Direct Purchasing & Local Content Senior Group Manager

About the role

The Direct Purchasing and Local Content Senior Group Manager will lead direct purchasing, VCE & PPM activities and drive the local‑content strategy to support business growth, supply continuity and cost competitiveness. Reporting full‑time to the General Manager office, the role works cross‑functionally with engineering, manufacturing, finance and government stakeholders.

Key responsibilities

• Lead direct purchasing for assigned commodities and suppliers, ensuring alignment with business, operational and financial objectives.
• Develop and execute a long‑term local‑content strategy in line with company priorities and market requirements.
• Manage VCE and PPM activities, coordinating with cross‑functional teams to meet business goals.
• Identify, evaluate and develop local supplier opportunities to improve competitiveness, reduce risk and support sustainability.
• Drive sourcing decisions, commercial negotiations and supplier selection to achieve best value.
• Ensure supply continuity and proactively manage supplier capacity, performance, quality and delivery risks.
• Partner with engineering, manufacturing, finance, quality and program teams for new launches and ongoing operations.
• Track and deliver cost‑improvement initiatives, including localization, resourcing and value‑optimization actions.
• Build strong external relationships with suppliers and relevant stakeholders for strategic collaboration.
• Lead, coach and develop the team, promoting accountability and high performance.
• Ensure compliance with internal processes, governance requirements and purchasing policies.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, supply‑chain or related field (MBA preferred).
• 10+ years of experience in purchasing, sourcing, supplier management and commercial negotiations.
• Proven leadership experience managing teams (minimum 5 years in a people‑leader role).
• Strong business acumen with ability to balance cost, quality, timing and risk.
• Experience in the automotive or manufacturing industry is strongly preferred.

Required skills

• Strategic procurement and sourcing.
• Supplier development and local‑content management.
• Commercial negotiation.
• Cost‑improvement and value‑optimization techniques.