Senior Lead Buyer - Manila

Fleet Management Training Institute Philippines, Inc.

Our 30-year journey rides on the passion of over 27,000 seafarers and 1,000 onshore professionals. Today, we are one of the largest independent third-party ship management companies managing over 650+ diverse types of vessels.

Headquartered in Hong Kong SAR, China, we operate on a global scale having 27 offices in 12 countries. Our client base spans over 100 world-class ship owners, including Fortune 500 companies from China, Greece, India, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Norway, Turkey and the USA, among others.

In a shore career at FLEET, you will be working with a team of a highly passionate, self-driven and committed group of people. We aim to be a place where you can achieve your full potential, regardless of your background. We are looking for individuals who are ambitious about making a strong contribution to FLEET’s short and long-term sustainable growth – whether you are dealing directly with clients or working in a role supporting the business, such as technology, legal or communications.

Job Position Summary 

• The Senior Lead Buyer is a critical role responsible for driving the efficient management and optimisation of the supply chain operations for their assigned technical teams. Reporting directly to the Global Shared Services Lead, this position serves as a strategic leader in ensuring adherence to established policies and procedures while also spearheading innovative improvements to enhance overall supply chain performance.

Key Roles and Responsibilities  

• Serve as a transformative change agent, spearheading the seamless implementation of new procedures and processes aligned with organisational SOPS.
• Effectively plan, distribute, and monitor workloads across the Lead Buyer teams to optimise productivity and resource utilisation.
• Lead the professional development of the Buyer, Senior Buyer, and Lead Buyer teams, providing comprehensive training on the company's purchasing platform, Office 365, and other tools and systems critical to operations.
• Assume full accountability for the coordination and cohesive performance of the Lead Buyer teams, fostering cross-collaboration and synergies.
• Conduct in-depth assessments of the training and development needs across the assigned pods, partnering with the Global Shared Services Lead to ensure all team members are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge.
• Serve as the point of escalation for critical supply chain issues, leveraging deep expertise to swiftly address urgent needs.
• Drive the consistent implementation of departmental policies and procedures within the assigned pods, ensuring seamless alignment with organisational standards.
• Lead the annual performance review process for the pods, providing actionable feedback and tailored improvement plans to elevate individual and team capabilities.
• Demonstrate agility and leadership in managing any ad-hoc projects delegated by the Global Shared Services Lead, ensuring successful execution and delivery through proactive planning, resource allocation, and progress monitoring.

Management and optimization of purchasing activities

• Oversee and optimize the end-to-end procurement needs, including services, stores, and spares, for the assigned fleet of vessels, ensuring seamless operations.
• Spearhead the efficient and effective functioning of the assigned pods, driving excellence in administration and cross-team collaboration.
• Liaise closely with Category Leads to promptly address any vendor-related issues, including payment discrepancies and quality concerns, employing a proactive problem-solving approach.
• Facilitate open and transparent communication with Category teams, escalating vendor updates and concerns raised by Lead Buyers and Buyers to drive timely resolution.
• Support category teams in the maintenance of the company's vendor database with the latest information, ensuring data integrity and availability.
• Provide strategic input to the Global Shared Services Lead on streamlining and improving existing procurement and organisational processes, contributing to continuous improvement.
• Ensure the Buyers, Senior Buyers, and Lead Buyers fully understand and strictly adhere to the department’s Standard Operating Procedures and guidelines.
• Collaborate with Finance and Technical managers to prioritize the timely approval and clearance of invoices.
• Provide mentorship and support to Buyers and Lead Buyers in selecting approved vendors, coordinating quotations, and supply arrangements
• Proactively address any feedback received from Technical/Fleet Managers regarding improvement opportunities, employing a customer-centric approach to resolve issues.

Relationship (mostly Internal and or External) and Nature of Communication  

• INTERNAL: Collaborate with Fleet Managers, Superintendents, Category Leads, Global Shared Services Lead and other stakeholders to facilitate timely, smooth, and accurate service
                       Communicate with respective direct and indirect reports service expectations with a focus on cost savings and efficiency
• EXTERNAL: Communicate with vendors as and when required to resolve issues related to procurement

Job Experience, Functional Knowledge and Qualifications  

• Degree holder of any faculty with minimum 5+ years of team leadership experience in transactional procurement and supply chain operations within the maritime industry
• IVE or Diploma of any faculty with 7+ years relevant work experience in leading teams handling procurement/ supply chain operations globally
• Customer focused and service minded
• Good analytical skills to determine the best deals for the company based on price, quality, speed of delivery & other factors
• Preferably someone with a broad knowledge of the subjects, e.g. technical insight, vessel operations, customs rules and regulations globally
• Understanding of international supply chain and its related components, including local customs requirements

Competencies   

• Proficient in Microsoft office applications
• Fluent in written and spoken English is a MUST
• Must have good people skills and the ability to lead a team
• Strong team player with a positive working attitude
• Multi-tasking, being comfortable handling numerous tasks within limited timeframes in a structured manner with eye for the detail level necessary
• Good decision-making skills & ability to negotiate
• Excellent interpersonal skills with ability to communicate at all levels. (Technical vessel superintendents, Suppliers, Category Managers etc.)

Fleet Management Limited is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by local laws.