Job Summary:

We are looking for an experienced Procurement Lead with strong exposure to the Food/FMCG industry to lead strategic sourcing, vendor management, cost optimisation, and procurement operations.

The role will be responsible for ensuring the right quality, cost, availability, and timely procurement of key raw materials, ingredients, packaging materials, and other assigned categories. The ideal candidate should have strong commercial acumen, supplier relationship management capabilities, and a hands-on approach to resolving supply chain challenges.

Key Responsibilities:

- Lead end-to-end procurement for raw materials, ingredients, packaging materials, and other assigned categories.

- Develop and execute category-wise sourcing strategies aligned with business requirements.

- Identify, evaluate, onboard, and develop reliable vendors and alternate sources.

- Negotiate pricing, payment terms, minimum order quantities (MOQ), lead times, contracts, and other commercial terms.

- Drive cost optimisation, procurement savings, and operational efficiency through effective sourcing and negotiations.

- Monitor commodity and raw material price movements, market trends, and supplier developments to support informed procurement decisions.

- Ensure uninterrupted material availability while balancing inventory levels, cost, quality, and lead times.

- Collaborate with Production, Quality, R&D/New Product Development (NPD), Planning, Finance, and Sales teams to understand requirements and resolve supply-related issues.

- Build strong vendor relationships and conduct regular supplier performance reviews.

- Monitor vendor performance across quality, delivery, responsiveness, pricing, and service levels.

- Identify and mitigate procurement risks, including single-source dependency, supply disruptions, price volatility, and quality concerns.

- Support new product development and product launches through timely sourcing of ingredients, packaging, and other materials.

- Develop and maintain procurement MIS, dashboards, cost trackers, and vendor performance reports.

- Ensure adherence to internal procurement policies, quality standards, food safety requirements, and approved vendor processes.

- Drive continuous improvement in procurement processes, sourcing practices, and supplier management.

Desired Candidate Profile:

- 6 - 10 years of relevant experience in Procurement or Strategic Sourcing, preferably within Food, FMCG, Food Processing, or Consumer Goods.

- Strong experience in procuring food raw materials, ingredients, packaging materials, or related categories.

- Excellent negotiation, commercial management, and cost optimisation skills.

- Good understanding of vendor development, sourcing strategies, cost benchmarking, and market intelligence.

- Experience managing multiple vendors and procurement categories.

- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.

- Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional stakeholders.

- Strong communication, ownership, and execution skills.

- Ability to work in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.