Wesgar Inc. is a premier supplier of precision sheet metal components and value-added services to customers throughout Canada, the United States and Mexico. We have grown to be British Columbia's largest precision sheet metal manufacturer, supplying the Electronics, Printing, Medical Device, Power Switching and Test/Measurement industries.
At Wesgar, we believe our employees are the key component to producing quality products which in turn allows us to offer our customers with complete solutions.
We are seeking an operations-focused Purchasing Manager to lead the purchasing function, supplier management, and materials procurement process in a fast-paced, high-mix, low-volume (HMLV) environment.
The ideal candidate will bring strong ERP/MRP discipline, practical manufacturing purchasing experience, and the leadership ability to manage buyers, supplier performance, material availability, and procurement priorities across the business.
Key Responsibilities
ERP Utilization
Own and enforce effective use of the ERP/MRP system across the purchasing team, ensuring purchase orders, supplier lead times, due dates, pricing, delivery commitments, and inventory data are accurate and current.Use ERP data, shortage reports, open order reports, and demand signals to prioritize purchasing activity and provide clear visibility to production, finance, inventory, shipping/logistics, and management.Review purchasing parameters, supplier lead times, reorder points, minimum order quantities, and related master data to improve procurement accuracy and reduce avoidable shortages or excess inventory.
Timely Procurement & Follow-Up
Ensure the purchasing team places purchase orders on time, follows up with suppliers proactively, and escalates critical shortages, late deliveries, or capacity constraints before they impact production.Monitor open orders, supplier commitments, material shortages, and inventory risks; direct corrective action with buyers, suppliers, and internal stakeholders as required.
Remain hands-on when necessary for urgent supplier issues, critical expedites, production-impacting shortages, or complex purchasing decisions.
Supplier & Vendor Management
Identify and evaluate suppliers capable of meeting HMLV requirements.
Negotiate pricing and service terms to secure favourable agreements.
Develop and maintain a reliable supplier base that supports Wesgar’s quality, delivery, cost, and flexibility requirements.
Implement supplier performance tracking, including on-time delivery, responsiveness, quality issues, lead-time reliability, pricing competitiveness, and escalation history.
Lead supplier reviews and corrective action discussions where performance does not meet business needs.
Production Scheduling Alignment
Represent purchasing in production planning and scheduling discussions to identify material risks, supplier constraints, and priority conflicts early.
Direct purchasing priorities in response to schedule changes, customer pull-ins, engineering changes, supplier delays, and material availability issues.
Communicate realistic material availability dates and trade-offs to production and management so scheduling decisions are based on accurate information.
Team Management
Lead, coach, and develop the purchasing team, setting clear expectations for order placement, follow-up discipline, supplier communication, ERP accuracy, and internal responsiveness.
Assign workload, monitor performance, resolve priority conflicts, and create a culture of urgency, accountability, accuracy, and continuous improvement.
Conduct regular one-on-ones, performance reviews, training, and coaching to strengthen buyer capability and reduce dependency on individual knowledge.
Establish purchasing procedures and escalation paths so the team operates consistently rather than reactively.
Cost Control & Reporting
Track, report, and act on procurement metrics, including supplier on-time delivery, purchase price variance, cost savings, shortage impact, expedite costs, open order accuracy, and supplier performance.
Identify opportunities to reduce cost, improve supplier terms, consolidate spend, reduce excess inventory, improve lead-time reliability, and increase purchasing efficiency without compromising quality or delivery.
Work with finance, inventory, and operations to manage purchasing decisions within budget, cash flow, inventory, and production requirements.
Compliance & Best Practices
Ensure all procurement processes align with company policies, budget constraints, and legal requirements.
Maintain purchasing controls, approval discipline, documentation standards, supplier terms, and ethical procurement practices.
Continuously improve purchasing processes, reporting, ERP usage, supplier communication, and cross-functional handoffs.
Support standardization of purchasing practices across the team while preserving the flexibility required in a high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environment.
Experience
7+ years of progressive purchasing/procurement experience, including at least 3 years leading or supervising purchasing staff in a manufacturing environment.
Demonstrated success in a fast-paced, high-mix/low-volume manufacturing or similar environment.
Strong experience with MRP-driven purchasing, supplier follow-up, shortage management, production support, and supplier performance improvement.
Experience managing purchasing processes and team performance, not only an individual buying portfolio.
Experience negotiating with suppliers on pricing, lead times, delivery commitments, service levels, and corrective actions.
Technical Skills
Mandatory: Strong proficiency with ERP/MRP systems, including purchase order management, demand review, open order reporting, inventory visibility, supplier lead times, item master data, and purchasing parameters.
Strong Microsoft Office skills, especially Excel, for purchasing analysis, supplier reporting, open order tracking, cost analysis, and KPI reporting.
Ability to interpret bills of material, demand signals, inventory reports, production requirements, and supplier delivery data.
Core Competencies
Excellent negotiation, communication, and problem-solving skills.
Proven ability to manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines.
Strong leadership presence with the ability to hold buyers, suppliers, and internal stakeholders accountable.
Ability to work cross-functionally with production, inventory, quality, engineering, finance, shipping/logistics, and management.
Comfortable operating in an environment where priorities change quickly and material availability directly affects production output.
Wage: 80,000-100,000 per year + Benefits.
Working Conditions:-
Primarily on-site with occasional travel to supplier locations.
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The role requires frequent coordination with production, inventory, shipping/logistics, quality, engineering, finance, and other internal departments to support time-sensitive production requirements and supplier issue resolution.
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May require occasional urgent follow-up with suppliers outside standard hours when production-critical shortages or delivery issues arise.
Join Our Team:
If you are a hands-on purchasing leader who can build structure, develop a team, strengthen supplier performance, and keep materials flowing in a fast-paced manufacturing environment, we encourage you to apply for the Purchasing Manager role at Wesgar
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