PRIMARY FUNCTION:

Responsible for managing the purchasing for the Further Processing (FP) division, including the implementation of company purchasing strategies and contracts and the management of supplier relationships. Other areas of responsibility include planning and communication within FP, price negotiation, approval of suppliers, and inventory control.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS:                   

• Implement sourcing strategy of FP raw material.
• Develop and implement, in conjunction with finance and operations, annual operating plan.
• Implement and maintain supplier contracts for all FP purchasing categories.
• Analyze current processing plant purchasing, by product type, and develop strategies to reduce costs.
• Work with plant management and product management to eliminate redundancy and manage inventory, including MRO, packaging and ingredients.
• Work with R&D, plant management and product management to develop a standardized ingredient plan for new development and commercialization of new business.
• Work with corporate purchasing and plant management to achieve cost reduction goals in processing plant purchasing.
• Work closely with Corporate Purchasing to implement corporate wide agreements (e.g. packaging, ingredient, MRO, etc.).
• Negotiate supplier contracts to achieve optimum product cost.
• Work with R&D, product management and accounting to ensure established product cost goals are achieved.
• Build and develop relationships with key suppliers.
• Supervise and train Further Processing Purchasing support staff.
• Develop consistent division-wide procedures and work instructions.
• All other responsibilities and duties as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• 3-4 direct reports.
• This is a Leader of People position with required competencies:  Sizing up People, Delegation, Planning, Customer Focus and Conflict Management.

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Material or Logistics Management, Supply Chain or relevant discipline from an accredited institution.
• 5+ years relevant purchasing experience.
• 3+ years relevant protein purchasing experience.

PREFERRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Certified Purchasing Manager or other National Association of Purchasing Manager certification.
• APICS Certification.

REQUIRED TECHNICAL SKILLS:

• Demonstrated success building effective teams with proven ability to lead by engaging and motivating a team and influencing an organization.
• Advanced knowledge of commodity markets and protein purchasing processes.
• Proven supplier contract implementation history.
• Excellent organizational and planning skills, with precise attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and ownership of projects, yet receive and take direction.
• Experience with daily functions of ERP/MRP systems.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficient with Lotus SmartSuite and Microsoft applications.
• Production Scheduling/Planning management experience.
• Ability to transition quickly between existing and new responsibilities with minimal direction.
• Ability to work in fast paced environment with multiple priorities.
• Ability to handle and resolve most issues independently.
• High work capacity, dependable, results oriented and strong sense of urgency.
• Demonstrated sound work ethic, honesty and moral character.

REQUIRED PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS:

• Understand and interpret data while drawing logical conclusions based on available inputs.
• Critical thinking skills in standardized situations as well as non-routine problems.
• Manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously and prioritize work accordingly.