Procurement Assistant Manager

About the Role

As a Procurement Assistant Manager – Packaging & Raw Materials, you will be responsible for leading and overseeing the procurement strategy and execution for packaging materials and raw materials across Kanara’s brands.

You will ensure materials are sourced on time, at the right quality, at competitive costs, and in line with production requirements, while maintaining supply continuity and supporting the company’s cost efficiency objectives.

This role will take ownership of strategic sourcing, supplier management, commercial negotiation, cost optimization, supply risk management, and procurement planning. You will work closely with R&D, Product Development, Quality, Supply Chain, Warehouse, Finance, Brand, Operations, and external suppliers to support new product development, product launches, production, and replenishment.

What We Are Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Management, Logistics, Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum 4–6 years of experience in Procurement, Purchasing, Sourcing, or related roles, preferably handling both raw materials and packaging materials.
• Experience in FMCG, consumer goods, cosmetics, personal care, food & beverage, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, or related industries is highly preferred.
• Strong experience in managing procurement for raw materials and packaging materials.
• Strong understanding of end-to-end procurement processes, including sourcing, supplier selection, quotation comparison, negotiation, purchasing, production follow-up, quality coordination, and delivery.
• Proven experience in supplier sourcing, supplier evaluation, commercial negotiation, and supplier performance management.
• Good understanding of raw material and packaging specifications, including material requirements, quality standards, MOQ, lead time, capacity, shelf life, technical specifications, and regulatory requirements where applicable.
• Proven ability to identify and execute cost-saving, cost optimization, alternative supplier, and alternative material initiatives.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to analyze pricing, purchasing volume, MOQ, lead time, supplier capacity, market movement, and commercial terms.
• Strong negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience supporting new product development, product launches, formulation changes, packaging development, and supplier transitions.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel and comfortable working with procurement data and reports.
• Experience using ERP or procurement systems, preferably Odoo, is a plus.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple materials, suppliers, projects, and timelines simultaneously.
• Proactive, strategic, detail-oriented, and comfortable working in a fast-paced FMCG environment.
• Strong integrity and commitment to procurement governance and company policies.

What You Will Do

1. Procurement Strategy & Planning

• Lead and oversee the end-to-end procurement of raw materials and packaging materials based on production, demand, and business requirements.
• Develop procurement strategies to ensure material availability, competitive cost, quality, and supply continuity.
• Review procurement requirements, forecasts, specifications, quantities, budgets, and required timelines.
• Translate business and production requirements into appropriate sourcing and purchasing strategies.
• Identify potential supply risks and develop appropriate mitigation plans.
• Ensure procurement readiness for new product launches, product development, replenishment, and packaging changes.

2. Strategic Sourcing & Supplier Management

• Lead sourcing and supplier selection for raw materials and packaging materials.
• Evaluate suppliers based on price, quality, capacity, MOQ, lead time, reliability, service level, and production capabilities.
• Lead commercial negotiations covering pricing, MOQ, payment terms, lead time, capacity allocation, tooling/mold costs, and other commercial terms.
• Develop and maintain a reliable and competitive supplier portfolio.
• Build strong relationships with key suppliers and act as an escalation point for critical supplier issues.
• Monitor supplier performance across cost, quality, delivery, responsiveness, and capacity.
• Lead supplier performance reviews and improvement initiatives.
• Develop appropriate strategies such as dual sourcing, alternative suppliers, supplier consolidation, or supplier development to strengthen supply continuity.

3. Cost Management & Optimization

• Lead cost-saving and cost optimization initiatives across raw materials and packaging.
• Analyze supplier quotations, historical prices, purchasing volumes, MOQ, specifications, and market conditions to identify opportunities for savings.
• Lead negotiations to achieve the optimal balance between cost, quality, and supply reliability.
• Identify opportunities for:
• Supplier consolidation
• Alternative suppliers
• Alternative raw materials
• Packaging optimization
• MOQ optimization
• Volume-based negotiation
• Improved payment terms
• Improved lead times
• Monitor raw material and packaging price movements and assess their impact on product costs and budgets.
• Maintain historical pricing data to support budgeting, forecasting, negotiation, and sourcing decisions.
• Monitor procurement spending against approved budgets and escalate significant cost deviations.

4. Raw Material & Packaging Development

• Lead procurement involvement in new raw material and packaging development projects.
• Work closely with R&D, Product Development, Quality, Brand, and suppliers to ensure materials meet technical, quality, commercial, and supply requirements.
• Source and evaluate suppliers for new raw materials and packaging components.
• Coordinate samples, trials, prototypes, and material evaluations where required.
• Support supplier and material selection based on quality, cost, availability, scalability, and production requirements.
• Ensure procurement timelines are aligned with product development and launch schedules.
• Coordinate supplier transitions when there are changes in materials, specifications, formulation, packaging, or suppliers.

5. Supply & Production Continuity

• Monitor raw material and packaging availability to support uninterrupted production and replenishment.
• Oversee critical POs, supplier production schedules, lead times, and delivery commitments.
• Identify potential stock shortages, supplier capacity constraints, delayed production, or supply disruptions.
• Develop and execute mitigation plans for critical supply risks.
• Coordinate with Supply Chain, Warehouse, Production, and suppliers to ensure materials are delivered according to production requirements.
• Escalate critical supply risks that may impact production, product launch, or product availability.

6. Quality & Supplier Issue Management

• Work closely with Quality, R&D, Product Development, and suppliers to resolve raw material and packaging quality issues.
• Lead supplier follow-up for non-conforming materials and ensure appropriate corrective actions are implemented.
• Monitor recurring quality issues and supplier performance.
• Support root-cause analysis and supplier improvement initiatives.
• Ensure rejected or non-conforming materials are properly followed up and resolved.
• Evaluate whether recurring supplier issues require supplier improvement, alternative sourcing, or supplier replacement.

7. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Act as a key procurement partner for R&D, Product Development, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, Brand, Warehouse, Production, and Operations.
• Provide procurement recommendations based on cost, quality, availability, lead time, capacity, and business priorities.
• Align procurement plans with demand forecasts, production plans, product development timelines, and launch schedules.
• Lead cross-functional discussions for critical sourcing, material, and supplier decisions.
• Communicate supplier status, cost movements, supply risks, and mitigation plans to relevant stakeholders and management.

8. Procurement Governance & Reporting

• Ensure all procurement activities comply with company policies, approval processes, and procurement procedures.
• Ensure accurate procurement data and supplier information are maintained in the ERP/procurement system.
• Prepare regular reports covering:
• Procurement spending
• Cost savings
• Raw material and packaging prices
• Supplier performance
• Open POs
• Delivery performance
• Supply risks
• Procurement projects
• Track key procurement KPIs, including cost savings, supplier lead time, on-time delivery, quality performance, price movements, and supplier responsiveness.
• Identify process gaps and opportunities to improve procurement efficiency.
• Support the development and implementation of procurement SOPs, supplier management processes, and continuous improvement initiatives.

9. Team Management & Development

• Provide direction and guidance to Procurement team members in managing daily procurement activities.
• Monitor team priorities, workload, and procurement deliverables.
• Support team members in handling supplier negotiations, procurement issues, and cross-functional coordination.
• Develop team capability in supplier management, negotiation, sourcing, procurement analysis, and material planning.
• Promote accountability, data-driven decision-making, and continuous improvement within the procurement team.