Director Purchasing Food Processing & Manufacturing

Job Title:
Director Purchasing Food Processing & Manufacturing
Job Location:
Midwest
Relocation:
Yes
Position Level:
Director
Position Report To:
VP Supply Chain
Position Responsibilities:

SCOPE

Responsible for purchasing linking inventory, operational efficiency, and raw material spend management with high-level corporate strategies and cross-functional business units.Manage vendor relationships strategically to ensure high degree of reliability and competitive terms. Facilitate a collaborative vendor standardization process and full utilization of information systems to manage and optimize procurement Lead negotiations for the purchase of company and customer ingredients and packaging requirements.  Provide and analyze data from various sources to facilitate the business decision process.  Facilitate completion of customer RFQ’s and RFP’s.  Interface with Sales, Engineering, Research & Development and IT to optimize the supply chain and delight both internal and external customers. 

 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Lead the Item and Vendor Master Governance process and manage new Vendor and Item additions in a new ERP system.
  • Establish strong working relationships with business partners to optimize value creation for all parties and execute major policies, programs and objectives (both strategic and tactical) to ensure company’s success.
  • Provide leadership to local Branches to manage and optimize inventory, fill rates, and purchase decisions related to ingredients and packaging.
  • Provide support and guidance in the Supplier selection process for both international and national purchases.
  • Serve as a resource for escalated vendor and customer issues, service, and complaints in relationship to the process and the impacts upon customer satisfaction and vendor management.
  • Drive optimization using a right Supplier, right specification, and right quantity approach.
  • Evaluate and address opportunities to improve end user’s application/system knowledge and experience.
  • Provide overall functional leadership for procurement/purchasing, setting strategy and collaborating with all other affected functions, i.e., merchandising, international sourcing
  • Support company ethics and philosophy.
  • Be an active leader. Foster a collaborative cross-functional culture and successfully influence other business functions and management. Promote a culture of collaboration, team-orientation, performance, discipline, and customer-focus.
  • Quick grasp of food manufacturing processes and manufacturing integration that will provide optimal integrated solutions.
  • Isolation and diagnosis of packaging and ingredient related problems, including root cause analysis.
  • Effective use of ERP and BI system tools streamlining purchasing functionality.
  • Can be company face to the customer with packaging and ingredient category expertise.
  • Ensure HFPG is recognized as a key customer by our current and future suppliers
  • Work closely with partners to streamline work processes for efficiency and performance

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

  • Must be able to sit for extended periods of time and interact with computers, telephone and other electronic media
  • Must possess visual acuity to document company records
  • Must be able to work extended hours, such as daily overtime and an occasional weekend

 

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor degree in Supply Chain Management, Purchasing or related discipline
  • Minimum of 10 years ingredient and packaging procurement experience.
  • Must work well in a team environment and have strong communication skills
  • Excellent analytical skills and advanced MS Excel
  • At least 7-10 years of previous management experience
  • Experience with MRP / ERP systems required
  • Adaptability and flexibility in a fast changing environment.
  • Understanding of packaging machinery including stretch wrappers, V/HFFS equipment, cartoning, and shrink wrap systems.
  • Experience with food processing equipment including blenders, fillers, retort processers, and heat exchange equipment.
  • Legal knowledge with NAFTA, BRC, HACCP, ISO, Toxins in Packaging, REACH, Prop 65, Allergens, and other food regulations.

 

Percent Travel:
None
Direct Reports:
Yes
Experience Required:

Must have

Packaging experience, Raw Material purchasing experience, and  Purchasing Ingredients experience

Education Required:
BS/BA
Other Remarks:
five direct reports