Job Description

Are you a firm, fair, and consistent leader? Do you stand your ground while remaining likeable and approachable? In the world of purchasing, supply chain, and people, do you know how to build lasting relationships and drive meaningful progress? If you can lead people, improve processes, and navigate complexity with confidence, we want to talk to you.

Our ideal Purchasing Manager leads with:

• Initiative : You’re a self-starter and a doer. Adaptable, resourceful, and proactive, you don’t wait to be told - you take the reins. Your ownership mindset is backed by experience and a servant leadership style that motivates others to follow your lead.
• Continuous improvement: You’re committed, curious, and always learning. Whether improving yourself or your processes, you’re driven to analyze, reflect, and follow-through. You balance urgency with emotional intelligence, making thoughtful moves that bring your team and stakeholders along for the ride.
• Solutions-oriented leadership : You thrive in the details, balancing cost, timing, specs, and compliance without losing sight of the big picture. You’re technical enough to understand how things work, savvy enough to negotiate smartly, and experienced enough to guide others through change. You ask the right questions, make informed decisions, and solve problems that matter.
• Team-first execution: You’re a true player-coach, willing to get your hands dirty, empower your team, and model accountability. Whether mentoring, analyzing data, or jumping in to get the job done, you lead by example and bring others along with you.

As our Purchasing Manager, you’re as much a people person as you are a systems thinker. You love the mechanics of how things work - tools, processes, and supply systems alike - and you know how to apply that understanding in an industrial environment. You understand that trust is earned, and that real progress happens when people feel heard, valued, and included in the process. Whether you're saving money, mentoring a buyer, or leading a systems upgrade, you find energy in complexity and satisfaction in impact.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Maintain a team atmosphere within the purchasing department, fostering a goal-oriented culture built on trust, urgency, and collaboration
• Build cross-functional relationships throughout the organization, developing trust and credibility across departments and levels
• Spend time in key departments to understand internal workflows, stakeholder needs, and how purchasing impacts the broader operation
• Document and streamline purchasing processes, conducting gap analysis and gaining alignment on best practices that are clear, practical, and followed by all
• Understand the raw materials market and stay informed on industry trends to support informed, strategic purchasing decisions
• Optimize lead times, onboard new suppliers when needed, and improve continuity through second sourcing and vendor diversification
• Manage vendor performance and internal compliance, reducing risk and ensuring purchasing decisions reflect long-term priorities
• Lead inventory control initiatives, including system setup, reporting tools, and proactive alignment with production and finance
• Play a key role in the company’s system migration and supply chain transformation efforts, bringing both structure and team buy-in
• Identify opportunities for improvement, lead change thoughtfully, and earn support through clear communication and practical solutions
• Communicate effectively across all levels of the organization—from union to corporate—adapting your leadership approach as needed
• Coach, develop, and hold direct reports accountable, fostering a respectful, high-performance environment rooted in trust and growth
• Oversee strategic purchasing for scrap and raw materials, applying a disciplined value-focused approach to sourcing decisions

Qualifications

Required

• 5+ years of purchasing experience in a heavy industrial manufacturing environment
• 5+ years of leadership experience, including managing teams of 3–5 direct reports
• Experience managing multi-million-dollar inventory and vendor relationships
• Proven success in vendor management, including contract negotiation and compliance
• Experience implementing change, such as new software, system upgrades, or process improvements
• Proficient with purchasing or supply chain software, with strong Excel skills

Preferred

• 10+ years of combined purchasing experience and/or formal education in a relatedfield
• Bachelor’s degree in a related field
• Certifications such as CPIM, CSCP, CPSM, CPP, or CPPM
• Experience with vendor-managed inventory programs
• Power BI experience

Desired

• Experience with international buying and global supplier markets
• Experience working in a unionized environment

Additional Information

McWane, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Employment is made available to all persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, and marital status, disability that does not prohibit performance of essential job functions with reasonable accommodation, Vietnam Era or veteran status. This policy applies to hiring, placement, recruitment, rates of pay or other forms of compensation, benefits, promotions, transfers, layoffs, recalls, Company-sponsored training, terminations, and other employment-related activities.

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 employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
McWane is a Federal VEVRAA contractor, and an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing equal employment opportunity in all employment practices. McWane will not discriminate against any applicant for employment because of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, veteran or service member status, marital status, citizenship status (In IL - sex, including same sex, ancestry, order of protection status, physical or mental disability, military status, pregnancy, unfavorable discharge status, genetic information), (In IA - gender identity), (In CA- gender identity or expression, and genetic information) or any other category protected by federal, state or local law.