Purchasing Manager
Greystone of Lincoln, Inc. — Machining Division
Department: | Purchasing / Supply Chain |
Reports To: | Operations Manager / Plant Manager |
FLSA Status: | Exempt |
Location: | Lincoln, RI (on-site, plant floor) |
Position Summary
The Purchasing Manager leads sourcing, supplier management, and material/tooling procurement for the plant, with an emphasis on engineering-informed purchasing decisions rather than transactional buying alone. This role is intended for a candidate with a formal engineering background who can evaluate a supplier quote, a material specification, or a tooling proposal on its technical merits — not just its price — and who can hold suppliers accountable to the specs, tolerances, and quality requirements that Engineering and Quality actually need. The Purchasing Manager owns supplier performance, cost and lead-time risk, and partners closely with Engineering, Quality, and Operations on make-vs-buy, tooling investment, and technical supplier qualification decisions.
Key Responsibilities
Lead sourcing and procurement of raw material, tooling, outside services, and capital equipment, evaluating suppliers on technical capability and quality history, not price alone.
Own supplier performance management: on-time delivery, quality reject rate, lead-time trends, and pricing history — and act on adverse trends before they become production risk.
Investigate and explain significant price or lead-time changes from suppliers (material cost drivers, tariffs, capacity constraints) and bring engineering-grade analysis to leadership, rather than passing through vendor claims at face value.
Qualify and onboard alternate suppliers for critical materials and tooling (e.g., carbide blanks, specialty alloys) to reduce single-source risk, working from technical specifications alongside Engineering.
Partner with Process/Manufacturing Engineering on tooling specification, make-vs-buy decisions, and technical evaluation of new equipment or automation vendor proposals.
Partner with Quality on supplier corrective action, incoming inspection criteria, and resolving nonconforming material or tooling issues at the source.
Own MRP-driven purchasing in the ERP system: ensuring requirements planning reflects actual demand, BOMs, and lead times rather than manual reorder-point guessing.
Negotiate pricing, terms, and blanket/contract purchase agreements for key materials and tooling categories.
Manage purchasing budget and report spend, cost variance, and supplier risk to plant leadership.
Ensure purchasing practices comply with applicable quality and regulatory requirements, including ISO 9001/AS9100 and, where applicable, ITAR and CMMC (e.g., supply chain and flow-down requirements).
Required Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, or a related engineering discipline — this role is intended for a candidate with a technical/engineering background, not a traditional purchasing/business-only career path.
Ability to read and evaluate engineering drawings, material specifications, and tolerances well enough to assess supplier capability and quote quality independently.
Experience with MRP/ERP-driven purchasing, supplier scorecards, and cost/spend analysis.
Strong negotiation skills and comfort holding suppliers accountable to technical and quality requirements, not just delivery and price.
Working knowledge of raw material markets relevant to the plant (e.g., tungsten carbide, stainless and tool steels) and how cost/tariff pressures move through the supply chain.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience sourcing tooling or capital equipment for CNC or rotary transfer machining operations.
Experience in a defense or aerospace manufacturing environment (ITAR, AS9100, CMMC, supply chain flow-down requirements).
APICS/CPIM, CPSM, or equivalent supply chain certification.
Experience qualifying alternate suppliers for single-sourced critical materials.
Work Environment & Physical Requirements
Primarily an office environment with regular time on the plant floor to support Engineering, Quality, and Operations; safety glasses and required PPE must be worn on the floor.
Occasional travel may be required for supplier visits and qualification audits.
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