The
Vice President of Procurement is a key executive responsible for leading all sourcing, supplier management, and procurement strategy. This role ensures supply continuity, cost competitiveness, and strong supplier partnerships across a highly cyclical, price-sensitive, and supply-constrained industry.
The VP of Procurement will play a critical role in protecting gross margin, improving inventory turns, and strengthening supply resilience across core product categories such as HVAC, and related building materials.
Core ResponsibilitiesEnterprise Procurement Strategy- Develop and execute a category-based procurement strategy aligned with revenue growth and margin expansion goals
- Build sourcing strategies that account for commodity volatility and industry demand cycles
- Align procurement priorities with branch operations, sales forecasts, and customer demand patterns
Supplier & Vendor Management- Manage relationships with domestic and international suppliers across key building product categories
- Negotiate pricing agreements, rebates, and volume incentives
- Establish and maintain preferred supplier programs and strategic partnerships
- Diversify the supply base to reduce dependency on single-source or constrained suppliers
- Conduct regular supplier business reviews and performance evaluations
Cost Management & Margin Optimization- Drive gross margin improvement through disciplined buying and price management
- Monitor product markets and adjust sourcing strategies accordingly
- Lead annual cost-down initiatives and rebate optimization programs
- Partner with Finance and Sales to ensure pricing alignment and margin discipline across branches
Inventory & Supply Chain Coordination- Work closely with Operations to balance service levels with inventory investment
- Reduce stockouts, backorders, and excess inventory through improved supplier reliability and forecasting alignment
- Improve inventory turns while maintaining high service levels
- Support the branch network with allocation strategies during constrained supply periods
Risk Management & Supply Continuity- Develop contingency sourcing strategies for high-demand or constrained materials
- Monitor global supply chain disruptions impacting building materials availability and pricing
- Implement supplier risk assessments and mitigation plans
- Ensure continuity of supply during peak construction seasons and market shortages
Leadership & Team Development- Lead and develop a procurement team by establishing clear KPIs
- Build a high-performance, data-driven procurement organization
- Foster collaboration between Procurement, Sales, Operations, and branch leadership
Systems & Process Improvement- Optimize procurement systems, including ERP platforms, pricing tools, and supplier portals
- Improve purchase order workflows, approval processes, and spend visibility
- Leverage analytics to improve demand forecasting and supplier performance tracking
- Drive automation and standardization across procurement processes
QualificationsExperience- 10-15+ years of experience in procurement, sourcing, or supply chain leadership
- 5+ years of experience in a senior leadership role, preferably at the Director or VP level
- Strong experience in building products, construction materials, industrial distribution, or a similar sector required
- Proven success managing supplier-heavy, commodity-influenced categories
- Demonstrated experience leading multi-level procurement or sourcing teams
Skills & Competencies- Strong negotiation and supplier management expertise, with the ability to advance sourcing priorities confidently in commodity-driven markets
- Strong decision-making ability in fast-moving, commercially sensitive environments
- Deep understanding of building materials supply chain dynamics, market conditions, and supplier performance
- Ability to manage margin pressure, pricing fluctuations, supply disruptions, and changing business needs
- Strong financial and analytical acumen, including pricing, margin, rebates, inventory economics, purchase price variance, and supplier performance
- Comfortable operating independently while coordinating across multiple business functions
- Able to shift direction quickly in response to market conditions, supply disruptions, and changing business needs
- Strong communication skills with executives, branch leaders, and suppliers regarding priorities, tradeoffs, and performance expectations
- Ability to work within structured systems and standards while improving process effectiveness
- Experience with ERP platforms such as P21, SAP, Oracle, Infor, NetSuite, or similar systems
Education- Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, or a related field required
- MBA or other advanced degree preferred
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)Success in this role will be measured through key performance indicators including:
- Gross margin improvement at both the category and enterprise level
- Purchase price variance compared with market benchmarks
- Supplier fill rate and on-time delivery performance
- Inventory turns and stockout reduction
- Annual cost savings and rebate capture
- Working capital efficiency through inventory optimization
