Procurement Manager

Position Summary/Objective: As part of the Operations Team, the Procurement Manager will be responsible for leveraging and optimizing strategic procurement agreements and other vendor partner contracts, ensuring the daily needs of the organization are met for raw and packaging materials. The outcome of this role will be seen in ensuring supply and financial metrics: production uptime, lowest possible material waste, total delivered cost, quality, and compliance within a vendor partner scorecard. This role is a champion of procure-to-pay best practices and continuous improvement with our vendor partners. The role will ensure compliance and optimize the flow of raw and packaging materials within the organization. Their primary objective is to ensure the availability of materials needed for production while optimizing inventory levels and minimizing holding costs. This role is responsive and proactive to ensure integrated demand and supply planning outcomes and consider partner capabilities while constantly looking to improve flexibility within the negotiated agreements. This role will also create contracts and manage partners who are under contract and not yet considered strategic vendor partners. You will drive key metrics and improvement through action and/or influence and manage competing priorities. The Senior Procurement Specialist will collaborate with the Demand and Supply Planner(s), production, warehouse, and customer service teams to execute the plan. Primary Responsibilities: Demonstrate and uphold Company’s Core Values. Develop and maintain procurement plans through discussions in S&OP and commercialization meetings. Support our growing business through quick decision-making and adaptability. Collaborate and build outstanding working relationships with Sales, Marketing, Demand and Supply Planners, Production, Quality, Warehouse, and Finance to ensure communication is timely, effective, and efficient. Ensure the right practices and processes are in place such that the organization has the optimal quantity of materials available at the right time in the right location. Deploy practices that reduce waste and write-offs. Leads with a sustainability mindset consistent with the company’s purpose. Play a key role in supporting the implementation, adherence to, or maintenance of leading procure-to-pay processes and practices. Develop and implement material planning strategies to determine requirements based on production schedules, demand forecasts, and operational needs. Minimize and put processes in place to prevent stockouts or production delays caused by inadequate materials supply. Optimize inventory levels to balance ensuring sufficient supply and minimizing carrying costs. Analyze demand patterns, lead times, and production requirements to determine optimal inventory levels for each material. Deploy and optimize practices such as ABC analysis or Just-in-Time (JIT) systems. Develop and monitor KPIs for the team such as DII, Inventory holding values and turns. Work effectively with cross-functional teams to ensure the positive impact of materials in relation to the commercialization, renovation and decommercialization activities of SKUs. Work closely with vendor partners to ensure reliable and timely delivery of materials. Keep abreast of and monitor any quality or performance issues of materials and/or vendor partners and work with proactive initiatives and solutions. Strives for win-win partnerships (both internal and external). Lead Root Cause Analysis of significant service failures, responsible for holding action owners to account to prevent repeat failures. Proactively participate and engage in driving procurement execution of new business opportunities, including new product launches and discontinuations, and identify process efficiencies and improvements to optimize these opportunities. Keeps the work atmosphere FUN by keeping it light and welcoming Other duties as required. Reporting Relationships The position reports directly to the VP of Operations. Education & Qualifications BA in business administration, Supply Chain Operations/Management, and/or other relevant degree. Strong foundation in procurement principles, inventory, and supply chain management Familiarity with food regulations, certifications, and industry standards related to ingredients and packaging. 5+ years’ experience in materials planning, inventory management, or supply chain management. CPG experience preferred. Previous experience in ERP with SAP (MM and MRP modules) is preferred. Advanced Excel skills are required and Tableau, Access, Power BI, Power query, or any other related experience will be an asset. Skills & Abilities Excellent communication skills including consensus building at all levels. Proven ability to thrive under tight timelines. Ability to work independently and prioritize workload, strong organizational and time management skills. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. PASSIONATE with a positive attitude with a desire to learn and collaborate. TEAM player, collaborative, with a strong customer service mindset. Exceptional time management and organizational skills, self-starter with a high level of initiative and ADAPTABILITY. Demonstrates HUMILITY throughout the company daily. Aptitude to exhibit RESPECT and protect the Company’s Values in a changing environment. Ability to take OWNERSHIP to independently and prioritize workload, strong organizational and time management skills. We appreciate all expressions of interest. Please note, however, that only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted .