Procurement Manager - Building Materials

Company Overview

JD Industrial operates as an industrial supply chain subsidiary within the JD Group with a market value around 30 billion RMB. Serving over 7,000 major enterprises and more than 2.6 million SMEs, it offers over 40 million SKUs on its platform. Concentrating on Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the Middle East division delivers comprehensive procurement solutions spanning building materials, MRO, and engineering equipment.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute category procurement strategies for Saudi Arabia’s building materials sector, encompassing steel, cement, sand and gravel, aluminum products, doors and windows, bathroom fixtures, stone, and fire-fighting materials. Align these strategies with local infrastructure, residential, and industrial project requirements, setting annual and quarterly plans and cost-saving objectives.
• Conduct thorough market analysis on Saudi building materials, monitoring price patterns, production capacities, import regulations including tariffs, customs clearance and certification needs. Create a market price benchmark database and an early warning system.
• Analyze past procurement data, cost components, and supplier performance to uncover potential cost reductions and advance centralized purchasing, framework contracts, and local sourcing approaches.
• Establish and nurture a local supplier base for Saudi building materials composed of manufacturers, traders, and agents emphasizing cost-effectiveness, compliance certifications (such as SASO), and stable production capacity.
• Lead supplier onboarding processes including qualification assessments, site audits, negotiations, contract finalization, and maintaining a directory of qualified suppliers.
• Manage supplier performance by evaluating quality pass rates, delivery punctuality, pricing competitiveness, and service responsiveness on a regular basis. Optimize supplier structure and address supply issues like quality defects, delays, claims, and more.
• Forge strong relationships with key suppliers, negotiating long-term contracts, payment terms, rebates, and collaborative cost reduction initiatives to build strategic partnerships.
• Coordinate procurement activities throughout their lifecycle: integrate project needs, design bidding and procurement plans, lead negotiations, and ensure fulfillment including order placement, delivery tracking, quality checks, logistics, customs clearance, warehousing acceptance, and financial reconciliation.
• Oversee procurement costs by reviewing supplier quotes, driving competitive pricing activities, and managing all cost factors including unit prices, freight, tariffs, and customs fees.
• Resolve procurement exceptions such as quality complaints, delivery delays, damage, shortages, claims, and returns promptly to minimize operational losses.
• Ensure compliance with Saudi laws and regulations, customs policies, SASO certification standards, and company procurement integrity policies.
• Develop and enforce a procurement risk control system that mitigates risks like price manipulation, supplier failures, compliance breaches, and ethical issues through regular audits and self-assessments.
• Promote procurement process standardization and digital transformation by maintaining category data, supplier records, and price logs and integrating with JD Industrial’s procurement platform to boost efficiency and transparency.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Civil Engineering, Material Engineering, International Trade, or related disciplines.
• Over five years of professional experience in building materials procurement, including at least two years focused on local procurement or engineering project materials in Saudi Arabia or the Middle East, demonstrating comprehensive knowledge of local markets and supplier networks.
• Proven track record managing procurement and supplier relationships for key building material categories such as steel, cement, aluminum products, doors and windows, and bathroom fixtures, with success in building supplier bases from the ground up and achieving cost reductions.
• Fluent English communication skills across all formats; Arabic language proficiency is highly advantageous.