Purchasing Superintendent

Company

Our client is one of the world’s largest producers of fresh food, with a portfolio of well-established brands and operations across international markets.

The business operates an international shipping fleet supporting its global supply chain and distribution activities.

The Opportunity

The Purchasing Superintendent will be responsible for the purchasing of vessel stores, spare parts, technical equipment and associated services across the fleet.

Reporting to the Senior Director, Technical Management, the role will work closely with Chief Engineers, onboard personnel and shore based technical teams to ensure vessel requirements are properly understood, commercially evaluated and delivered in line with vessel schedules.

The position requires strong practical marine engineering knowledge combined with sound commercial judgement. The successful candidate will be expected to understand technical requisitions, source appropriate suppliers and OEMs, evaluate quotations, manage costs and coordinate orders through to delivery and invoice approval.

The role is primarily office based, with a minimum requirement of four days per week in the office. Some availability outside normal working hours and at weekends will be required when urgent vessel requirements arise.

Responsibilities

Purchasing and Supplier Management

• Manage the purchase of vessel stores, spare parts, technical equipment and related services across the fleet.
• Review and verify purchase requisitions submitted by Chief Engineers and other onboard personnel.
• Assess requisitions for technical accuracy and suitability against vessel requirements.
• Liaise with vessel management and technical teams to clarify purchasing requirements where required.
• Send RFQs and enquiries to appropriate marine suppliers, OEMs and service providers.
• Obtain and evaluate quotations based on technical suitability, price, quality, availability and delivery requirements.
• Negotiate with suppliers, OEMs and service providers and select the most appropriate source.
• Issue purchase orders and manage orders through to completion.
• Monitor purchasing expenditure against vessel operating budgets and OPEX requirements.
• Maintain effective relationships with marine suppliers and OEMs.
• Track outstanding orders and follow up on deliveries.
• Investigate and resolve order or delivery discrepancies reported by vessels.

Logistics and Vessel Coordination

• Coordinate freight forwarding, customs documentation and delivery of parts and stores to vessels.
• Plan deliveries around vessel movements, port calls and operational schedules.
• Ensure parts, equipment and stores reach vessels within required timeframes.
• Manage urgent purchasing requirements where vessel operations require an immediate response.

Invoice Management and Compliance

• Receive and verify supplier invoices against confirmed orders and deliveries.
• Approve invoices for payment once purchasing and delivery requirements have been confirmed.
• Liaise with the Shared Services team responsible for final vendor payments.
• Ensure purchased materials, equipment and safety related items comply with applicable maritime requirements.
• Maintain appropriate knowledge of MARPOL, Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) requirements and customs regulations relating to the international movement of vessel parts and materials.

Candidate Requirements

• Qualified Marine Engineer with an appropriate marine engineering licence or Certificate of Competency.
• Approximately three or more years of sea going marine engineering experience, ideally at 2nd or 3rd Engineer level or equivalent.
• Strong practical understanding of marine machinery, vessel systems, spare parts, stores and technical requisitions.
• Experience working with vessel spare parts, inventory and planned maintenance requirements.
• Ability to understand and technically evaluate requisitions raised by Chief Engineers and onboard engineering personnel.
• Container vessel experience is preferred, with reefer vessel experience also highly relevant. Experience on other commercial vessel types will also be considered.
• Previous shore based marine purchasing or procurement experience would be advantageous but is not essential for candidates with strong sea going engineering experience and commercial aptitude.
• An understanding of supplier sourcing, quotation evaluation, negotiation, cost control and the marine purchasing process is desirable.
• Experience with marine or fleet management systems such as AMOS, Sertica, TM Master or similar would be advantageous.
• Working knowledge of MARPOL, IHM and relevant customs requirements would be beneficial.
• Additional marine purchasing qualifications would be advantageous but are not required.
• Strong organisational and communication skills, with the ability to manage requirements across multiple vessels.
• Commercially minded and comfortable dealing with suppliers, OEMs, Chief Engineers and technical teams.
• Able to respond effectively to changing priorities and urgent operational requirements.
• Comfortable being contactable outside normal working hours and at weekends when required.
• Able to work from the Dublin office a minimum of four days per week.

Remuneration

A competitive remuneration package will be offered, appropriate to the experience and market standing of the successful candidate. The finer details will be negotiated with the successful candidate. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us at jobs@consultghi.com for further detail. To apply, please submit your resume in Word format and a cover letter detailing your qualifications and relevant experience.