Senior Manager, Purchasing

Work Location Type: Hybrid

Imperial Supplies, a Grainger Company, is a national distributor of quality maintenance products. Serving the fleet maintenance industry since 1958, Imperial has formed lasting relationships with customers by tailoring our services to meet their changing needs.

Our welcoming workplace enables you to learn, grow and make a difference by keeping businesses running and their people safe. As a Great Place to Work-Certified™ company, we’re looking for passionate people to join our team as we continue leading the industry.

Would you like to start your career with an innovative business leader in the fleet maintenance industry? Join Imperial supplies today as a Senior Mgr, Purchasing!

Who are we? Imperial Supplies, a Grainger company, is a national distributor of quality maintenance products. Serving the fleet maintenance industry since 1958, Imperial has formed lasting relationships with customers by tailoring our services to meet their changing needs.

At Imperial, people come first. Here’s what we offer:

• Competitive salary
• Hybrid / Remote schedule
• Monday – Friday work schedule, no nights, or weekends
• Immediate medical, dental, vision; 18 days paid vacation, 7 paid holidays and 6% of annual earnings contributed to your retirement, immediately vested!

Under limited supervision, the Senior Manager, Purchasing is responsible for leading the performance of key strategic suppliers and the Purchasing organization to support company sales, service, and margin objectives. This role oversees the Buying team and the Purchasing Supervisor (who leads the Associate Buying team) and partners closely with cross-functional teams to develop and execute supplier strategies.

The Senior Manager, Purchasing plays a critical role in driving inventory efficiency, supplier performance, and total cost management while ensuring high customer fill rates and strong service levels across the organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Inventory & Service Performance
• Achieve budgeted inventory turn objectives while maintaining or improving customer order fill rates and regional distribution center (DC) fill rates.
• Monitor customer fill rates and backorders, partnering with Buyers to prioritize decisions and manage expediting when needed.
• Leadership & Team Development
• Lead, coach, and develop the Buying team and Purchasing Supervisor to meet and exceed Purchasing performance metrics.
• Set priorities, delegate effectively, motivate team members, and support ongoing development and training.
• Manage people leadership responsibilities including hiring recommendations, performance and compensation reviews, individual development plans, and succession planning.
• Supplier Performance & Cost Management
• Establish supplier service criteria and performance metrics; provide direction and accountability for supplier performance management.
• Partner with Strategic Sourcing to execute cost-savings initiatives and achieve annual Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) goals.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Collaborate with Inventory Management, Strategic Sourcing, Category Management, and Sales to identify opportunities that improve sales, margins, product availability, customer service, and product lifecycle management.
• Serve as a key contributor in aligning purchasing strategies with overall business objectives.
• Complex Customer & Project Support
• Lead all Purchasing activities for large, complex customer projects, including:
• Product availability and in-stock communication
• Inventory challenges and resolution strategies
• Warehouse stocking locations and purchase quantities
• Consolidated shipments, kitting decisions, and freight solutions
• Reporting & Executive Communication
• Provide leadership with regular updates and reporting on inventory trends, material flow requirements, supply chain challenges, strategic buying opportunities, and special project requests.
• Continuous Improvement
• Drive continuous improvement across Purchasing processes.
• Propose and implement enhancements to purchasing, forecasting, and reporting systems to improve visibility, reduce inventory holding and handling costs, and support proactive planning and analysis.

Additional Responsibilities

• Perform other related duties as assigned or required.

Qualifications:

Required Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 5+ years of Purchasing or Supply Chain experience, including management experience.

Preferred Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Operations, or Supply Chain Management.
• 5–10 years of Purchasing or Supply Chain experience with direct people leadership responsibility.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status or any other protected characteristic under federal, state, or local law. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible work environment that includes both providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities during the application and hiring process as well as throughout the course of one’s employment, should you need a reasonable accommodation during the application and selection process, including, but not limited to use of our website, any part of the application, interview or hiring process, please advise us so that we can provide appropriate assistance.