Procurement Manager (Raw Protein)

Description The Procurement Manager is responsible for developing and executing strategic sourcing initiatives to ensure the timely, cost-effective, and reliable procurement of direct materials that support manufacturing operations. This role manages supplier relationships, negotiates commercial agreements, drives cost savings and inventory optimization initiatives, and collaborates cross‑functionally with Planning, Operations, Quality, and Finance to maintain supply continuity. The position also ensures supplier compliance with food safety and quality standards while supporting continuous improvement and business objectives through effective procurement and supply chain management. Roles & Responsibilities Create and implement commodity strategies that engage the right suppliers Provide and negotiate with all the information necessary to planners to execute the ordering process: suppliers approved list, SLA (lead times, MOQ etc.), price list/formula price, payment terms etc. Manage OTIF KPI, addressing major deviation with suppliers. Manage inventory $ value, working with planning and suppliers to achieve the target monthly levels. Total Cost Ownership management: identity cost savings/process opportunities thru RFPs, projects, spec changes, yields, SL and lead all these projects internally. Support customers requirements as new developments, product changes, tests and or process optimization. Negotiate with external warehouses contracts, SLA and claims. Maintain Syspro supplier’s information as price list, payment terms and setting up new suppliers. Maintain Supplier QA documents process, including but not limited to specs, SL information etc. Approve and solve issues with suppliers related to price discrepancies, making sure that our suppliers are paid on time. Support internal warehouse targets (space utilization) identifying opportunities of transferring extra/obsolete materials to external warehouses. Reduce/eliminate spot/urgent buys, negotiating price list and contracts for all our materials. Negotiate claims with suppliers based on the information collect by our Material Planners. Supplier Relationship Management: proactively building collaborative, mutually beneficial partnerships with suppliers, managing rebates, service levels and business reports. Lead cost savings projects. Perform other duties as assigned. Preferred Qualifications and Education Requirements Knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices and HACCP standards. Bachelor’s Degree Work experience: 5+ years of procurement experience in competitive procurement organization. Ideally including experience with Direct procurement. Experience working in a food processing environment, including extensive experience with raw meat and seafood. Excellent written and oral communication skills. Able to communicate firmly and precisely but with diplomacy. Conversational Spanish is a plus. Core Competencies, Knowledge, and Skill Requirements Communications Exhibit honest and clear communication, both orally and written, for effective teamwork. Treat everyone equally with respect—listen to others and make them feel valued. Where customer decisions or food safety is a concern, communicate at a higher level. Leadership You may be required to take control of a team, work closely with another department or brief other members of the organization, including board members and HR staff, on a variety of payroll matters. An ability to coordinate colleagues, clients and different departments is a vital part of a payroll administrator’s role. Time Management & Organization Organize and prioritize your own actions efficiently and manage a variety of tasks simultaneously. Be flexible and react favorably to multiple priorities, changing schedules and daily assignments while paying attention to detail. Demonstrate a sense of urgency and focus on actions, while multi-tasking. Team Commitment Handle conflict in a mature manner to establish trust with coworkers and encourage team collaboration. Understand the people and departments and support team decisions. Work Environment and Physical Requirements The work environment is a general office setting and a cold production setting with concrete floors. The position requires the team member to sit for an extended period of time, stand and walk in cold temperatures (38°F) for several hours when needed. This position is based onsite in Mundelein, IL. Relocation assistance is available for the right candidate. Food Safety Kilcoy has adopted the SQF System for food safety management and is under continuous USDA meat & poultry jurisdiction. All Kilcoy team members are responsible for food safety and quality requirements. Team members will be regularly informed, trained, and held accountable for managing food safety and regulatory expectations within their work areas. Team members should notify their department management about any food safety issues or concerns to be adequately addressed. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. Salary The salary range for this position is $110,000 – $140,000 annually. This range reflects our good faith estimate at the time of posting. Depending on experience and qualifications, we may offer compensation above this range. #J-18808-Ljbffr Ruprecht-Company