Sr. Buyer

ILLES Foods Job Description 

Job Title: Sr. Buyer 

Reports To: Director of Procurement

FLSA: Permanent, Full Time, Exempt 

About Us:  
Specializing in custom-crafted culinary solutions—from beverage bases and sauces to marinades and seasonings—ILLES Foods has partnered with food service chains, manufacturers, and retailers across the U.S. since 1927. Our Food Innovation expertise, creativity, and speed to market, combined with a laser focus on customer experience, make us a key partner in product development.  As a family-owned, woman-run business, our growth is fueled by deeply held values: operating with integrity, maintaining intentional curiosity, and strong relationship building through the power of partnership. At ILLES Foods, we strive to be the ingredient that elevates food and enriches the lives of our partners, internal and external. 

Job Summary: 
The Successful candidate is responsible for daily planning and ordering of ingredients, packaging and supply materials in the most cost-effective manner while maintaining quality, ensuring uninterrupted supply with appropriate inventory levels. The Sr. Buyer plays a critical role in operational executional excellence minimizing supply risk, preventing excess or expired inventory, and ensuring uninterrupted production within a regulated food manufacturing environment. 

This is a highly visible role that requires significant material planning experience, ability to manage both suppliers and freight and conduct analysis to drive decision making and problem solving. Partner conducts themselves in a manner that is aligned with Illes Foods Core Values: Operate with Integrity, Stay Intentionally Curious, and Believe in the Power of the Partnership. 

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manage daily purchasing activities with minimal direction to ensure timely availability of raw materials and supplies aligned with production schedules, customer demand, and forecasted requirements.

• Proactively leverage data, reports, AI agents and digital tools to regularly review inventory levels, order quantities, lead times, and shelf life to ensure inventory accuracy, availability, and alignment with production needs while minimizing raw material shortages, excess inventory and write-offs.

• Create, revise, confirm, track, and close purchase orders; proactively follow up on unconfirmed or past‑due POs and manage expedite costs as needed.

• Maintain accurate purchasing and system data, including pricing, lead times, minimum and maximum order quantities, pack sizes, freight terms, and supplier information.

• Ensure compliance with food safety, quality, regulatory, traceability, and documentation requirements.

• Reconcile, audit, and approve invoices to ensure pricing, quantities, and terms are accurate.
  Partner with Accounts Payable, Receiving, and Scheduling teams to resolve pricing, quantity, and delivery discrepancies focusing on process improvements to eliminate future errors. 

• Escalate material supply risks that may impact production, inventory health, or customer service, and participate in cross‑functional planning meetings as needed.

• Analyze supplier performance metrics, including pricing, delivery, quality and timeliness and follow up with suppliers as need to address supplier quality issues. 

• Manage the ordering process for supplies. Partner with Operations to establish minimum supply levels and re-ordering cadences. Leverage 3rd vendors where appropriate to drive efficiency and cost savings.

• Perform other duties as assigned; regular and reliable attendance is required 

• 5-10 % Travel required 

Required Key Skills and Qualifications: 

• Strategic Problem Solving & Analytical Thinking: Passionate about problem solving and driving efficiency. Ability to forecast material requirements using MRP, sales forecasts, and production plans to support short‑ and long‑term supply planning. Capable of evaluating procurement challenges and analyzing data to identify potential solutions. 

• Negotiation & Supplier Management: Capability to negotiate pricing and terms while maintaining productive supplier partnerships. Ability to push back appropriately and hold suppliers accountable in a professional manner

• Attention to Detail & Compliance Highly detail orientated and ensures accuracy in purchasing data, contracts, and documentation while adhering to policies and regulatory standards. 

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Ability to clearly communicate status of materials and issues, willingness to challenge colleagues and higher levels in a professional manner and regularly contacts them to gain support and cooperation.

• Organization & Adaptability: Manages multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment where ambiguity, complexity and change are constant. Curiosity to leverage AI and digital tools to improve procurement analysis, reporting and decision making

• Flexibility: a hands-on mindset with a willingness to proactively problem-solve, offer potential solutions and follow up on issues as needed. 

Experience & Education:

• Bachelor’s degree required in Business, Supply Chain Management, Operations, Finance, or a related field; MBA preferred. 

• 4 -7 years of progressive experience in procurement, strategic sourcing or category management. Procurement Certification (CPIM or CPM) is a plus. 

• Food industry experience is required particularly with ingredient sourcing and food manufacturing environments.

• Demonstrated experience working with ERP/MRP systems and inventory management processes. 

• Prior experience in RFP vendor negotiations, cost and spend analysis, and advanced forecasting strongly preferred. 

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, with advanced Excel skills is required. 

Working Conditions & Physical Demands: 
Ability to bend, stoop, squat, reach above head, lift 50 pounds, sit, walk, or stand for long periods of time, use keyboard and calculator, see, hear, read, learn and speak 

What We Offer:  
We are a core-value driven, inclusive team that values innovation, growth, and impact. We offer career development, mentorship, competitive pay, and comprehensive benefits—including medical, dental, vision, 401(k) with immediate match, HSA, EAP, life, disability, and more!

Disclaimer: 
The job description provides a general overview of the work, not a detailed list of all tasks and skills. Reasonable accommodation is available for individuals with disabilities as required by law. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a health or safety risk. Employees must follow job-related instructions and perform additional duties as per federal and state laws. The listed requirements are the minimum needed to perform the job effectively. Employment is "at-will," meaning it can be terminated at any time. ILLES Foods is an Equal Opportunity Employer. (M/F/D/V)