Procurement Manager
Position Overview:
We are looking for an experienced Procurement Manager who will take full ownership of purchasing activities at our Serbian site and play a key role in driving cost optimization, supplier performance, and operational excellence.
This is a high-impact leadership role within an international automotive environment, offering strong collaboration with global teams and the opportunity to influence both local operations and global strategy execution.
Key Responsibilities:
- Leadership & organizational development
- Lead, coach, and develop the local purchasing team (project & serial buyers).
- Plan capacities, define objectives, and drive performance management.
- Build a strong, accountable, and results-driven team culture.
- Procurement ownership (project & series)
- Ensure reliable and cost-efficient supply of materials for production (project to serial phase).
- Manage RFQ/RFI processes and commercial evaluation of supplier offers.
- Drive sourcing decisions and lead awarding processes in line with internal standards.
- Ensure smooth transition from project purchasing to serial production (PPAP/EMPB phase).
- Secure supply performance until end of production.
- Supplier & cost management
- Lead and support negotiations with suppliers (price, quality, delivery conditions).
- Develop and continuously optimize the supplier base.
- Identify and implement cost-saving initiatives and value engineering measures (VAVE).
- Strategy & matrix collaboration
- Implement global purchasing and commodity strategies at the local level.
- Work closely with Global Commodity Management and cross-site stakeholders.
- Ensure alignment with corporate processes, guidelines, and approval frameworks.
- Process excellence & cross-functional collaboration
- Ensure compliance with procurement policies, contracts, and documentation standards.
- Collaborate closely with operations, logistics, quality, and project teams.
- Support resolution of delivery or invoice discrepancies.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives (KVP).
- Reporting & governance
- Report regularly on procurement performance, savings, and supplier KPIs.
- Act as a key interface towards VP Purchasing and global functions.
Candidate Profile:
- University degree in Economics, Supply Chain, or similar.
- 5+ years of experience in procurement within automotive or manufacturing environment.
- Proven leadership experience and ability to develop teams.
- Strong negotiation skills and commercial mindset.
- Experience with supplier management, RFQs, and cost optimization initiatives.
- Solid understanding of SAP and procurement processes.
- Fluent English (German is a plus).
What we offer:
- Stable position in an international automotive company
- Direct impact on local procurement organization and supplier strategy
- Cooperation with global purchasing and commodity teams
- Competitive compensation package and performance-based bonus
- 25+ vacation days
- Professional development and career growth within a global group
- Opportunity to lead and develop a local purchasing team