Overseas Purchasing Manager

Role Summary

The Overseas Purchasing Manager is responsible for managing overseas purchasing activities, supplier coordination, product sourcing, cost control, and import-related follow-up. This role is especially focused on working with international suppliers, mainly in China and other overseas markets, to ensure that products are sourced at the right quality, price, specification, and delivery schedule.

The position requires someone who can manage both purchasing operations and supplier relationships, while also supporting product development, pricing analysis, inventory planning, and coordination with internal departments such as sales, marketing, warehouse, logistics, and finance.

This role will also supervise one Purchasing Officer and help improve the company's purchasing workflow, follow-up system, and supply chain efficiency.

Key Responsibilities

1. Overseas Supplier Management

• Communicate and coordinate with overseas suppliers on a regular basis.
• Manage supplier relationships, especially key suppliers in China and other international markets.
• Follow up on quotations, product information, production status, shipment schedules, and supplier documents.
• Evaluate supplier performance in terms of price, quality, lead time, reliability, and communication.
• Negotiate with suppliers on pricing, payment terms, delivery schedules, MOQ, product specifications, and after-sales support.
• Source and develop new suppliers when needed.

2. Product Sourcing and Product Specification

• Source new products based on company requirements, market demand, and sales team feedback.
• Check and confirm product specifications before purchasing.
• Compare product quality, technical features, pricing, packaging, and warranty terms between suppliers.
• Work with management, sales, and technical teams to ensure purchased products are suitable for the Thai market.
• Support product improvement and product development with suppliers.
• Help identify better, more competitive, or higher-margin product options.

3. Purchasing and Cost Control

• Prepare and review purchase orders for overseas suppliers.
• Compare supplier prices and analyze cost changes.
• Monitor product cost, freight cost, import duties, exchange rate impact, and landed cost.
• Help control purchasing costs while maintaining product quality.
• Work with management to set target costs and purchasing strategy.
• Alert management when supplier prices increase or when product margins may be affected.
• Support pricing decisions by providing accurate cost information.

4. Import and Shipment Coordination

• Coordinate with suppliers, freight forwarders, shipping agents, and internal teams to ensure shipments arrive on time.
• Follow up on production schedules, shipment booking, ETD, ETA, shipping documents, and customs-related documents.
• Check important import documents such as invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin, and other required documents.
• Coordinate with warehouse and logistics teams regarding incoming shipments.
• Ensure products arrive according to the agreed quantity, specification, and delivery schedule.
• Help solve shipment delays, document issues, missing items, damaged goods, or supplier mistakes.
  

5. Market, Competitor, and Price Analysis

• Monitor market trends, competitor products, and competitor pricing.
• Compare overseas supplier costs with local market selling prices.
• Help the company understand whether products are competitive in the market.
• Provide analysis on whether products should be continued, improved, replaced, or discontinued.
• Support management with purchasing-related reports and recommendations.

6. Supply Chain and Inventory Planning

• Coordinate with sales, warehouse, and management to understand stock requirements.
• Help plan purchasing quantities based on sales movement, stock levels, lead time, and supplier MOQ.
• Monitor slow-moving, fast-moving, and out-of-stock products.
• Reduce the risk of overstocking, dead stock, or stock shortages.
• Improve purchasing planning to support smoother company operations.
  

7. Team Management

• Supervise and guide one Purchasing Officer.
• Assign purchasing follow-up tasks and monitor work progress.
• Check purchasing documents and ensure accuracy.
• Train the Purchasing Officer to improve supplier follow-up, document control, and purchasing workflow.
• Build a clear working system for the purchasing team.
  

8. Internal Coordination

• Work closely with sales, marketing, warehouse, logistics, accounting, and management.
• Provide product and purchasing information to support sales and marketing activities.
• Coordinate with the warehouse team on incoming stock, barcode, packaging, quantity, and product condition.
• Coordinate with accounting and finance on supplier payments, payment terms, invoices, and import costs.
• Ensure internal teams receive accurate and timely purchasing information.
  

9. Process Improvement and Reporting

• Improve purchasing workflows, follow-up systems, and supplier tracking.
• Create and maintain purchasing reports, supplier lists, price comparison sheets, shipment tracking sheets, and cost analysis reports.
• Help develop SOPs and checklists for overseas purchasing and import processes.
• Report key purchasing issues, cost changes, supplier problems, shipment delays, and market opportunities to management.
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain, International Business, Logistics, Engineering, or related field.
• Experience in overseas purchasing, import/export, supply chain, or supplier management.
• Experience working with Chinese or international suppliers is preferred.
• Good understanding of purchasing process, import process, shipping documents, and supplier coordination.
• Strong negotiation and communication skills.
• Able to compare product specifications, prices, and supplier terms.
• Good analytical ability, especially around cost, pricing, and market comparison.
• Able to manage follow-ups, documents, deadlines, and multiple suppliers at the same time.
• Experience managing or supervising junior staff is preferred.
• Good command of English. Chinese language ability is an advantage.
• Good computer skills, especially Excel, Google Sheets, or purchasing tracking systems.

Preferred Skills

• Experience in welding equipment, tools, machinery, industrial products, hardware, electrical products, or similar technical products.
• Understanding of product costing, landed cost, import duty, freight cost, and exchange rate impact.
• Ability to work with technical product details and compare product specifications.
• Strong sense of responsibility and ownership.
• Detail-oriented, organized, and able to follow up consistently.
• Practical problem-solving ability.
• Able to work in a fast-moving SME environment.

Key Performance Indicators

• Supplier cost savings or cost control.
• Accuracy of purchase orders and import documents.
• On-time shipment follow-up and delivery coordination.
• Reduction of stock shortages and overstock issues.
• Supplier performance improvement.
• Purchasing report accuracy and timeliness.
• Improvement of purchasing workflow and team efficiency.
• Successful sourcing of competitive new products.