Assistant Manager/Manager - Tea Procurement

About the Role

This role sits at the intersection of procurement, vendor management, and strategic execution. The incumbent will be responsible for sourcing and managing high-quality raw materials, packaging, and allied inputs across categories, while ensuring cost, quality, and continuity benchmarks are consistently met.

The role will work closely with Supply Chain, Quality, and Planning teams, ensuring that what is sourced supports both operational needs and the company's broader quality positioning. The position reports to the Senior Manager and plays a key role in implementing the company's procurement and vendor strategy.

Key Responsibilities:

Procurement & Sourcing

• Execute end-to-end procurement across assigned categories in line with quality, cost, freshness, and availability benchmarks.
• Build and maintain direct relationships with suppliers, manufacturers, and producers.
• Participate in sourcing decisions, sample evaluations, and vendor selection.
• Support strategic sourcing initiatives aligned with portfolio expansion and quality positioning.

Inventory Planning & Execution

• Support planning to ensure availability of key inputs across cycles without overstocking.
• Assist in managing demand-supply alignment to avoid stock-outs or distressed buying.
• Provide inputs for assortment rationalisation and portfolio optimisation.

Strategic Implementation

• Execute procurement initiatives in line with company strategy under the guidance of the Senior Manager.
• Contribute ground-level insights (market trends, pricing movements, supply conditions) to strategic discussions.
• Support continuous improvement in sourcing processes, quality benchmarks, and internal knowledge systems.

Vendor Management

• Monitor supplier performance on quality consistency, timelines, pricing, and compliance.
• Strengthen long-term partnerships with vendors through regular engagement and feedback.
• Ensure traceability and documentation at vendor and batch levels.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with the Quality team to ensure consistent product standards and specifications.
• Partner with Operations and Planning teams to align procurement decisions with demand forecasts and inventory cycles.
• Coordinate with Finance on cost tracking, budgeting, and vendor payment cycles.

Qualifications & Experience

• Graduate in any discipline; background in Supply Chain, Procurement, Agriculture, or Business preferred.
• 4-6 years of experience in procurement, sourcing, vendor management, or allied roles.
• Strong understanding of category dynamics, sourcing cycles, and quality parameters.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong spoken and written communication skills with the ability to negotiate and align across stakeholders.
• Attention to detail and analytical rigor in vendor and quality evaluation.
• Ability to work across teams and manage multiple priorities.
• Commercial acumen combined with quality and compliance sensitivity.

Key Attributes

• Deep interest in sourcing, vendor relationships, and operational excellence.
• Structured, disciplined, and execution-oriented.
• Comfortable operating between field realities and internal planning needs.
• Ownership mindset with the ability to grow into higher responsibility over time.

CTC: According to industry standards.