Purchasing Supervisor

Since 1913, Marathon Electric has been dedicated to providing customers with quality motors and generators for targeted applications. Marathon Electric became part of WEG Group in 2024. Founded in 1961, WEG is a global electric-electronic equipment company, operating mainly in the capital goods sector with solutions in electric machines, automation and paints for several sectors, including infrastructure, steel, pulp and paper, oil and gas, mining, among many others. WEG stands out in innovation by constantly developing solutions to meet the major trends in energy efficiency, renewable energy and electric mobility. With manufacturing units in 12 countries and present in more than 135 countries, WEG has more than 40,000 employees worldwide.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Position Summary:

The Purchasing Supervisor is responsible for leading the day-to-day purchasing execution activities for Marathon Electric, Wausau.

This position directly supervises the MRP and MRO Buyers and is responsible for ensuring material requirements are converted into purchase orders, supplier commitments are maintained accurately, and purchased materials are available to support the production schedule.

The Purchasing Supervisor drives daily execution of MRP/MRO requirements, open purchase orders, supplier acknowledgements, past-due orders, shortages, expedites, and supplier recovery actions. The position ensures the Purchasing team maintains accurate and timely information in the ERP system and follows established purchasing processes.

The position works closely with Planning, Materials, Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, and Finance to prioritize requirements, resolve supply issues, and prevent material shortages from impacting production.

The successful candidate will be a hands-on frontline leader capable of organizing the daily work of the Purchasing team, establishing clear priorities and accountability, coaching buyers, maintaining disciplined purchasing routines, and escalating significant supplier or commercial risks to the Purchasing Manager.

Major Responsibilities:

Daily Purchasing Execution & MRP Control

Lead the daily activities of MRP/MRO Buyers and supporting Wausau manufacturing operations.

Ensure MRP requirements and exception messages are reviewed daily and converted into purchase orders, releases, reschedules, cancellations, and supplier actions as required.

Ensure purchase orders are created, submitted for approval, acknowledged, maintained, and closed accurately and on time.

Ensure open purchase orders accurately reflect current quantities, required dates, supplier commitments, and production priorities in the ERP system.

Review buyer workloads, priorities, and critical actions and ensure clear ownership of assigned suppliers, materials, and open purchase orders.

Maintain disciplined daily and weekly purchasing routines, standard work, and follow-up processes.

Material Availability & Shortage Management

Lead the daily purchasing response to material shortages and production priorities.

Conduct daily and weekly reviews of critical shortages, past-due purchase orders, unconfirmed orders, and supplier recovery actions.

Ensure buyers obtain firm supplier commitments, document recovery dates, and follow up until material is delivered.

Coordinate priorities with Planning, Materials, and Manufacturing when supply is constrained or production requirements change.

Drive expedites and supplier recovery actions for critical materials and escalate unresolved risks to the Purchasing Manager.

Maintain clear visibility of materials at risk and communicate accurate status, actions, owners, and expected recovery dates to the appropriate teams.

Supplier Follow-Up & Performance

Ensure consistent supplier follow-up on purchase order acknowledgements, delivery commitments, past-due orders, and critical requirements.

Monitor supplier delivery performance and buyer follow-up effectiveness using established KPIs.

Serve as the first level of escalation for supplier delivery and responsiveness issues that cannot be resolved by the Buyer.

Coordinate with Quality on supplier quality issues that require replacements, returns, rework, containment, or expedited recovery.

Coordinate with Engineering and Planning when technical changes, substitutions, or alternate material actions affect open purchase orders.

Escalate significant pricing, contractual, capacity, sourcing, or commercial issues to the Purchasing Manager for direction and resolution.

Purchase Order & Inventory Discipline

Ensure purchasing decisions support material availability while following established inventory and working capital guidelines.

Review open purchase orders for excess quantities, obsolete requirements, duplicate orders, incorrect dates, and other conditions that could create unnecessary inventory.

Ensure buyers follow established lead times, order multiples, minimum order quantities, safety stock requirements, and purchasing parameters.

Coordinate with Planning and Materials when demand changes require purchase order rescheduling, cancellation, or quantity adjustments.

Identify inaccurate purchasing master data or MRP parameters and coordinate corrections with the appropriate functions.

Cross-Functional Coordination & Problem Solving

Maintain a strong daily interface with Planning, Materials, Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, and Finance.

Maintain clear accountability between Purchasing and Materials: Purchasing owns supplier procurement, purchase orders, supplier commitments, and supply recovery; Materials owns the physical and system flow of materials after arrival at the facility.

Provide accurate daily status on critical shortages, supplier risks, past-due orders, and recovery actions.

Resolve day-to-day purchasing process issues that delay purchase order placement, approvals, supplier response, receiving, invoice resolution, or material availability.

Escalate systemic process problems, major supplier risks, and issues requiring management decisions to the Purchasing Manager.

Team Leadership & Continuous Improvement

Direct, coach, and develop MRP/MRO Buyers and their daily responsibilities.

Establish clear daily priorities, responsibilities, expectations, and accountability throughout the Purchasing team.

Implement and maintain daily management routines and operational KPI reviews.

Build a culture of ownership, urgency, discipline, follow-through, and proactive problem solving.

Develop standard work and ensure consistent adherence to established purchasing processes.

Monitor team performance and drive improvements in supplier delivery, shortage reduction, purchase order accuracy, responsiveness, and productivity.

Support ERP/SAP implementation, training, and purchasing process standardization as directed by the Purchasing Manager.

Required Education / Experience / Skills:

Education

· Bachelor's Degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Operations Management, Engineering, or related field preferred.

Experience

· 5+ years of experience in Purchasing, Procurement, Supply Chain, Materials, or manufacturing operations.

· Strong experience in a manufacturing environment.

· Demonstrated experience with MRP-driven purchasing, purchase order management, supplier follow-up, shortages, and expediting.

· Strong ability to organize priorities, drive follow-up, and resolve day-to-day supply issues.

· Working knowledge of inventory management, lead times, purchasing parameters, and supplier delivery performance.

· Experience using KPIs, standard work, and continuous improvement methods.

· Experience supporting a high-volume, high-growth, or operational turnaround manufacturing environment preferred.

Systems

· Strong ERP / MRP experience required.

· Oracle experience preferred.

· SAP experience is strongly preferred.

· Strong Microsoft Excel skills.

· Power BI experience