JOB TITLE Purchasing & Inventory Supervisor
DEPARTMENT Operations
REPORTS TO Managing Director
DIRECT REPORTS Inventory & Procurement Team
LOCATION Head Office
ROLE PURPOSE
The Purchasing & Inventory Supervisor is responsible for hands on activity, planning, co-ordinating and oversight of procurement and inventory activities.
The role safeguards stock integrity, financial exposure, supplier compliance, and documentation standards, ensuring that all purchasing and inventory activities are conducted, controlled, authorised, audit-ready, and aligned with the Company’s commercial, operational, and risk control objectives.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Procurement Governance, Purchasing & Sourcing
- Ensure procurement activities comply with Company policies, approval authorities, and supplier governance standards.
- Review and validate purchase requisitions, supplier quotations, pricing, and Purchase Orders (PO’s) prior to financial commitment.
- Monitor aged POs, supplier performance, pricing trends, and stock exposure risks.
- Maintain structured, accurate, and audit-ready procurement documentation.
- Use inventory and consumption data to inform replenishment planning and risk mitigation.
Sourcing Activities (Local & International)
- Oversee and conduct supplier identification, evaluation, selection, and diversification for local and international sourcing requirements.
- Assess commercial viability, pricing competitiveness, lead times, and supply chain risk exposure.
- Lead and execute international procurement logistics, trade documentation, and regulatory compliance requirements.
2. Inventory Governance, Financial Control & Reporting
- Govern the accuracy, valuation, and integrity of all inventory records and system data.
- Maintain oversight of stock movements, counts, adjustments, disposals, destructions, and write-offs.
- Enforce internal control structures, approval hierarchies, segregation of duties, and documentation discipline.
- Review and approve variance analyses and disposal recommendations prior to financial submission.
- Prepare and present executive-level inventory reconciliations, variance summaries, stock exposure analyses, and procurement performance reports.
- Oversee month-end inventory validation and valuation review processes, assist with data entry where needed.
- Provide accurate, defensible data for financial reporting and audit review.
- Identify control weaknesses, highlight material discrepancies or exposure risks, and implement corrective governance measures to protect stock value and working capital.
3. Governance Leadership & Cross-Functional Oversight
- Oversee and conduct purchasing and inventory activities in alignment with Company control standards.
- Set and enforce documentation, reporting, and compliance expectations across Warehouse, Production, Logistics, and Finance.
- Monitor accuracy and timeliness of inventory and procurement submissions and address deficiencies.
- Act as the Head Office authority for inventory and procurement governance matters.
- Escalate material operational, financial, or compliance risks to the Managing Director with formal recommendations for resolution.
- Provide strategic guidance on inventory optimisation, procurement controls, and risk mitigation measures.
4. Compliance. Continuous Improvement & HSSEQ
- Lead Corrective and Preventative Actions (CAPA) related to inventory or procurement control failures.
- Recommend and implement system, workflow, and governance improvements.
- Promote documentation discipline, accountability, and operational transparency.
- Ensure all inventory and procurement activities comply with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Health, Safety, Security, Environment & Quality (HSSEQ) standards, and financial control
REQUIRED SKILLS & COMPETENCIES
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
- Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, or related discipline.
- Minimum 5–7 years’ progressive experience in purchasing, inventory control, or supply chain governance.
- Experience within manufacturing, production, distribution, or FMCG environments preferred.
- Demonstrated experience in supplier evaluation, sourcing strategy, pricing analysis, and contract negotiation.
- Proven exposure to inventory financial controls, variance analysis, and stock valuation processes.
- Experience with international sourcing, import documentation, and regulatory compliance requirements is an asset.
- Prior supervisory or team leadership experience required.
TECHNICAL & PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
- Strong knowledge of procurement governance, supplier management, and purchasing controls.
- Solid understanding of inventory valuation principles, stock reconciliation, and working capital impact.
- Ability to interpret financial reports and assess operational exposure risks.
- Experience with ERP, inventory management, or accounting systems.
- Advanced Microsoft Excel and reporting capability (analysis, reconciliations, trend evaluation).
- Working knowledge of import/export logistics, trade documentation, and compliance requirements.
- Strong analytical, risk assessment, and problem-solving capability.
BEHAVIOURAL & CORE COMPETENCIES
- High integrity and governance discipline.
- Strong commercial judgement and financial sensitivity.
- Decisive and structured decision-making ability.
- Assertive yet professional cross-functional leadership.
- Strong attention to detail and documentation discipline.
- Ability to escalate matters appropriately while maintaining operational stability.
- Resilient, solutions-oriented, and committed to continuous improvement.
- Clear communicator with the ability to engage both operational teams and executive leadership.