Purchasing Manager / Supply Chain Director

At Velde, much of the outcome is decided before the first machine starts.

Bitumen, stone, crushed rock, gravel, cement, diesel, transport, subcontractors, machinery, spare parts, return masses and recycling streams must work as one continuous value chain. When they do, they create profitability. When they don't, margins disappear.

That is why we are looking for a purchasing manager who will not only buy goods and negotiate contracts, but build a function that makes Velde stronger - season after season.

About Velde

Velde is an industrial and contracting group that builds, produces and delivers what society depends on: crushed rock, asphalt and concrete. We operate quarries, asphalt plants, concrete production, transport and recycling - and we cast floors, airport pavements and concrete decks across Norway.

We are large enough to take on demanding projects, but practical enough to make quick decisions. With us, raw materials, production, logistics, technology and environment are connected in one value chain.

Environmental work is part of our operations - not a side project. We invest in recycling, reuse of masses, environmental asphalt, low-carbon concrete and smarter resource utilisation. The goal is simple: more value from every resource, less transport, lower emissions and stronger competitiveness.

Now we are building the next step at Velde: a more efficient, data-driven and sustainable group - with short decision paths, strong execution capability and ambitions to stay ahead in the industry.

The Assignment

You will be responsible for developing the group's purchasing function into a more strategic, structured and data-driven function. You will look at the entire value chain in context - from supplier markets and raw material access to production, logistics, project delivery and recycling.

This is about far more than purchasing. It is about how a physical value chain is managed when margins are small, the season is short and decisions must be taken before the market has given its answer.

You will help the group to:

• secure the right raw materials, services and resources at the right time

• build robust supplier relationships and good alternatives in the market

• plan capacity and volumes across the business

• reduce risk, waste, waiting time and total cost

• make better use of own resources, return masses and recycling streams

• actively use data in planning, negotiations, priorities and decisions

What you will do

• Build the purchasing model: define roles, responsibilities, decision authority, mandates, processes and governance model for purchasing across the group.

• Develop category strategies: establish clear strategies for key purchasing categories such as raw materials, bitumen, cement, energy/fuel, transport, subcontractors, machinery, parts, services and consumables.

• Lead supplier management: build the supplier portfolio, negotiate framework agreements, secure alternatives, and follow up quality, delivery capability, risk and commercial terms.

• Strengthen planning: ensure better alignment between forecasts, volume requirements, project portfolio, production plans, storage, logistics and the supplier market.

• Reduce total cost: consider price, quality, lead time, logistics, risk, inventory tie-up, operational downtime and delivery capability together - not just unit price.

• Develop the purchasing process: ensure a practical process from need and approval to ordering, contract, receipt, invoice and supplier follow-up.

• Adopt data and systems: contribute to better purchasing data, reporting, KPIs, system use and decision-making support.

• Support the circular value chain: view return masses, milled masses, demolition concrete and other recycling streams as raw materials, logistics and competitive strength - not just waste management.

• Stay close to operations: work with production, projects, logistics, maintenance, finance and technology development to ensure purchasing works in practice.

The first 12-18 months

The role must build a function that delivers lasting impact. The first months should therefore be used to establish control, priorities and ways of working. We envisage that you will, among other things:

• map purchasing volumes, suppliers, agreements, categories, ordering patterns and cost drivers

• define which categories should be managed group-wide and which should sit closer to operations/projects

• establish clear purchasing processes, mandates and role allocation

• prioritise the categories and suppliers of greatest financial and operational importance

• negotiate or renegotiate selected framework agreements where the potential is greatest

• build simple reporting on purchasing volumes, agreement compliance, supplier risk, price development and savings

• contribute to the selection, introduction or improvement of system support for purchasing and ordering

• create a practical way of working that makes it easier for people in operations to buy the right thing - without unnecessary bureaucracy

Who we think you are

You have experience from purchasing, supply chain, logistics or value chain management in an organisation where material flow, capacity, timing and suppliers affect results.

You may come from industry, construction and civil engineering, energy, production, logistics, transport, process industry or other businesses with complex, physical value chains. What matters most is that you understand how good commercial decisions and good operational flow are connected.

We think you will recognise yourself in several of these points:

• you are a clear negotiator and a relationship builder, but you are not afraid of demands, structure and consequences

• you understand both price and total cost - and know that the cheapest agreement does not always give the lowest cost in operation

• you enjoy turning over stones, finding alternatives and creating better commercial solutions

• you are analytical, but practical enough to know that numbers only have value when they change decisions

• you like building systems, processes and ways of working - not just negotiating individual agreements

• you understand season, capacity, lead times, risk and the need to stay ahead

• you are motivated by measurable improvements, better flow and money saved

Why this role?

• You will build and develop one of the group's most important leadership functions in a business with large purchasing volumes and a direct impact on profitability.

• You will work in an owner-driven company with short decision paths, strong execution capability and clear ambitions.

• You will have the opportunity to influence how Velde plans, buys, uses suppliers and makes use of its own resources across the group.

• You will help make purchasing and supply chain a lasting competitive advantage - not just an administrative function.

We are not looking for the perfect CV. We want to understand what you have achieved, how you think, which results you have delivered - and what you want to build further with us.