Deputy General Manager- Procurement & Supplier Management

Job Description – L4 Procurement & Supplier Management - MP/EI

Job Purpose

As Procurement & Supplier Management L4 in MP India you will be responsible for establishing, developing and strengthening the MP (Mercedes-Benz Procurement & Supplier Management) procurement function within the MP India organization in alignment with the global MP strategy, governance as well as standards. The role focuses on operational excellence, MP process and tool deployment, the supplier landscape development in India, supplier quality management incl. local industrialization processes as well as capability building of the local buyer organization, while ensuring strong integration with MP headquarters in Germany.

In addition, you will ensure that all procurement & supplier quality management processes fully comply with company policies and legal requirements. Through your strategic and operational expertise, you will make a significant contribution to strengthening Mercedes-Benz’s global competitiveness and innovative capability.

Key Success Factors

· Strong leadership presence and cultural adaptability

· Development and empowerment of the local team

· Ability to lead, train and develop junior leadership level

· Strong network in the Indian automotive industry

· Excellent knowhow of the cost structure of the Indian tier-1 industry landscape

· Results-driven mindset with a focus on quality, compliance, and cost

· Strong collaboration within the global team and local stakeholders to build and scale MP procurement functions in India.

· Establish Operational Excellence and MP process/tool adoption

· Train and develop the team in Pune

· Expand and develop the Indian supplier landscape

· Collaborate closely with MP Germany

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

Further develop a growing Procurement & Supplier Quality Team

· Strengthen and scale the MP buyer and supplier quality organization

· Define roles, responsibilities, and interfaces in line with MP governance

· Support recruitment, onboarding, and stabilization of the new team

· Establish effective collaboration models with HQ and cross-functional stakeholders

Supplier Strategy & Supplier Management (Local & Global)

· Develop and implement local and global supplier strategies in alignment with MP objectives

· Promote concept competitions and supplier strategies to further develop the global supplier base

· Analyze procurement markets and derive sourcing strategies in coordination with project management

· Ensure early integration of supplier know-how into product development

· Nominate and align development suppliers for new scopes with all relevant stakeholders

Supplier Management / Supplier Quality & Operational Excellence

· Suppliers, maturity level, sampling and complaint processing\:

· Supporting internal and external suppliers using preventive quality methods to ensure high parts quality and continuous improvement of supplier performance.

· Ensuring the QM method and process capability at the supplier.

· Planning, organizing and conducting supplier audits.

· Requesting, controlling and creating a report on measures.

· Identifying design concepts and new developments with regard to Q aspects and manufacturability.

· Initiating and monitoring the creation of process requirement specifications and FMEAs.

· Integrate Q requirements into the requirement specifications.

· Check component requirement specifications with regard to the quality aspects and correct and release if necessary.

· Ensure all measures for maturity level validation for the assigned parts scope.

· Develop and implement fault remedy process in prevention and series production together with the supplier, check the effectiveness of the measures introduced and, if necessary, initiate suitable escalation measures in a timely manner. Provide proactive information to Procurement regarding possible recourse topics.

Procurement & Operational Excellence

· Establish and develop procurement processes in line with global MP standards and policies

· Implement Operational Excellence frameworks and continuous improvement initiatives both in Pune and Bangalore

· Ensure adherence to company policies, compliance standards and legal requirements

Global procurement and capacity management

· Development of supplier-and commodity-specific regionalization strategies for all relevant foreign locations, taking into account the respective legal requirements regarding local content and the corresponding quality requirements.

· Holding strategy meetings with suppliers, creating target agreements with supply partners, and continuously optimizing supply relationships.

· Coordination of the global strategy with the corresponding representatives of the foreign locations, including through regular f2f meetings.

· Joint supplier visits on site. Intervention and support in the event of bottlenecks and/or quality problems through planning and control of escalation cascades and implementation of targeted measures.

FM Cost Target & Project Steering

· Coordinate and manage FM cost target achievement together with Purchasing, Project, Development, Cost Planning and international plants

· Secure project quality gates and provide regular reporting on target achievement

· Apply defined MP procedures and methods to achieve cost and timing targets

· Track procurement-specific project goals and control FM target achievement

· Ensure FM cost target achievement through method development, alignment, and structured problem resolution

· Propose market environment assumptions as part of the goal-setting process

· Ensure on-time awards in accordance with the defined award roadmap

Stakeholder & Global Collaboration

· Act as the primary interface between the local procurement team and HQ

· Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders (Engineering, Quality, Finance, Legal, Compliance)

· Support global projects, escalations, and strategic initiatives

Team Development & Capability Building

· Build, coach and develop the local procurement/buyer/supplier quality team

· Ensure strong understanding of MP processes, governance and tool landscape

· Support training programs, onboarding, and knowledge transfer from HQ

· Develop and execute training concepts for buyers and procurement stakeholders

· Promote continuous learning and professional development within the team

Compliance & Risk Management

· Ensure all procurement and supplier quality activities comply with Mercedes-Benz policies, legal requirements, and compliance standards

· Support risk mitigation, supply resilience, and sustainability objectives within MP

· Drive implementation and correct usage of the MP process and tool landscape

· Ensure data quality, process compliance, and end-to-end transparency
Act as the key interface between MP Hub India and MP Germany for tool- and process-related topics