Position Summary:The Procurement Manager leads the procurement team at Mesabi Metallics and serves as the company's principal commercial partner to the General Managers/Department Head (GMs/DPT Head). While GMs retain ownership of their budgets and spending decisions, this role ensures that every significant purchase is presented to the GM/DPT Head with competitive pricing, sound commercial terms and a clear recommendation, enabling fully informed decisions.
The role will build procurement from its pre-operational foundation into a disciplined, well-governed function that supports construction, commissioning and steady-state mining, concentrating and pelletizing operations.
Job Responsibilities:The Procurement Manager will be responsible for the following:
Support to General Managers- Serve as a trusted commercial advisor to the GMs, who remain accountable for their budgets.
- Provide GMs with a clear, well-supported recommendation for all major purchases, covering bids received, total cost of ownership, commercial terms, risks and alternatives.
- Benchmark pricing and terms against market data, historical purchases and peer operations to help GMs assess value.
- Proactively identify spend that is trending over budget, off-contract or uncompetitively priced, and recommend options early.
- Partner with Finance on budget-to-actual reviews, forecasts and capital expenditure requests.
Strategic Sourcing and Negotiation- Manage competitive RFQ, RFP and tender processes for goods, services, equipment find and capital projects.
- Lead or support negotiations covering pricing, payment terms, warranties, delivery schedules, performance guarantees, consignment arrangements and rebates.
- Develop and execute category strategies for key spend areas, including:
o Mobile mining equipment, parts and tires
o Grinding media, reagents, bentonite and other process consumables
o Fuel, lubricants and natural gas
o Maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) supplies
o Contract services, including maintenance, construction, rail and logistics
o Capital equipment and leasing
- Consolidate spend and leverage volume commitments, term agreements and long-term contracts to reduce total cost.
- Track, validate and report savings and cost avoidance.
Contracts and Supplier Management- Draft, review and administer purchase orders, master service agreements, supply agreements and equipment leases in collaboration with Legal and Finance.
- Ensure contracts include appropriate insurance, indemnity, safety, liability and termination provisions.
- Maintain a contract register that tracks renewal dates, pricing escalators and key obligations.
- Qualify and onboard suppliers, and manage supplier scorecards covering safety, quality, delivery and cost.
- Develop local and regional Iron Range suppliers where commercially competitive.
- Identify and mitigate supply risks, including single-source items, long lead times, price volatility and supplier financial health.
Policy, Controls and Compliance- Develop, implement and enforce the procurement policy, delegation of authority and purchasing procedures.
- Maintain appropriate segregation of duties and ensure three-way matching in coordination with Accounts Payable.
- Ensure compliance with company policies, lender and financing requirements, and all applicable regulations, including MSHA safety requirements for on-site contractors.
- Support internal and external audits by maintaining complete, well-documented procurement records.
Systems, Inventory and Reporting- Own procurement processes within ProcureMet and support the transition to the future ERP system (SAP).
- Collaborate with Maintenance and the warehouse team on inventory control, critical spares, min/max levels and obsolete stock management.
- Develop dashboards and KPIs covering spend, savings, cycle time, PO compliance and supplier performance.
- Provide regular reporting to GMs and senior leadership on procurement performance and market conditions.
Skills and Qualifications:- Leadership: Builds, motivates and holds the team accountable; delegates effectively.
- Business partnership: Advises GMs without assuming ownership of their decisions; earns trust through responsiveness and sound judgment.
- Commercial acumen: Understands cost drivers, market dynamics and total cost of ownership.
- Negotiation: Firm, well-prepared and fair; protects long-term supplier relationships.
- Integrity: Handles confidential and competitive information with discretion and avoids conflicts of interest.
- Communication: Writes clear, concise recommendations and presents confidently to senior leadership.
- Safety mindset: Prioritizes safety in all supplier and contractor selection decisions.
Education and Experience:Required- 10+ years of overall experience in manufacturing or heavy industry.
- Minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in procurement or strategic sourcing within an industrial, heavy-equipment or capital-intensive environment.
- At least 3 years of experience leading and developing a team of procurement professionals.
- Proven track record of negotiating complex, high-value contracts and delivering measurable savings.
- Sound working knowledge of contract terms, commercial risk, International Commercial Terms and the Uniform Commercial Code.
- Hands-on experience with enterprise resource planning or e-procurement systems (SAP, Oracle or similar), along with strong Excel and analytical skills.
- Ability to clearly communicate total cost of ownership and trade-offs to non-procurement leaders.
Preferred- Experience in the mining, mineral processing, iron ore or pelletizing industry.
- Familiarity with Mine Safety and Health Administration contractor requirements.
- Experience implementing procurement policies, systems or enterprise resource planning system rollouts.
- Professional certification such as Certified Professional in Supply Management, Certified Purchasing Manager or Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply.
Physical Requirements: Primarily office-based with regular use of a laptop, desk, phone and other standard office equipment. Periodic site or terminal visits may be required and may involve use of appropriate PPE.
Salary:$129,000 - $154,000 annually, depending on experience and qualifications.
Winners Circle Incentive:A bi-weekly incentive, calculated as a percentage of bi-weekly wages (base pay plus overtime) and paid in the same paycheck. It is tied to the site's production of safe, quality tonnes, measured on Safety, Quality and Tons (SQT).
- Ramp Up Phase (October 1, 2026, through March 31, 2027): calculated against achievable production targets measured by the hour.
- Optimization Phase (from April 1, 2027): tied to bi-weekly production targets.
Benefits: - Health Insurance: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage with an HSA option
- Retirement Plan: 401(k) with 4% company match.
- Lincoln STD, LTD, & Life Insurance: Coverage provided by Mesabi Metallics.
- Paid Time Off (PTO):
- 0-3 Years: 96 hours per year.
- Plus 9 paid holidays and 2 floating holidays.
