurement savings
• Supplier performance
• Purchase price variance
• On-time delivery
• Inventory performance
• Procurement cycle time
• Contract compliance
• Spend analysis
• Working capital impact
• Present procurement performance and strategic initiatives to executive management.

Skills

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Business Administration, Engineering, Logistics, or a related discipline.
• Professional procurement certification such as CIPS, CPSM, CSCP, or equivalent is highly preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive procurement experience, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
• Proven experience within manufacturing, engineered wood, building materials, industrial products, or raw materials trading is strongly preferred.
• Extensive experience in international sourcing and supplier negotiations.
• Strong commercial acumen with demonstrated success in delivering procurement savings and strategic sourcing initiatives.
• Comprehensive knowledge of contract management, supplier development, procurement governance, and risk management.
• Strong understanding of Incoterms, international trade, customs regulations, import/export documentation, and global logistics.
• Experience with ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics 365, or similar.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and procurement analytics.
• Excellent leadership, negotiation, communication, stakeholder management, and decision-making skills.