SUMMARY

The Corporate Director of Procurement is directly responsible for setting and executing the strategy for procuring all ingredients, packaging, and indirect goods and services necessary to support the business. This role is accountable for managing current relationships with suppliers, evaluating market trends and pricing movements to ensure competitive supplier pricing while ensuring the highest quality and service standards are met.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Ensures long-term supply and cost certainty through implementation and execution of forward-looking procurement and buying/ coverage strategies
• Guiding the senior leadership on risks identified by procurement, quality, and R&D and proposing alternatives solutions
• Creates balanced scorecard for cost, quality, service and people related metrics
• Sets year-over-year productivity cost reduction plan to meet business objectives
• Supports new products launches and innovation
• Establishes professional relationships with senior leadership to drive forward the direct materials and indirect procurement vision
• Reviews and analyzes monthly purchase price variance (PPV), while regularly reviewing the indirect procurement cost plan
• Operates with a hands-on approach, and willingness to roll up their sleeves as needed to address business needs
• Enables the development of the procurement team through coaching, on-the-job training, formal training and career development planning
• Commitment to safety begins with management. Managers and frontline supervisors are accountable for creating and maintaining a culture of Safety and assuring a safe work environment.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Must be proficient in Microsoft Excel and Word; should have at experience in negotiating contracts.

Ideal Candidate

• A motivated self-starter willing to be a team player
• Highly organized with the ability to lead and organize others
• Uncompromising integrity and professionalism
• A relationship builder, excited by the opportunity to partner with team members cross-functionally
• A strategic thinker who approaches business initiatives with an entrepreneurial spirit
• Able to communicate effectively with staff at all levels of the organization.
• Excellent at planning and prioritization skills with the ability to multi-task and adapt.
• Able to work in a fast-paced and rapidly changing environment and maintain a positive outlook
• Able to maintain direction and focus by leveraging organizational abilities and proactive planning
• A collaborator and can reach mutually agreeable outcomes and resolve potential conflicts

Education and/or Experience

Bachelor's degree (B. A.) from four-year college or university; MBA is preferred.

A minimum of 10 years prior experience

• Experience at a food or beverage company
• Procurement experience of agricultural commodities and packaging, with experience in indirect procurement and its organization dynamics
• Drive and implement process improvement and system initiatives which deliver operating efficiencies
• Experience in utilizing a 7-step (or similar) strategic sourcing methodology to develop category strategies, source, negotiate and manage suppliers to deliver total lowest cost materials and mitigate the supply risks.
• Experience in global sourcing preferred
• A willingness to work independently, while leading the development and growth of the procurement team
• Excellent negotiation and analytical skills with a strong attention to detail are required