Assistant Manager /Deputy Manager Supply Chain (Raw Material Procurement)

Utopia Industries, established in 2020, is one of Pakistan’s leading exporters, operating over 4 million square feet of manufacturing space across six locations with a workforce exceeding 15,000 employees. The company boasts one of the most diversified manufacturing portfolios globally, producing home textiles, knit garments, bedding, towels, personal care items, cookware, plastic products, metal racks, and various packaging materials. With a vertically integrated setup, Utopia manages knitting, weaving, dyeing, processing, cut-to-pack, and accessory production in-house. The organization produces approximately 7,000 containers annually and manufactures its own poly staple fiber used in pillow and comforter lines. This scale offers professionals exposure to complex, high-volume, multi-category manufacturing and supply chain operations.

The Assistant Manager / Deputy Manager – Supply Chain (Raw Material Procurement) role is a full-time, on-site position based in Karachi. The incumbent will be responsible for end-to-end raw material sourcing and procurement, including identifying and evaluating local and international suppliers, conducting market research, negotiating contracts, and managing supplier performance across textiles, fibers, packaging, chemicals, and related inputs. The role involves managing daily procurement activities such as purchase requisitions, orders, demand planning, supplier coordination, delivery tracking, and inventory planning, while working closely with Production, Quality, Warehouse, Finance, and other departments to ensure uninterrupted material availability.

A critical aspect of this position is developing and maintaining a competitive supplier base, continuously identifying alternative sources, benchmarking market prices, and negotiating commercial terms to enhance cost efficiency, quality, availability, lead times, and supply chain resilience. The role requires strong data-driven analytical skills and the use of AI-enabled sourcing and procurement tools to analyze demand, consumption trends, inventory, supplier performance, market prices, and supply risks. The candidate will support procurement forecasting, supplier benchmarking, cost optimization, and proactive risk mitigation. Additionally, the role contributes to continuous improvement of procurement processes, supplier development, inventory optimization, compliance, and strategic sourcing initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

- Manage end-to-end local and international raw material sourcing and procurement.
- Identify, evaluate, qualify, and develop new suppliers globally and locally.
- Build alternative and backup supplier sources to mitigate supply risks.
- Analyze market trends, pricing, capacity, lead times, logistics, and total landed cost.
- Negotiate prices, payment terms, contracts, minimum order quantities, lead times, and delivery schedules.
- Develop procurement plans based on demand forecasts and consumption trends.
- Maintain optimal inventory levels, minimizing stock-outs, excess inventory, and working capital blockage.
- Monitor supplier performance against Cost, Quality, Delivery, Service, and Reliability KPIs.
- Utilize ERP/MRP systems, advanced Excel/BI tools, and AI-driven procurement solutions for sourcing and decision support.
- Prepare data-driven procurement reports, dashboards, supplier scorecards, and management presentations.
- Coordinate with Production, Quality, Warehouse, Finance, and Operations to ensure material availability.
- Support supplier audits, quality improvements, corrective actions, and development programs.
- Identify opportunities for cost reduction, specification optimization, supplier consolidation, direct sourcing, and supply chain efficiency.
- Continuously explore new products, technologies, materials, suppliers, and sourcing markets.
- Ensure compliance with company policies, procedures, quality standards, and commercial requirements.

Required Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, Textile Engineering, or related fields.
- MBA in Supply Chain Management, Procurement, or Operations preferred.
- Strong knowledge of supply chain management, strategic sourcing, procurement processes, supplier development, and vendor management.
- Proven experience in local and international sourcing, preferably in textiles, home textiles, manufacturing, or diversified industrial sectors.
- Experience in demand planning, inventory control, materials management, and procurement planning for raw materials and packaging.
- Strong data-driven analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate procurement data into actionable decisions.
- Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems, advanced Excel, BI/reporting tools, and procurement analytics.
- Familiarity with AI-driven sourcing, demand forecasting, procurement analytics, supplier intelligence, and automation tools is advantageous.
- Excellent negotiation, communication, stakeholder management, and supplier relationship skills.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-volume manufacturing environment with attention to detail.
- Capability to identify cost-saving opportunities and mitigate supply, quality, capacity, and delivery risks.
- Professional certifications such as CSCP, CPSM, CIPS, or equivalents are a plus.
- Prior experience in a similar Assistant Manager or Deputy Manager role in Procurement or Supply Chain is highly desirable.
- Willingness to work on-site in Karachi and collaborate closely with cross-functional teams.

Preferred Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a commercially driven and analytically strong procurement professional who combines hands-on sourcing expertise with strategic supplier development. They should possess strong negotiation skills, international market exposure, and the ability to leverage data, technology, and AI to enhance procurement decisions, reduce costs, optimize inventory, and strengthen supply continuity.