About the Role:

We are looking for an experienced and commercially driven Head - Supply Chain Management to lead the end-to-end supply chain function for an elevator manufacturing organisation.

The role will be responsible for developing and executing the company's supply-chain strategy covering strategic sourcing, procurement, vendor development, material planning, inventory management, logistics, supplier performance and supply-chain cost optimisation.

The ideal candidate should have strong experience in a manufacturing environment, preferably in elevators, engineering products, industrial equipment, automotive, electrical/electromechanical products or other complex assembly-driven manufacturing industries.

The person will work closely with the MD/CEO, Manufacturing, Engineering, Projects, Quality, Finance and Sales teams to ensure uninterrupted availability of materials at the right quality, cost and time.

Key Responsibilities:

- Develop and implement an integrated SCM strategy aligned with business growth objectives.

- Build a robust and scalable supply chain capable of supporting increasing production volumes.

- Establish supply-chain policies, processes, systems and performance standards.

- Identify supply-chain risks and develop contingency plans for critical materials and suppliers.

- Drive continuous improvement across procurement, planning, inventory and logistics.

Strategic Sourcing & Procurement:

- Lead strategic sourcing of raw materials, components, assemblies and bought-out items.

- Develop sourcing strategies based on cost, quality, delivery, technology and supplier capability.

- Negotiate commercial terms, pricing, payment terms, lead times and annual rate contracts.

- Identify alternate sources for critical materials and components.

- Drive localisation and cost-reduction initiatives.

- Establish long-term strategic relationships with key suppliers.

Vendor Development & Supplier Management:

- Develop and maintain a strong supplier base for critical elevator components.

- Identify, evaluate and onboard new suppliers.

- Develop alternate vendors to reduce dependency and supply risk.

- Monitor supplier performance on Quality, Cost and Delivery (QCD).

- Work with Quality and Engineering teams for supplier audits, qualification and development.

- Establish supplier scorecards and performance review mechanisms.

- Drive corrective and preventive actions with underperforming suppliers.

Material Planning & Production Support:

- Ensure availability of materials in line with production and project requirements.

- Lead Material Requirement Planning (MRP) and ensure timely procurement against production schedules.

- Coordinate closely with Production, Planning, Projects and Engineering teams.

- Monitor shortages, critical materials and long-lead items.

- Develop systems to prevent production stoppages due to material shortages.

- Align procurement plans with sales forecasts, project schedules and production capacity.

Inventory Management:

- Establish optimum inventory levels for raw materials, components, WIP and finished goods.

- Reduce excess and obsolete inventory.

- Improve inventory turns and working-capital efficiency.

- Monitor slow-moving and non-moving inventory.

- Establish inventory norms based on lead times, demand variability and criticality.

- Work closely with Finance to improve inventory carrying costs and working capital.

Cost Optimisation:

- Develop annual cost-reduction targets across procurement and supply chain.

- Conduct should-cost and price benchmarking wherever applicable.

- Identify opportunities for value engineering and material substitution in collaboration with Engineering.

- Negotiate annual cost reductions with strategic suppliers.

- Analyse commodity-price movements and their impact on product cost.

- Drive localisation and alternate sourcing initiatives.

Logistics & Inbound Supply:

- Manage inbound logistics and ensure timely movement of materials to manufacturing locations.

- Optimise freight costs and transportation routes.

- Develop reliable logistics partners and service-level agreements.

- Monitor transit times, damages, delays and logistics costs.

- Ensure proper coordination between suppliers, warehouses and manufacturing.

Elevator Industry Component Supply Chain:

The candidate should ideally have experience managing supply chains involving engineered, electrical, mechanical and fabricated components, such as sheet metal, stainless steel, machined components, traction machines, motors, controllers, electrical panels, VFDs, door operators, guide rails, ropes, cables, safety components, brackets, harnesses, wiring, and fasteners.

Experience in managing suppliers for customised and engineered-to-order components will be an advantage.

ERP, MRP & Supply Chain Digitisation:

- Ensure effective use of ERP/MRP systems for procurement, planning and inventory management.

- Improve accuracy of BOM, inventory, purchase and supplier data.

- Develop dashboards for procurement, inventory, supplier performance and material availability.

- Drive automation of purchase, approval and supply-chain processes.

- Improve visibility of material requirements and supplier commitments.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

- Work closely with Engineering to understand BOMs, specifications and design changes.

- Coordinate with Manufacturing for production requirements.

- Work with Quality on supplier quality issues and vendor audits.

- Partner with Finance on working capital, payment terms and cost analysis.

- Coordinate with Projects and Sales for project-specific material requirements.

- Establish effective communication between all supply-chain stakeholders.

Supply Chain Risk Management:

- Identify critical suppliers, single-source dependencies and supply vulnerabilities.

- Develop alternate suppliers and contingency plans.

- Monitor geopolitical, commodity, logistics and market-related supply risks.

- Establish safety-stock and strategic inventory policies for critical components.

- Ensure business continuity during supply disruptions.

Team Leadership & Capability Development:

- Lead and mentor the SCM, Procurement, Planning and Logistics teams.

- Define KRAs, KPIs and performance objectives.

- Develop a high-performance culture focused on cost, quality and delivery.

- Build supply-chain competencies through training and structured development.

- Establish succession plans for critical SCM positions.

Key Performance Indicators:

- Procurement Cost: Annual cost savings / purchase price variance

- Supplier Performance: Supplier OTD 95%

- Supplier Quality: Reduction in supplier rejection / PPM

- Material Availability: Production stoppages due to material shortage

- Inventory: Inventory days / inventory turns

- Working Capital: Reduction in inventory value and working-capital cycle

- Vendor Development: New qualified alternate suppliers

- Logistics: Freight cost optimisation and delivery performance

- Planning: MRP adherence and material availability

- Excess Inventory: Reduction in slow-moving/non-moving inventory

- Supply Risk: Critical components with approved alternate sources

- Team Performance: Productivity, capability development and retention

Candidate Profile:

Education:

- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, Mechanical, Industrial or related discipline.

- MBA / PGDM in Supply Chain, Operations or Procurement preferred.

Experience:

- 15-22 years of experience in Supply Chain, Procurement, Strategic Sourcing and Materials Management.

- Strong experience in a manufacturing environment is mandatory.

- Experience in elevator/lift manufacturing will be strongly preferred.

- Candidates from automotive, industrial equipment, electrical/electromechanical, engineering products or similar manufacturing industries may also be considered.

- Should have managed significant procurement spends and a sizeable supplier network.

- Experience in working with senior management and business leadership is essential.

Desired Competencies:

- Strategic sourcing, vendor development, commercial negotiation, procurement excellence, material planning, inventory optimisation, cost reduction, supplier quality management, logistics management, ERP/MRP knowledge, supply-chain analytics, risk management, team leadership, strong commercial orientation, data-driven decision making.

Ideal Candidate:

The ideal candidate will be a strategic SCM leader rather than only a procurement professional.

He/She should be capable of building a reliable supplier ecosystem, reducing material costs, improving inventory turns, strengthening vendor quality, ensuring uninterrupted production and creating a supply chain that can scale with the company's growth.

The person should have a strong understanding of the relationship between: Demand - Planning - Procurement - Supplier - Inventory - Production - Delivery - Customer and should be able to optimise the entire chain rather than individual functions.

What Success in This Role Looks Like:

Within the first 12-18 months, the successful candidate should be able to build a robust and dependable supplier ecosystem, improve supplier on-time delivery and quality, reduce procurement and material costs, improve inventory turns and reduce excess inventory, eliminate recurring material shortages affecting production, develop alternate sources for critical components, improve procurement planning and MRP discipline, strengthen SCM processes and governance, improve supply-chain visibility through ERP and MIS, and build a capable and accountable SCM team.

This is a high-impact leadership role for a supply-chain professional who wants to directly influence cost, profitability, working capital, manufacturing efficiency and customer delivery.