Purchasing Manager Manufacturing Jobs in California

Nikkiso Clean Energy & Industrial Gases is a leading provider of cryogenic pumps, heat exchangers, process systems, services, and solutions for the LNG and industrial gases industry. We are a subsidiary of Nikkiso Company Ltd., a leading industrial manufacturer headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with more than $1.5 billion in annual revenue, 8,000+ employees worldwide, and publicly traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Nikkiso Applied Technologies is a leading manufacturer of heat exchangers, liquefiers, and vaporizers for the LNG and industrial gases industry. Applications include fueling stations, marine engines, peak shaving, power generation, virtual pipelines, and well stimulation.

The Purchasing Manager is responsible for leading and managing the day-to-day purchasing function in support of production, quality, inventory, cost, and operational objectives. This position provides leadership and direction to the purchasing team while ensuring materials, services, MRO, supplies, and outside processing are procured at the required quality, cost, and delivery expectations.

The Purchasing Manager is responsible for supplier performance, purchasing execution, team development, purchasing controls, KPI management, supplier escalations, cost improvement initiatives, and continuous improvement of procurement processes.

This role serves as a key liaison between Purchasing, Planning, Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Finance, Materials, and Supply Chain leadership to proactively identify supply risks and support business requirements.

Salary

$80,000 - $100,000

The Purchasing Manager provides direct leadership and functional oversight to Buyers I, Buyers II, and purchasing support personnel responsible for production materials, MRO, supplies, outside processing, supplier data, and purchasing administration.

The position is responsible for ensuring the purchasing team executes established supply chain strategies while maintaining appropriate controls, supplier accountability, and alignment with production requirements.

Essential Functions / Responsibilities

Purchasing Leadership

• Lead, coach, develop, and provide daily direction to the purchasing team.
• Establish priorities and balance buyer workloads based on production requirements, material shortages, supplier risks, and business needs.
• Establish clear expectations, accountability, and performance standards for the purchasing team.
• Provide backup coverage and purchasing support as necessary to maintain continuity of operations.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for purchasing, supplier, delivery, pricing, and internal procurement issues.
• Support employee development, cross-training, succession planning, and continuous improvement within the purchasing organization.

Procurement Execution

• Ensure purchase orders are placed accurately and timely in accordance with production requirements, demand, approved requisitions, and company procedures.
• Monitor open purchase orders, supplier commitments, past-due orders, shortages, and delivery risks.
• Ensure buyers proactively communicate supplier delays and material constraints before they impact production.
• Oversee procurement of production materials, MRO, supplies, services, and outside processing.
• Ensure purchasing activities align with inventory objectives and required production lead times.
• Support material shortage resolution and recovery planning.

Supplier Management

• Manage supplier performance related to delivery, quality, responsiveness, cost, and overall service.
• Partner with Quality and Supply Chain Manager to address supplier performance concerns and corrective actions.
• Support supplier business reviews, scorecards, audits, and supplier development activities.
• Maintain appropriate supplier relationships and ensure timely escalation of significant supply risks.
• Support qualification, evaluation, and onboarding of new suppliers.
• Identify sourcing risks, capacity constraints, sole-source exposure, and other potential supply interruptions.

Cost & Commercial Management

• Support pricing visibility, purchase price analysis, and cost-control initiatives.
• Identify opportunities for cost reduction, cost avoidance, supplier consolidation, and improved commercial terms.
• Support supplier negotiations involving pricing, lead times, payment terms, minimum order quantities, freight, and other commercial conditions.
• Monitor significant commodity, supplier, and market changes that may affect purchasing costs or availability.
• Assist Supply Chain leadership with sourcing strategies and supplier negotiations.

KPI & Performance Management

• Establish, monitor, and report purchasing performance metrics.
• Track supplier on-time delivery, purchasing execution, material shortages, cost savings, and other key procurement indicators.
• Review purchasing trends and identify areas requiring corrective action.
• Hold buyers and suppliers accountable for agreed performance expectations.
• Provide regular purchasing status and risk updates to Supply Chain leadership.

Process, Compliance & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure compliance with company purchasing policies, procedures, work instructions, approval requirements, and internal controls.
• Maintain accurate purchasing records and documentation in support of ISO, JSOX, internal, and external audit requirements.
• Oversee purchasing logs, supplier records, purchasing reports, and vendor master data.
• Maintain accuracy and integrity of the vendor database.
• Identify opportunities to improve purchasing efficiency, accuracy, cycle time, reporting, and workflow.

Cross-Functional Support

• Partner with Planning to align purchasing priorities with manufacturing schedules.
• Work closely with Engineering on drawings, bills of material, specifications, substitutions, and technical requirements.
• Support Finance with pricing, invoice, supplier, and purchase order discrepancies when needed.
• Communicate supply risks and recommend actions to Supply Chain leadership and other stakeholders.

Supervisory Responsibility

This position directly supervises purchasing personnel and is responsible for assigning work, establishing priorities, coaching employees, providing performance feedback, supporting employee development, and ensuring purchasing objectives are achieved.

The Purchasing Manager is expected to promote accountability, teamwork, professionalism, proactive communication, and continuous improvement throughout the purchasing organization.

Work Environment

This job operates primarily in a professional office and manufacturing environment. This role routinely utilizes standard office equipment including laptop computers, phones, printers, scanners, and other business systems.

Periodic interaction with production, warehouse, receiving, quality, and other operational areas may be required.

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, sit, stand, and use a computer. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

The position may occasionally require lifting files or other office materials, accessing filing cabinets, bending, standing, or walking through manufacturing and warehouse areas.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties, and responsibilities required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in purchasing, procurement, or supply chain within a manufacturing environment.
• Previous experience leading, supervising, or managing purchasing personnel.
• Strong understanding of production purchasing, MRP-driven procurement, MRO, supplies, services, and outside processing.
• Demonstrated experience managing supplier delivery, pricing, performance, and escalations.
• Strong knowledge of ERP/MRP systems, purchasing reports, purchase orders, and supplier data.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, bills of material, specifications, and technical purchasing requirements.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.

Core Competencies

• Leadership and team development
• Supplier management
• Negotiation and commercial awareness
• Production and material planning awareness
• Analytical and problem-solving skills
• Cost and KPI management
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Change management and continuous improvement
• Attention to detail
• Sense of urgency
• Professional communication and judgment

Education and Experience

• High School Diploma or GED equivalent required.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Operations, Engineering, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum five years of progressively responsible purchasing, procurement, or supply chain experience within a manufacturing environment preferred.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365, particularly Excel, Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines, manage competing priorities, and work independently.
• Ability to demonstrate a high degree of professionalism, maturity, confidentiality, and sound judgment.

The knowledge, skills, and abilities listed above are typically acquired through the levels of education and experience described. An equivalent combination of education and/or experience that provides an applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the essential duties and responsibilities of the position may be accepted.

Nikkiso CE&IG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability, or any other status protected by applicable law.