Department: Purchasing
Reports To: Beef Purchasing Manager / Director of Purchasing
Position Summary
We are seeking a highly driven Purchasing Lead with a strong passion for the beef industry to support Andes Global Trading's procurement operations within the beef category.
The Beef Purchasing Lead plays a key role in executing sourcing strategies, developing supplier relationships, and supporting purchasing initiatives that align with the company's sales strategy and market opportunities. The role manages a portfolio of beef suppliers across origins such as the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico), supporting customers in North America, Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
The ideal candidate combines strong beef market knowledge, supplier network development, analytical capabilities, and operational execution, while also supporting team leadership and mentoring Purchasing Specialists.
Key Responsibilities
Supplier & Market Management
• Manage an assigned portfolio of beef suppliers.
• Build and maintain long-term relationships with packers, processors, exporters, brokers, and distributors across key beef origins.
• Identify new sourcing opportunities and supplier diversification to strengthen Andes' beef supply network.
• Travel when necessary to visit suppliers and plants, evaluate partnerships, attend industry trade shows, and identify new opportunities.
Purchasing Execution
• Execute purchasing transactions with vendors and coordinate offers with the trading and sales teams.
• Consult with suppliers to secure product information including pricing, availability, specifications, and delivery schedules.
• Coordinate delivery schedules with suppliers to ensure consistent product flow.
• Monitor inventory positioning and collaborate with leadership to optimize purchasing decisions based on demand, company's financial needs, and market conditions.
• Apply inventory management practices specific to the beef category to ensure optimal product flow and availability.
• Manage PO's and inventories to support efficient cash flow as per company financial guidelines.
• Ensure consistent product supply aligned with customer demand and company strategies.
• Support negotiations and contract discussions with suppliers.
Market Intelligence & Strategy Support
• Perform daily analysis of beef market trends, supply conditions, pricing data, and supplier performance across origins.
• Provide insights to support pricing strategies and purchasing decisions.
• Serve as an advisor to sales and trading teams regarding product availability, beef cuts and varieties, specifications, seasonality, and usage.
Category Support
• Support the development of commodity and branded beef programs within the portfolio.
• Support the integration of complementary meat products such as lamb, goat, and mutton into the overall product portfolio.
• Contribute to category projects that foster innovation and continuous improvement.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Work closely with the trading and sales teams to identify incremental business opportunities.
• Collaborate with logistics and operations teams to ensure customer timelines and delivery requirements are met.
• Coordinate with accounting and accounts payable teams to ensure compliance with company requirements and aging parameters.
• Support alignment between purchasing strategies and sales opportunities across all trade channels.
Leadership & Knowledge Sharing
• Support the development and mentoring of Purchasing Specialists.
• Assist in training sales teams and internal stakeholders on beef product knowledge, cuts, specifications, and market trends.
• Promote a collaborative team environment aligned with Andes' entrepreneurial culture.
Required Experience and Skills
• Minimum 5+ years of procurement or sourcing experience in beef.
• Solid knowledge of the beef industry, including suppliers, pricing dynamics, and market trends across the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Central America, and South America.
• Familiarity with beef products, including commodity and branded beef; exposure to complementary meats such as lamb, goat, and mutton is valued.
• Established network with packers, exporters, brokers, and distributors.
• Proven ability to analyze markets and identify sourcing opportunities.
• Strong negotiation and supplier relationship management skills.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and analytical abilities, both oral and written.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented with a strong focus on accuracy.
• Ability to work under pressure in fast-moving commodity markets.
• Strong work ethic and team-oriented mindset, committed to helping others succeed.
• Availability to travel for supplier visits and industry trade shows.
Preferred
• Transferable portfolio of business and supplier relationships.
• Experience sourcing for customers in North America, Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
• Experience working with ERP systems and data tools for procurement analysis (SAP, Power BI, or similar).
• Bilingual English and Spanish.
We value our employees and offer competitive compensation and benefits package including health insurance for our employees, dental vision, paid time off, life insurance, disability coverage, and access to individual retirement account plans with company matching.
We pride ourselves on our fun and energetic environment that also provides our employees with a great sense of belonging as people are at the heart of all we do!
