Purchasing Specialist (Tuas, 5 Days)

About the role

Responsible for managing and developing strategic Supplier and Steel mill relationships, ensuring continuity of supply, competitive pricing, and strong service performance. The role combines commercial negotiation, mill development, order expediting, and analytical support to drive cost control, supplier performance, and supply resilience across the business. The position plays a critical role in managing price volatility, long lead times, and capacity constraints while supporting business performance and margin protection.

Key responsibilities

Mill & Supplier Development

• Identify, evaluate, and develop new mills and suppliers to strengthen supply capability and reduce risk

• Maintain strong, long‑term relationships with existing mills and strategic suppliers

• Support onboarding, approval, and performance review processes for new mills

• Monitor supplier performance and drive continuous improvement initiatives

• Act as a key point of contact for mill‑level discussions.

Purchasing & Order Management

• Place, monitor, and manage purchase orders in line with demand requirements

• Proactively expedite mill and supplier orders to ensure adherence to production and customer deadlines

• Communicate regularly with mills and suppliers to confirm production and shipment timelines

• Resolve delivery issues, shortages, and discrepancies in collaboration with internal teams

• Ensure ERP system data is accurate and up to date (pricing, lead times, delivery dates)

Pricing & Commercial Negotiation

• Obtain, compare, and analyse mill and supplier quotations, ensuring competitiveness and commercial compliance

• Lead and support negotiations on pricing, terms, and commercial agreements with mills and suppliers

• Track price movements, cost drivers, and commodity trends

• Support margin protection and cost‑saving initiatives

Analysis & Reporting

• Analyse purchasing and supply chain data to support strategic decision‑making

• Produce reports on supplier performance, pricing trends, lead times, and risks

• Support budgeting, forecasting, and cost analysis activities

• Identify opportunities for efficiency, cost reduction, and process improvement

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Work closely with all Stakeholders

• Support internal teams with pricing information, lead times, and supplier capability insight

• Escalate supply risks and constraints with clear recommendations

Skills & Competencies

• Strong commercial and negotiation skills within metals procurement

• Proven ability to build and maintain supplier and mill relationships

• Strong understanding of metals market dynamics and pricing structures

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal

• Strong analytical and numerical skills

• Proactive problem‑solving and decision‑making

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced environment

• Highly organized with strong attention to detail

Experience & Qualifications

• Proven experience in purchasing, procurement, or supply chain within the metals industry.

• Experience working directly with mills

• Strong experience in Commercial negotiation, order expediting, and supplier management

• ERP system experience (e.g. SAP, Oracle, Dynamics, Sage or similar)

• Strong Excel skills (analysis, cost comparisons, reporting)

• Qualification in Supply Chain, Procurement, or equivalent experience (desirable)