Procurement Head

# Procurement Head ## Job Summary The Head of Procurement will lead the sourcing strategy, vendor management, inventory optimization, and cost-control initiatives for the company. This role oversees the end-to-end purchasing of food-grade agricultural raw materials, specialized packaging, capital machinery, and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) supplies. The position ensures strict compliance with international food safety standards such as FSSAI and WHO/UNICEF guidelines, contributing to the company’s goal of delivering high-quality nutritional products efficiently and cost-effectively. ## Responsibilities - Develop and execute multi-year procurement strategies for key agricultural commodities including peanuts, milk powders, vegetable oils, sugar, and micro-nutrients. - Monitor global and domestic commodity market trends, crop harvests, price movements, and weather patterns to optimize purchase timing and hedge prices. - Establish and maintain strategic long-term relationships with international suppliers, humanitarian agencies, and local agricultural producers. - Identify and implement cost-saving opportunities through strategic negotiations, bulk buying, alternate vendor development, and value engineering without compromising quality. - Enforce strict raw material quality standards in collaboration with Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) teams, ensuring compliance with FSSAI, ISO 22000, HACCP, and UNICEF/WHO guidelines. - Conduct vendor audits, evaluate risk scorecards, and implement dual/multi-sourcing strategies to mitigate supply chain disruptions. - Draft, negotiate, and finalize commercial contracts, Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and extended credit terms to maximize working capital efficiency. - Lead and mentor the procurement team, setting clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) aligned with business objectives. - Collaborate with Plant Operations, Production, QA, Logistics, and Finance teams to streamline procure-to-pay (P2P) processes and optimize Material Requirements Planning (MRP) within ERP systems. ## Qualifications - Bachelor’s Degree: B.Tech / B.E. in Food Technology, Agricultural, Chemical, or Mechanical Engineering, or B.Sc. in Food Science or Chemistry. - Master’s Degree (Preferred): MSc (Food/Agriculture), MBA, or PGDM in Supply Chain Management, Materials Management, or Operations from a reputed institute. - Deep expertise in agricultural commodity sourcing, including knowledge of crop seasons, grade specifications, and price hedging strategies. - Strong skills in supplier ecosystem development, including vendor identification, auditing, qualification, and development. - Advanced negotiation and commercial acumen, including mastery of pricing structures, total cost modeling, and legal contract drafting. - Hands-on experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems such as SAP, Oracle, or Tally, and procurement analytics dashboards. - Familiarity with national and international food safety and quality standards including FSSAI, ISO 22000, HACCP, and UNICEF/WHO certifications. - Excellent strategic vision, leadership, analytical thinking, stakeholder management, communication, and crisis management skills. ## Preferred Skills - Experience in FMCG, Food Processing, Dairy, or Nutraceutical industries. - Proven ability to synthesize complex market data and trade intelligence into actionable procurement strategies. - High emotional intelligence and superior communication skills to influence cross-functional teams and external partners. - Agility in managing acute supply disruptions and global logistics challenges. ## Experience - 14 to 18 years of total professional experience. ##