The posting
Job Description: Senior Manager, Procurement Operations – Apple Products (Mobile Devices)
HRIS Title: Senior Manager Department: 2025 – Handset Procurement Business Unit: SCM Reports To: Director, Global Supplier Mgmt. Location: Smyrna, TN Classification: Exempt
Position Summary
The Senior Manager, Procurement Operations – Apple Products will be accountable for leading sourcing strategy, procurement execution, and end-to-end supply optimization across the Apple device portfolio, including iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad.
This role is responsible for delivering measurable sourcing savings while ensuring product availability through a diversified supply network that includes carriers, carrier auction platforms, OEM/direct channels, third-party suppliers, wholesalers, and other alternative sourcing channels.
A key responsibility of this position is improving end-to-end supply visibility and evolving procurement operations from reactive escalation management toward a proactive, exception-based operating model. The Senior Manager will leverage analytics, automation, supplier performance data, and cross-functional partnerships to identify supply risks earlier, improve sourcing decisions, and reduce product delays.
The role will also strengthen vendor accountability through structured, data-driven governance while reducing financial friction associated with invoicing, credits, reconciliation, and supplier performance.
Success requires close partnership across SCM, Finance, Product, Operations, Compliance, Technology, and Client teams, as well as strong relationships with external suppliers and sourcing partners.
This position requires the ability to manage complex procurement and supply chain processes, influence cross-functional stakeholders, and proactively intervene to ensure financial, operational, and client objectives are achieved. Domestic and international travel may be required.
Duties & Responsibilities
- Develop and execute sourcing strategies across the Apple product portfolio, including iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad, to achieve targeted sourcing savings and product availability objectives.
- Manage and optimize a diversified sourcing strategy across carriers, carrier auction platforms, OEM/direct channels, third-party suppliers, wholesalers, and alternative sourcing channels.
- Identify opportunities to improve product acquisition economics while balancing cost, quality, availability, lead time, risk, and client requirements.
- Improve end-to-end supply visibility from sourcing commitment and purchase through product receipt and availability within the supply chain.
- Develop processes, reporting, and operating mechanisms to proactively identify delayed or at-risk product and drive corrective actions before supply commitments are impacted.
- Lead the transition from reactive procurement escalation toward exception-based management, establishing thresholds, alerts, ownership, and escalation paths for material supply exceptions.
- Develop and maintain supplier scorecards and performance reporting to strengthen vendor accountability through measurable, data-driven governance.
- Lead structured Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) and other recurring supplier performance meetings focused on sourcing performance, supply reliability, financial performance, compliance, and continuous improvement.
- Establish corrective action and improvement plans for suppliers failing to meet agreed performance expectations, SLAs, or contractual requirements.
- Partner with Finance and suppliers to reduce financial friction associated with invoice discrepancies, outstanding credits, pricing variances, reconciliation issues, and other procurement-related financial risks.
- Improve procurement controls and processes to reduce aged financial items and accelerate resolution of supplier invoice and credit disputes.
- Apply analytics to identify sourcing opportunities, supply risks, vendor performance trends, cost-saving opportunities, and operational inefficiencies.
- Identify and implement opportunities to automate procurement reporting, monitoring, reconciliation, and exception management, enabling the organization to scale sourcing impact without proportionally increasing manual workload.
- Develop dashboards and management reporting that provide actionable visibility into sourcing performance, product availability, supplier performance, financial exposure, and operational exceptions.
- Partner cross-functionally with SCM, Finance, Product, Operations, Technology, Compliance, and Client teams to align sourcing strategies with broader business requirements.
- Support new product introductions, client/program launches, and changes to sourcing or supply strategies across the Apple product portfolio.
- Lead cross-functional initiatives and pilots to evaluate new suppliers, sourcing channels, analytical capabilities, automation opportunities, or operating models.
- Identify procurement and supply process failures, perform root-cause analysis, and implement sustainable corrective actions.
- Maintain and continuously improve SOPs, controls, governance processes, and documentation supporting Apple product procurement.
- Ensure procurement activities comply with corporate, financial, regulatory, contractual, and industry requirements.
- Develop team capabilities and establish clear accountability for sourcing, supplier performance, supply visibility, and operational execution.
- Manage and develop direct reports and/or offshore resources as required.
- Support other SCM and procurement business priorities as needed.
- Own the procurement strategy and execution for Same Unit Repair (SUR) parts supporting uBreakiFix (UBIF) stores, ensuring parts availability aligns with repair demand, service-level requirements, inventory objectives, and cost targets.
- Partner cross-functionally with UBIF Operations, Supply Chain, Inventory Planning, Finance, and suppliers to proactively manage SUR parts availability, supplier performance, supply risks, and cost optimization to minimize repair delays and support the customer experience.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Sourcing & Financial Performance
- Achievement of targeted sourcing savings across iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad
- Year-over-year improvement in acquisition cost and sourcing economics
- Savings generated through optimized channel mix, competitive sourcing, and supplier negotiations
- Percentage of sourcing opportunities identified and captured through analytics
Supply Visibility & Product Availability
- Reduction in delayed or at-risk product
- Improvement in on-time product availability
- End-to-end visibility of open purchase commitments and inbound supply
- Reduction in aging or unresolved supply exceptions
- Accuracy and timeliness of supply status reporting
Exception-Based Management
- Reduction in manual/reactive procurement escalations
- Percentage of material supply exceptions proactively identified prior to business impact
- Average time to identify and resolve procurement exceptions
- Adoption and effectiveness of automated alerts, thresholds, and exception-management processes
Supplier Performance & Governance
- Supplier SLA and contractual compliance
- Supplier responsiveness and on-time delivery performance
- Percentage of strategic suppliers managed through structured scorecards and QBRs
- Completion and effectiveness of supplier corrective-action plans
- Measurable supplier performance improvement following QBRs
Financial Operations
- Reduction in invoice discrepancies and pricing variances
- Reduction in aged outstanding supplier credits
- Average resolution time for invoice and credit disputes
- Reduction in procurement-related financial exposure and reconciliation issues
Analytics & Automation
- Reduction in manual procurement reporting and monitoring activities
- Number and impact of automated procurement processes implemented
- Improvement in sourcing decisions driven by analytics
- Productivity and efficiency gains generated through automation and improved reporting
Knowledge, Skills & Professional Competencies
- 8–10 years of experience in procurement, supply chain, telecommunications, mobile devices, consumer electronics, or related fields, with progressive leadership responsibility.
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Operations, or a related field.
- Strong understanding of the Apple device ecosystem, including iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad product categories.
- Demonstrated experience developing and executing sourcing strategies across multiple channels, including carriers, auction platforms, OEM/direct relationships, wholesalers, and third-party suppliers.
- Proven ability to deliver measurable sourcing savings while balancing cost, availability, quality, risk, and business requirements.
- Experience managing complex supplier relationships and conducting structured supplier performance reviews and QBRs.
- Strong understanding of end-to-end procurement and supply chain processes, including purchasing, inbound supply, invoicing, credits, reconciliation, and supplier performance management.
- Demonstrated ability to move organizations from reactive issue management toward data-driven, exception-based operating models.
- Strong analytical capabilities with the ability to translate large or complex datasets into actionable sourcing and supply chain decisions.
- Experience identifying and implementing automation and process improvement opportunities within procurement or supply chain operations.
- Strong financial acumen with experience addressing invoice discrepancies, supplier credits, pricing variances, and procurement-related financial risk.
- Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence stakeholders across multiple organizational levels.
- Experience managing and developing direct reports and/or offshore resources.
- Strong oral and written communication skills, including executive presentations, supplier negotiations, and performance reviews.
- Proven self-starter with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to identify issues before they materially impact operations or clients.
- Ability to distill complex procurement, supply, and financial issues into clear actions and ownership.
- Proficiency with business and analytical tools, including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Visio, reporting/BI platforms, and procurement systems.
- Strong strategic thinking, change management, and continuous-improvement capabilities.
- Track record of overcoming organizational and operational barriers to deliver measurable results.
- Ability to build and maintain productive relationships across suppliers, carriers, OEMs, internal organizations, and global teams.
- High standards for financial discipline, operational execution, compliance, data quality, and supplier performance.
