Job Description

Purchase Manager - Food Processing Plant

Location:

Kesari, Ambala

Department:

Supply Chain / Procurement

Reports to:

Plant Head / Head-Supply Chain

Role Summary

Own end-to-end procurement of raw materials, packaging, and MRO for a frozen/RTE food plant. Ensure quality, cost, and on-time availability while complying with food safety standards and supporting uninterrupted production.

Key Responsibilities

1) Sourcing & Vendor Development

Identify, evaluate, and onboard suppliers for vegetables (e.g., potato/onion/peas), poultry/meat, spices, dairy, oils/fats, chemicals, and primary/secondary packaging (LDPE, laminates, corrugation, labels, trays). Develop alternate sources, negotiate rate contracts and payment terms; maintain an approved vendor list (AVL). Build farm-gate/aggregator links (e.g., contract farming for potatoes/peas) to de-risk price and seasonality.

2) Procurement Operations

Convert MRP/production plans into purchase schedules; release POs, track confirmations, follow up for OTIF delivery. Plan cold-chain requirements for perishables and frozen items; coordinate with logistics for reefer movements. Ensure MOQ, lead time, and safety stock adherence; prevent stock-outs/line stoppages.

3) Quality & Compliance

Procure only from FSSAI-compliant vendors; ensure COA, COI, shelf-life, and traceability docs per batch. Align specs with QA/R&D; manage inbound QC, rejections, and supplier CAPA. Support audits (FSSAI, HACCP, ISO 22000/FSMS, customer audits).

4) Cost & Inventory Control

Drive cost savings via negotiations, should-costing, VA/VE, and alternate materials. Monitor inventory turns, ageing, and wastage; optimize working capital. Track market indices (commodities, fuel, forex where relevant) and update price forecasts.

5) Data, Systems & Reporting

Maintain accurate masters (items, specs, vendors); ensure PO/GRN/Quality data hygiene in ERP (SAP/Oracle/Tally/Zoho, etc.). Weekly MIS: price trends, PR-PO cycle time, OTIF, stock cover, savings vs. target, and supplier scorecards.

6) Cross-Functional & Team Leadership

Partner with Production, Planning, QA, R&D, Finance, and Warehousing for NPD trials, spec changes, and timely GRN/3-way match. Lead and mentor a small team of buyers/store officers.
Must-Have Qualifications

Bachelor's in Supply Chain/Engineering/Food Tech/Commerce; MBA/PGD in SCM is a plus. 5-10 years in procurement for food/FMCG (frozen/RTE preferred). Strong negotiation, contract management, and vendor networking across North India (Haryana/Punjab/UP/Delhi-NCR). Working knowledge of HACCP, FSSAI, ISO 22000, and cold-chain logistics. ERP proficiency (SAP/Tally/Zoho) and advanced Excel (Pivots, Lookup, basic Power Query).
Job Type: Full-time

Pay: ?15,603.03 - ?38,876.68 per month

Benefits:

Food provided
Work Location: In person