Purchase Head - India

Job Title: Purchase Head - India

Job Description:

The Head of Purchasing holds enterprise-wide accountability for BSH India’s end-to-end procurement and Supplier Quality Management ecosystem, spanning Direct Purchasing, Indirect Purchasing, and supplier governance. The role is a critical value-creation position, directly influencing EBIT, working capital, cost structure, supply continuity, and product quality.

Operating with high autonomy, the position defines and executes market-facing procurement strategy, leads strategic sourcing and cost optimization, and builds a resilient, scalable, and quality-assured supplier base aligned to BSH’s growth agenda. With deep expertise in the home appliances industry, the role drives localization, value engineering, and supplier capability development, while managing significant commercial and supply risks.

Beyond India, the role is instrumental in positioning India as a strategic sourcing hub, supporting regional and global supply requirements and contributing to BSH’s long-term cost and competitiveness roadmap.

Acting as a strategic advisor to the India Leadership Team, the role shapes enterprise decisions on cost leadership, supplier quality, and risk mitigation, translating business priorities into measurable financial and operational outcomes.

Preferred Qualification:

• Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business, or related field.
• 15+ years of progressive experience in strategic procurement within manufacturing ( Home appliance Industry) / consumer durables , covering Direct and Indirect Purchasing .
• Proven ability to manage large multi-crore spend portfolios and complex supplier ecosystems .
• Strong leadership in supplier quality, localization, value engineering, and cost optimization , delivering measurable EBIT impact.
• Hands-on experience in SAP-driven procurement environments (SAP MM, SRM) with strong governance and compliance orientation.
• Experience in India leadership or enterprise-wide roles with high financial and operational accountability.
• Excellent negotiation, leadership, and stakeholder management skills , with the ability to influence senior leadership and build high-performing teams.

Job Location: Chennai, India

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Purchasing & Cost Leadership

• Own and optimize Direct, Indirect, and Services Purchasing spend.
• Drive cost reduction, value engineering, localization, and cost initiatives.
• Contribute directly to EBIT, working capital, and margin improvement.

2. Supplier Quality Management (SQM)

• Establish and lead the Supplier Quality Management framework across the supplier lifecycle.
• Ensure quality-at-source, supplier audits, governance, and continuous quality improvement.
• Drive supplier development, corrective actions, and quality performance reviews.
• Mitigate risks related to quality failures, recalls, compliance, and customer impact.

3. Supplier Strategy & Governance

• Define supplier segmentation, sourcing strategy, and long-term partnerships.
• Lead negotiations on commercials, quality standards, and service levels.
• Ensure compliance with BSH policies, ethical sourcing, and regulatory requirements.

4. Cross-functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Manufacturing, Quality, R&D, Supply Chain, and Customer Service to align cost, quality, and delivery objectives.
• Support new product introduction and localization through early supplier involvement.

5. Risk & Compliance Management

• Proactively manage supply continuity, cost volatility, quality risks, and supplier dependency.
• Establish robust supplier risk, quality, and performance governance mechanisms.

6. Leadership & Capability Building

• Lead and develop a high-performing procurement organization, strengthening capabilities in strategic sourcing, supplier management, and contract governance, anchored in strong ethical standards and compliance.
• Build a culture of accountability, integrity, performance, and continuous improvement, ensuring transparent decision-making and responsible supplier partnerships.

Preferred Competencies:

• Enterprise Value Creation: Drives procurement decisions with direct impact on EBIT, working capital, and supply resilience.
• Stakeholder Influence : Influences India leadership, and key suppliers through strong commercial judgment and data-driven insights.
• Strategic Commercial Expertise: Applies deep expertise in strategic sourcing, cost engineering, supplier quality, and SAP-enabled procurement.
• Transformation Leadership: Leads localization, digitalization, and supplier-led innovation to enhance competitiveness.
• Business Risk Management: Proactively manages supply, cost, quality, and compliance risks through robust governance.
• People & Execution Excellence : Builds high-performing teams and ensures disciplined execution at scale.