Procurement Specialist

Role Summary:

Seeking a highly skilled and experienced Strategic Outsourcing Manager to lead and develop our outsourcing strategy for chemical products and processes. This role is responsible for building and streamlining the strategic outsourcing sub-process, identifying suitable products for outsourcing, scouting and onboarding vendors, and ensuring successful collaboration with internal and external stakeholders for audits & commercialization.

This position demands strong leadership, strategic thinking, and cross-functional coordination to ensure long-term sustainability and cost-effectiveness in outsourced operations.

Primary Responsibilities:

A. Develop and Structure Strategic Outsourcing Process:

1. Define and institutionalize a robust strategic outsourcing sub-process aligned with business goals.
2. Establish SOPs, align KPIs, and governance models for outsourcing.

B. Product Identification for Outsourcing:

1. Analyze internal production capabilities, costs, and market dynamics to identify suitable products for outsourcing.
2. Collaborate with R&D, production, and commercial teams for feasibility assessments.

C. Vendor Identification and Onboarding:

1. Source and evaluate potential vendors based on capability, compliance, cost, and capacity.
2. Lead vendor due diligence, contract negotiations, and onboarding processes.
3. Ensure compliance with quality, EHS, and regulatory standards.

D. Cross-functional Coordination:

1. Work closely with procurement, quality assurance, legal, and supply chain teams to manage end-to-end outsourcing operations.
2. Coordinate with stakeholders for plant audits, trial runs, and full-scale commercialization.

E. Commercialization Support:

1. Oversee pilot and commercial production phases at outsourced vendors.
2. Troubleshoot issues during scale-up and stabilization phases.
3. Monitor performance and drive continuous improvement initiatives with vendors.

Experience:

• Engineer with minimum 8 + years of experience in chemicals procurement
• MBA with min. 5 years of experience in chemicals procurement.

Educational qualifications preferred:

• B. Tech or BE in Chemical Engineer or any related field

Required Skills & Competencies:

• Strong leadership and decision-making skills
• Excellent problem-solving and conflict resolution capabilities
• Proficiency in scenario planning, risk assessment, and contingency management
• Exceptional planning and organizing abilities
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to work independently in a dynamic and fast-paced environment

Any Specific Requirements:

• Knowledge of regulatory compliance in chemical manufacturing (e.g., REACH, ISO, GMP)
• Experience in vendor development and contract management
• Exposure to ERP systems (SAP etc.)