Senior Buyer, Strategic SourcingPosition Description
FieldDetailReports toVP of Supply Chain • Supply Chain / Procurement
LocationGarden City, NY - on-site, with occasional travel to our Hauppauge production facility and periodic supplier visits
Direct reportsNone initially; analyst support expected as the function scales
Compensation[Band to be confirmed] + annual bonus • Full-time, exempt
Position SummaryThe Senior Buyer, Strategic Sourcing owns assigned spend categories end to end - market intelligence, supplier strategy, competitive bidding, negotiation, contracting, and the savings that reach the P&L. We are looking for someone who can build the analytics, run competitive RFPs, create genuine competition within categories, and drive cost down while delivering the materials the business needs on time and under budget - with a clear point of view on where each category is heading well ahead of the market moving.
Why This Role- Build the system. Design and implement the buying systems and processes - category strategies, should-cost models, supplier scorecards, a commodity watch list, and a documented savings pipeline.
- A clear mandate. Strategic sourcing is a named company priority, and savings from this seat are tracked as a contribution to the company's cost and EBITDA goals.
- Scale with room to work. Multi-plant manufacturing, a national cold-chain 3PL network, a growing import program, and an active new-product pipeline.
Key ResponsibilitiesStrategic sourcing and competitive bidding- Maintain a rolling 12-18 month sourcing calendar driven by contract expirations, market position, and savings potential.
- Lead RFI/RFP/RFQ cycles end to end - supplier qualification, bid package, structured bid analysis, negotiation, and award recommendation with a documented business case.
- Build should-cost models (resin, board grade, freight, conversion, yield) so negotiations are anchored in cost structure rather than percentage haggling.
- Design bid events that create genuine competitive tension, including qualifying new suppliers where the field is narrow, working cross-functionally with Quality, R&D, Operations, and Finance.
Market intelligence and commodity tracking- Maintain a commodity watch list and forward view across index-based inputs (CME dairy complex, durum and wheat, resin and board, protein markets) plus freight and energy drivers.
- Publish a recurring market update to the VP of Supply Chain: what moved, what it cost us, and what we recommend on timing - forward-buy, index versus fixed price, contract duration, volume commitment.
- Validate inbound price-increase requests against published indices and cost structure, quantify the annualized exposure, and lead the counter-position.
Cost savings - pipeline to P&L- Own a documented savings pipeline (identified / in-progress / committed / realized) with a value, owner, and date on every line, against an annual target agreed with the VP of Supply Chain and Finance.
- Tie negotiated pricing through to purchase-order pricing, standard cost, and cost roll in the ERP so awarded savings are verifiable in the P&L.
- Drive non-price levers: specification and pack-format optimization, order-quantity and pallet efficiency, freight and payment terms, yield and giveaway reduction, and material consolidation across SKUs.
- Partner with R&D and Operations on reformulation and material substitution, producing the cost-impact analysis behind each change.
Supplier diversification, performance, and risk- Build and maintain a supplier diversification matrix - spend concentration, single- and sole-source exposure, qualified alternates, capacity headroom, and geographic risk - and use it to prioritize where a second source is worth qualifying.
- Drive alternate-source qualification through Quality approval proactively, so options exist before they are needed under pressure.
- Run a supplier scorecard covering price, on-time-in-full delivery, lead-time variability, quality history, responsiveness, and financial stability; hold quarterly business reviews with strategic suppliers against it.
- Maintain approved-supplier documentation with Quality - SQF / BRC-GFSI certification, audit status, specification and allergen records, and customer-specific plant approvals.
Execution, terms, and cross-functional delivery- Negotiate and administer supply agreements, pricing schedules, index mechanisms, volume commitments, rebates, and payment terms; maintain a contract register with renewal triggers and notice periods so renewals are worked proactively.
- Ensure buying execution supports just-in-time material flow - right quantity, right lead time, right receipt date against the production schedule - and drive measurable lead-time reduction.
- Own the buying parameters that make planning work (reorder points, safety stock, order multiples, lead times) and keep purchase-order data clean: accurate promise dates, no stale orders, clean three-way match.
- Use NetSuite and reporting tools as the analytical basis for every recommendation; spend, price-variance, and category reporting are self-served.
- Align material commitments with Production Scheduling and Demand Planning across launches, promotions, seasonal builds, and shutdown coverage, and support new-product commercialization with landed cost and lead-time constraints surfaced early enough to affect the plan.
- Participate in the packaging material-specification approval step of the artwork and die-line review, and partner with the import team on landed-cost analysis and supplier qualification.
How Performance Is MeasuredAreaMeasureCostRealized savings vs. target; purchase-price variance; cost avoidance on defended increases
MarketForecast accuracy and timeliness; price position vs. index and benchmark
Sourcing rigorShare of spend competitively bid or under current contract; launch-to-award cycle time
Supply continuityDiversification coverage and qualified alternates; material-driven production disruptions; supplier on-time-in-full
ExecutionLead-time reduction; purchase-order data accuracy; on-time material support for launches
QualificationsRequired- 5-8+ years in procurement, sourcing, or category management with demonstrable ownership of strategic categories.
- Food or beverage manufacturing, or comparable regulated CPG manufacturing; frozen, refrigerated, or fresh a strong plus.
- Proven record leading competitive bid events end to end, with quantified savings you can walk through in detail.
- Commodity or index-based buying experience - able to explain how you have used market data to time and structure buys.
- Advanced Excel (modeling, scenario analysis, should-cost) plus ERP fluency in procurement and inventory reporting; NetSuite preferred. Working knowledge of bills of material, item and cost structures, and standard costing.
- Direct negotiation experience with meaningful commercial authority, including contract and terms negotiation. Bachelor's degree in a related field, or equivalent demonstrated experience.
Preferred- Category depth in packaging (film, corrugate, labels), CME-indexed dairy and cheese, or protein and seafood.
- Import and international sourcing - landed cost, Incoterms, customs and USDA/FDA requirements, freight forwarding.
- Experience building sourcing processes and tools in a growing or private-equity-backed environment.
- CPSM, CPSD, or equivalent certification.
Attributes that matter here- Brings a point of view. Arrives with a recommendation on which categories to attack and why.
- Credible in a plant. Can walk a production floor and understand why a specification change is or is not practical.
- Follows through to the ledger. Cares whether the saving actually landed, not whether the deal was signed.
