Principal, Plant Procurement Operations Partner

The Role 

Serves as the principal plant-facing purchasing operations expert, providing broad functional expertise and thought leadership across complex supply execution, purchasing governance, and operational risk. Represents plant priorities within the Purchasing Center while shaping enterprise principles, standards, and operating approaches that improve material availability, service, inventory health, and production continuity across multiple sites or regions. Leads resolution of significant and unique supply challenges where analysis requires evaluation of incomplete information, competing priorities, and business tradeoffs. Advises senior leaders on systemic supplier, fulfillment, and execution risks; develops scalable frameworks for escalation, governance, and performance management; and creates formal cross-functional networks across Planning, Operations, Quality, Logistics, Finance, Procurement, and digital teams. Operates through influence rather than direct authority, mentors experienced professionals, and leads high-impact initiatives that strengthen purchasing capability and deliver sustained enterprise outcomes. 

What You'll Do 

• Provide thought leadership on plant purchasing operations, supply continuity, and execution strategy, shaping objectives, principles, and standards with multi-site or enterprise impact. 

• Lead resolution of significant and unique supply and procurement execution issues involving constrained supply, material shortages, inventory exposure, supplier performance, and production or customer risk. 

• Develop and govern scalable escalation, exception-management, and risk-prioritization frameworks used across plants, regions, and Purchasing Center teams. 

• Advise senior leaders on systemic supply risks, execution tradeoffs, and recommended actions using operational data, business context, and evaluation of qualitative and quantitative factors. 

• Establish formal cross-functional networks across Planning, Operations, Quality, Logistics, Finance, Procurement, and suppliers to align decisions, accelerate issue resolution, and sustain accountability. 

• Identify patterns across sites and suppliers, translate recurring disruptions into enterprise improvement priorities, and sponsor root cause and corrective action efforts. 

• Shape purchasing governance within S&OE, S&OP, and related operating forums by establishing decision criteria, escalation thresholds, performance expectations, and executive-ready reporting. 

• Define and advance performance measures for service, material availability, supplier execution, inventory health, fulfillment accuracy, and issue resolution effectiveness. 

• Lead complex process, automation, data, and digital initiatives that improve purchasing visibility, standardization, decision quality, and execution performance across the network. 

• Create playbooks, standard work, and communities of practice that institutionalize leading practices and strengthen purchasing operations capability. 

• Mentor and informally direct experienced procurement and supply chain professionals, providing expert guidance on complex decisions, risk mitigation, and stakeholder alignment. 

• Represent the plant and operations perspective in the development of broader procurement strategies, policies, systems, and transformation roadmaps. 

What We Seek 

• Typically requires a minimum of 12 years of related experience with a bachelor's degree, or 8 years with a master's degree, or a Ph.D. with 5 years of experience, or equivalent experience in Supply Chain, Purchasing, Procurement Operations, Operations, or a related field. 

• Broad expertise across purchasing operations, supply continuity, supplier performance, planning, inventory, and exception management, with deep knowledge in one or more specialized areas. 

• Demonstrated success leading significant, unique, and cross-functional supply chain initiatives with impact across multiple sites, regions, or business groups. 

• Ability to evaluate complex situations involving incomplete information, competing operational priorities, and intangible business considerations, and to translate analysis into clear decisions and recommendations. 

• Experience developing company or functional objectives, governance models, operating principles, escalation frameworks, and performance standards. 

• Advanced knowledge of ERP/MRP systems and supply chain data; SAP experience preferred. Experience using metrics, dashboards, and analytical tools to influence executive decisions and drive sustained improvement. 

• Proven ability to create formal networks, influence senior stakeholders without direct authority, and align diverse functions around high-impact outcomes. 

• Strong executive communication skills, including the ability to frame complex issues, present tradeoffs, and recommend actions to senior leaders. 

• Demonstrated capability to mentor experienced professionals, elevate functional capability, and serve as a recognized thought leader in purchasing operations. 

• Strong judgment, accountability, and integrity when leading high-visibility decisions that may affect production, customers, inventory, cost, and business continuity.