POSITION SUMMARY
The Procurement Manager establishes and leads a centralized procurement and supply chain function supporting all Ironsmith Fire branches, fabrication locations, and departments, and owns the company's end-to-end supply chain from procure to pay. This position is responsible for company-wide sourcing, purchasing processes, supplier relationships, logistics, inventory management, receiving, invoice matching and vendor payment coordination, cost management, and purchasing controls across field materials, fire sprinkler and alarm equipment, fleet and shop equipment, IT products and software, and office supplies and furniture. Initially, the role manages one Purchasing Agent and develops the procurement team and operating model as business needs grow.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Centralized Procurement & Supplier Management
• Own and lead the company-wide procure-to-pay process, from requisition, sourcing, and purchase-order issuance through receiving, three-way match, invoice approval, and vendor payment, coordinating purchasing requirements across branches and departments.
• Source and procure field materials, sprinkler and alarm equipment, fleet and shop equipment, IT hardware and software, and office supplies and furniture.
• Partner with IT on technical specifications and product selection while coordinating competitive sourcing, vendor negotiations, purchasing documentation, and purchase-order issuance.
• Develop and maintain approved supplier records, including pricing agreements, W-9s, insurance documentation, lead times, and performance history.
• Negotiate competitive pricing, terms, delivery schedules, and service levels; establish standardized catalogs and consolidated purchasing arrangements where appropriate.
End-to-End Supply Chain & Procure-to-Pay
• Own the company's supply chain strategy and operations, aligning material planning, sourcing, logistics, and inventory with project schedules, backlog, and service and inspection demand.
• Forecast material requirements with Operations, Project Management, and Fabrication, and secure long-lead items such as fire pumps, backflow assemblies, valves, fire alarm control panels, and devices to avoid schedule delays.
• Ensure purchased materials and equipment meet project specifications and approved submittals, including UL-listed and FM-approved requirements, NFPA standards, and any domestic-content or project-specific purchasing requirements.
• Manage inbound logistics, freight, and delivery to fabrication shops, branches, and jobsites, including jobsite staging and coordination of direct-ship orders.
• Establish receiving and inspection procedures to verify quantities, condition, and specifications, and record receipts promptly in the ERP system.
• Partner with Accounts Payable to administer three-way match (purchase order, receipt, and invoice), resolve pricing and quantity discrepancies, and support timely, accurate vendor payment, including capture of early-payment discounts and favorable payment terms.
• Manage supplier returns, credits, warranty claims, and back orders, and maintain supply continuity through qualified alternate sources and supplier risk monitoring.
Cost Management & Business Partnership
• Monitor material and equipment cost trends, purchasing variances, freight costs, and supplier performance across branches and jobs.
• Partner with Finance and FP&A to evaluate job-cost impacts, protect project margins, and identify opportunities for purchasing efficiencies.
• Quantify cost-reduction opportunities through volume consolidation, standardization, and freight optimization; report realized savings and procurement performance.
Purchasing Controls & Process Improvement
• Administer purchasing in accordance with approved budgets, company policies, and applicable delegation-of-authority requirements; obtain required approvals before committing company funds.
• Review purchase requests for appropriate coding, documentation, business justification, and required approvals; escalate exceptions and nonstandard supplier terms.
• Maintain accurate and auditable purchasing records and reinforce controls designed to prevent circumvention of approval requirements, including splitting purchases.
• Develop standardized purchasing procedures and service expectations that balance cost discipline with timely support of field and branch operations.
Systems & Reporting
• Manage purchasing workflows, vendor records, purchase orders, and job-cost coding in the company’s designated ERP/accounting system.
• Collaborate with Finance and enterprise systems stakeholders to define procurement requirements and support future system implementations and process improvements.
• Provide regular reporting on procurement activity, savings, vendor performance, and operational issues.
Inventory Management & Control
• Lead the ongoing administration of a company-wide inventory management system integrated with the ERP/accounting system, covering fabrication locations, branch stock, and service and installation truck inventory.
• Fabrication locations: establish inventory controls for pipe, fittings, hangers, steel, valves, and consumables, including bin locations, min/max levels, reorder points, and tracking of material issued to fabrication and jobs.
• Truck inventory: develop standard stock lists by truck type (sprinkler, fire alarm, inspection, and service), set replenishment processes, and track parts issued from trucks to jobs and work orders for accurate billing and job costing.
• Implement barcode or scanning tools, transfer procedures between locations, and return-to-stock processes to maintain real-time inventory accuracy.
• Conduct scheduled cycle counts and annual physical inventories; reconcile results with Finance, investigate variances and shrinkage, and maintain technician and location accountability for assigned stock.
• Support accurate inventory valuation and costing, and identify and resolve slow-moving, excess, and obsolete stock.
• Report inventory KPIs such as accuracy, turns, fill rate, stockouts, and carrying cost, and optimize stocking levels to balance field availability with working capital.
Team Leadership
• Supervise, coach, and evaluate the Purchasing Agent and additional procurement, inventory, and warehouse staff as the function expands.
• Define team responsibilities, workflows, performance expectations, and training requirements.
• Assess procurement workload and develop recommendations for future staffing, category specialization, and organizational capacity as the company grows.
