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
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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