Senior Procurement Specialist

For over 50 years, Home Market Foods has provided superior quality food products -- from our beginnings as a purveyor of fresh meats, to our current position as a major specialty provider of fully cooked and frozen, meals, appetizers, and snacks for both retail and foodservice customers.

This Senior Procurement Specialist will be responsible for several key ingredient and packaging procurement activities for Home Market Foods. This role requires someone with the ability to interact effectively with senior management, manufacturing/operations, planning, and finance, as well as be the owner of their supplier relationships. Responsibilities include the development and implementation of a purchasing strategy for each of their assigned raw materials and packaging items. Materials procured include dry food ingredients, spices and oils, as well as finished goods packaging materials. The position requires an understanding of agricultural markets and the ability to implement strategies to buy these materials. This buyer must be able to suggest process improvements and strengthen communication channels with other departments.

* Manage pricing and contract negotiations. Must be able to build strong relationships with suppliers and manage those relationships effectively, including resolution of any issues * Monitor suppliers' performance to ensure that goods and services conform to the contract requirements * Source and qualify new suppliers/vendors * Manage competitive bid process on a routine and regular basis for all ingredient purchasing * Review cost of goods regularly and make substitution recommendations in the interest of cost, quantity, quality or delivery time * Analyze, establish, and maintain qualified, uninterrupted sources of supply that are consistent with Company policies and procedures * Track and manage price risk and market trends to ensure competitive price advantage * Negotiate with suppliers on price, terms, and conditions and establish purchasing and price agreements that fall within the scope of delegated responsibilities * Act as a liaison between suppliers and other functional areas of the Company. Communicate market/pricing developments and develop strategies to leverage these market fluctuations * Maintain and monitor all open contracts, expiration dates, and balances * Review inventory levels and service levels to insure proper capital utilization * Facilitate quick turnaround time of invoice resolution, damaged product claims, and discrepancy issues * Disposition QA damaged/rejected material in a timely manner * Resolve dead stock issues. Recommend a course of action for sales and Department Manager for disposition options * Assist in identifying market for new products. Communicate new uses from supplier or trade sources to Industry Management * Work with the finance team to perform cost and price analyses * Perform other duties as directed

* Bachelor's degree required * 0 - 3 years of procurement experience supporting food manufacturing * Preferred 2 years of experience in food ingredient buying * Knowledge of freight purchasing, warehousing and logistics * Ability to become highly proficient in using ERP systems and Microsoft Office programs; currently proficient with Microsoft Office * Strong communications skills, strong project management skills and strong negotiation skills * Food commodity trading experience is a plus * Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and negotiation skills * Capable of exercising sound judgment and making effective decisions * Strong organizational and time management skills * Must possess the qualities of flexibility, adaptability, stress management, and self-initiative