Overview

SENIOR PURCHASING MANAGER

Who We Are:

Lippert is a leading, global manufacturer and supplier of highly engineered products and customized solutions, dedicated to shaping, growing and bettering the RV, marine, automotive, commercial vehicle and building products industries.  We combine our strategic manufacturing capabilities with the power of our winning team culture to deliver unrivaled customer service, award-winning innovation, and premium products to all of our customers.

 

Why We Are Different:

At Lippert, Everyone Matters. This is not just a tagline or empty promise; it is who we are.  We have intentionally created a culture that values and celebrates our team members’ unique and varied backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.  We strive to give our team members a deeper sense of purpose at work, and we continue to build a better work environment by aligning our cultural and business strategies with the needs of our team members.

What You Will Get:

1. A unique, inclusive and supportive company culture.
2. Comprehensive benefit offerings including medical, dental, vision, 401k with employer match, vacation, and more!
3. Fair and competitive compensation.
4. Career development and mentoring and opportunities to grow.
5. Holiday, personal and vacation days.

Summary/Objective:

The Senior Purchasing Manager is responsible for leading strategic sourcing, procurement operations, supplier management, and supply planning activities across a multi-site manufacturing organization. This position leads a team of purchasing professionals responsible for ensuring uninterrupted supply of raw materials, fabricated components, assemblies, coatings, services, MRO items, and indirect spending categories required to support production and customer commitments. This role drives sourcing excellence, supplier performance, inventory optimization, cost reduction initiatives, and supply continuity while supporting business growth and operational objectives. The Senior Purchasing Manager partners closely with Operations, Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain Planning, Finance, and Quality teams to ensure material availability, manage supplier relationships, and execute strategic sourcing initiatives.

 

Required Education and Experience

1. Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, Operations, or related field.
2. Seven or more years of progressive purchasing, sourcing, procurement, or supply chain experience.
3. Three or more years of leadership experience managing purchasing teams.
4. Experience sourcing steel, fabricated metal products, industrial commodities, or manufacturing components.
5. Strong supplier management and contract negotiation experience.
6. Experience with ERP systems and supply planning tools.
7. Strong analytical, leadership, and communication skills.
8. Demonstrated ability to analyze complex data and make fact-based business decisions.
9. Strong sense of urgency, ownership, and accountability.

Essential Functions: 

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

 

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of purchasing professionals.
• Establish performance goals, accountability measures, and development plans.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, urgency, and customer service.
• Support succession planning and professional growth within the purchasing organization.
• Standardize purchasing processes and best practices across multiple business locations.

Strategic Sourcing & Supplier Management

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for steel, fabricated components, weldments, assemblies, coatings, production services, MRO products, and indirect materials.
• Lead competitive sourcing events, RFQs, bid analysis, and supplier selection processes.
• Negotiate pricing, contracts, payment terms, freight agreements, and supplier partnerships.
• Identify, qualify, and develop suppliers to improve cost, quality, delivery, and capacity performance.
• Develop supplier scorecards and conduct regular supplier business reviews.
• Implement risk mitigation strategies through dual sourcing and supplier development programs.

Supply Planning & Inventory Management

• Manage supply planning processes and procurement parameters, including lead times and safety stock levels.
• Partner with operations and planning teams to balance inventory investment with customer service objectives.
• Analyze demand fluctuations and proactively adjust supply plans and supplier commitments.
• Support inventory optimization and working capital improvement initiatives.

Procurement Operations

• Ensure timely placement, management, and follow-up of purchase orders.
• Resolve delivery, quality, and supplier performance issues.
• Monitor purchasing, inventory, and supplier performance metrics.
• Lead escalation efforts during supply disruptions and material shortages.
• Support plant operations through effective communication and rapid problem resolution.

Reporting, Analytics & Continuous Improvement

• Develop and maintain key performance indicators, dashboards, and scorecards for procurement and supply chain performance.
• Lead reporting and analysis efforts to drive strategic decision-making.
• Conduct cost analyses, benchmark evaluations, and savings tracking.
• Identify opportunities for process improvements, automation, and operational efficiencies.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and annual operating planning activities.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Engineering on new product introductions and supplier selection.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing and Operations to support material availability and capacity planning.
• Work closely with Finance on forecasting, cost savings validation, and inventory management.
• Support Quality initiatives related to supplier performance and corrective actions.
• Participate in corporate sourcing, inventory reduction, and supply chain resiliency initiatives.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Preferred:

• Multi-site manufacturing experience.
• Experience with imported products and international suppliers.
• Experience with KetteQ, D365, SAP, Oracle, Infor, Epicor, AX, or similar business systems.
• APICS/ASCM, CPSM, CPIM, or related professional certifications.
• Previous leadership experience within a manufacturing environment.

 

Supervisory Responsibility:

This position has direct leadership responsibility for purchasing team members and is accountable for talent development, performance management, engagement, and succession planning within the department. A positive attitude and strong leadership skills are required.

Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a team member to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the team member is regularly required to talk and hear. This position is moderately active when it comes to movement and requires a lot of walking, sitting, lifting, and collaboration with coworkers.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time position, and the expected work hours are 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday; weekend and overnight may be necessary.

Travel:

 

Work Authorization/Security Clearance 

Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

 

Other Duties:
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the Team Member for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Pay Group : AAP/EEO Statement

Lippert provides equal employment opportunity to all team members and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, age, genetic information, disability, citizen status, protected veteran status, military service, marital status or any other legally protected category as established by federal, state, or local law.  This policy governs all employment decisions, including recruitment, hiring, job assignment, compensation, training, promotion, discipline, transfer, leave-of-absence, access to benefits, layoff, recall, termination and other personnel matters.  All employment and personnel-related decisions are based solely upon legitimate, job-related factors, such as skill, ability, past performance, and length of service with Lippert.

 

Lippert’s strong commitment to equal employment opportunity requires a commitment by each individual team member.  Compliance with the letter and spirit of this policy is required of all team members.  Violations of this policy should be immediately reported to your leader or to any member of leadership.  Team members who violate this policy will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

 

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