Strategic Purchasing Manager Jobs in Wisconsin (NOW HIRING)

The Senior Manager, Planning & Purchasing leads Benchmade’s integrated supply planning and purchasing functions, ensuring alignment between customer demand, material availability, manufacturing capacity, inventory investment, and supplier performance. The role provides strategic and operational leadership for the Supply Planning and Purchasing teams, driving the development and execution of inventory, production, and procurement strategies that support business objectives. Responsibilities include overseeing the creation of supply plans, purchasing execution, inventory optimization initiatives, supplier performance management, and the ongoing evolution of planning and procurement processes, while integrating these activities into the monthly SIOP process.

• Lead and develop the Supply Planning Manager, Purchasing Manager, and their respective teams, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Establish and execute integrated supply planning and purchasing strategies that balance customer service, inventory investment, and capacity utilization.
• Own the supply and procurement components of the monthly SIOP process, providing visibility to supply constraints, inventory risks, capacity limitations, and mitigation plans.
• Ensure effective execution of MRP‑driven planning and purchasing activities to support production schedules and customer demand requirements.
• Develop inventory management strategies that optimize coverage of demand variability, working capital, and service levels while minimizing excess and obsolete inventory.
• Provide leadership and oversight of production planning, material planning, and purchasing execution.
• Collaborate with Strategic Sourcing to align supplier capabilities, lead times, capacity commitments, supplier delivery performance, and risk mitigation strategies with business requirements.
• Monitor and improve supplier delivery, quality, responsiveness, and overall performance through structured metrics and regular business reviews.
• Partner with Manufacturing and Process Engineering to ensure capacity assumptions are accurate, maintained, and reflected within planning systems.
• Lead cross‑functional reviews of supply chain risks, developing contingency plans to mitigate disruptions related to materials, suppliers, capacity, or demand variability.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance planning accuracy, procurement effectiveness, inventory management, and overall supply chain performance.
• Leverage data analytics and KPI reporting to identify trends, improve decision‑making, and drive operational performance improvements.
• Support new product introductions, product transitions, and end‑of‑life planning activities through coordinated supply and procurement strategies.
• Conduct scenario planning and what‑if analyses to evaluate the impact of demand shifts, supplier constraints, capacity changes, and strategic business initiatives.
• Partner with Finance to support inventory forecasting, budgeting, inventory reserve analysis, and working capital objectives.
• Champion adoption and optimization of ERP, planning, and reporting tools to improve visibility, scalability, and process effectiveness.
• Serve as the primary subject matter expert for supply planning and purchasing processes across the organization.
• Support broader Supply Chain and business initiatives as assigned by leadership.
• Other duties and projects as assigned by supervisor/leadership.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Operations Management, or related field required; MBA preferred.
• 12-15 years of progressive experience in supply planning, purchasing, materials management, procurement, or related supply chain functions.
• Minimum of 5 years of leadership experience managing planning, purchasing, or integrated supply chain teams.
• Experience in high‑mix manufacturing environments required.
• Demonstrated experience leading SIOP processes and driving cross‑functional alignment across operations, commercial, and finance organizations.
• Strong understanding of MRP systems, inventory planning methodologies, capacity planning, supplier management, and procurement processes.
• Direct experience with Syspro ERP preferred; APS planning system experience preferred.
• Proven ability to develop inventory strategies that improve service levels while optimizing working capital.
• Demonstrated success leading organizational change, process improvement, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Strong analytical, financial, and business acumen with experience utilizing data to drive decision‑making.
• Knowledge of Lean principles and experience coaching teams in continuous improvement methodologies.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and complex projects in a fast‑paced environment.
• APICS/ASCM CPIM, CSCP, or ISM certification preferred.

• Working Environment: Office Position.
• Physical Demands: Lifting up to 25 lbs; Sitting and talking on the phone for long periods of time; Data entry for long periods of time.
• Travel Requirements: As needed, less than 5% of the time.