Procurement Specialist

Overall Responsibility:

Ensure the company's supply chain needs are fulfilled timeously and cost-effectively by managing vendor relationships, overseeing contract negotiations, and administering the full purchase-to-payment cycle for all business spend. This includes optimising and influencing working capital through strategic supplier engagement and procurement governance.

Deliverable 1: Relationship Building

Actions / Success Indicators

• Lead a procurement-driven organisation with accountability for total business spend.
• Build strong working relationships across all business areas including Sales, Marketing, Production, Planning, Operations, Engineering, and Support Services.
• Own Procurement policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Build and maintain long-term vendor and supplier relationships.

Deliverable 2: Supplier Management

Actions / Success Indicators

• Execute effective tender processes across all business spend categories.
• Source and engage reliable suppliers and vendors.
• Research new suppliers and raw materials using historical sales, forecasts, and MRP insights, ensuring that all Purchase Orders comply with policies and SOPs.
• Negotiate favourable terms relating to pricing, quality, credit, lead times, MOQs, stock holding requirements and BBBEE alignment.
• Manage new vendor onboarding by establishing and chairing the Business Vendor Committee.
• Review existing vendor contracts to ensure ongoing value and feasibility.
• Execute strategic sourcing to unlock new supplier opportunities.
• Drive quality, service delivery and competitive pricing from the supply base.
• Negotiate on key components and support long-term contracts via Service Level Agreements.
• Conduct contractual risk assessments prior to engagement.
• Perform regular vendor performance evaluations against SLAs, identifying trends, risks and corrective actions.

Deliverable 3: Cost Management

Actions / Success Indicators

• Develop price, cost and supply chain analyses for major spend categories.
• Build cost-effective procurement strategies, including price competitiveness and cost-reduction initiatives.
• Define and embed procurement policies, best practice, and SOPs — ensure full Purchase Order compliance.
• Maintain awareness of new materials, sources and cost-saving opportunities.
• Influence business negotiations relating to material pricing and supply.
• Analyse and present price, quality and working capital trade-offs in vendor committee meetings.
• Monitor commodity trends and pricing forecasts to drive financial outcomes.

Deliverable 4: Business Partnering, Reporting & Analysis

Actions / Success Indicators

• Set standards for procurement spend control and reinforce a culture of long-term savings.
• Oversee procurement-linked systems relating to shipments, stock levels and goods management.
• Maintain accurate MRP inputs including preferred suppliers, lead times and MOQs.
• Analyse market movements to anticipate price fluctuations and guide inventory decisions.
• Review and improve procurement operating processes continuously.
• Prepare reports including supplier reliability, PPV, landed cost tracking, commodity price movements, inventory holding and forward cover.
• Review PPV variances with Finance, identify drivers and ensure correct treatment.
• Use data-driven reporting to influence decision-making and drive business performance.

Deliverable 5: Product Management

Actions / Success Indicators

• Manage procurement requests, sourcing and buying processes; provide progress updates to management.
• Raise Purchase Orders aligned to approved vendor lists via MRP.
• Receive and quality-check stock, escalate discrepancies where required.
• Monitor order demand to prevent over-purchasing and excess inventory.
• Track open POs and supplier delivery commitments.
• Manage consignment stock suppliers.
• Provide first-level approval for pricing discrepancies.
• Resolve billing and shipping queries and support supplier communication.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics or Business Administration.
• 5+ years experience managing supply chain operations.
• Experience in manufacturing, including use of SCM tools and systems.
• Proven success in negotiating and implementing supply contracts.
• Strategic sourcing experience advantageous.

Preferred Skills

• Strong negotiation and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to manage complexity and lead decision-making.
• Strong organisational and time-management capability.
• Analytical thinker with exceptional problem-solving ability.
• High attention to detail and structured work approach.

NB: Duties listed above indicate the general scope of the role and are not exhaustive. The incumbent may be required to perform additional responsibilities within the job level as business needs evolve.