Purchasing Manager

Job Description

We’re partnering with a well-established, family-owned beverage co-manufacturer to help them identify an experienced Purchasing Manager to lead the procurement team. The company produces beverages and sauces for major national brands.

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Reporting to the Supply Chain Director, the successful candidate will be a balanced leader with strong execution skills and a passion for developing people. This individual will own procurement for ingredients and packaging, manage a 5-person team, and serve as a key partner to customers and internal stakeholders. The role was created to strengthen supplier management, inventory health, and team capability in support of expanding customer demand and operational complexity.

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What You'll Do

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• You’ll lead the company’s procurement function while building a scalable, professional purchasing organization.
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• Lead, coach, and develop a five-person procurement team, setting clear expectations, accountability, and growth plans.
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• Own sourcing and purchasing strategy for all raw materials, including food ingredients and packaging.
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• Lead supplier negotiations, contract management, and performance improvement initiatives.
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• Serve as the primary escalation point for supplier issues and proactively manage supply risk, market volatility, and lead times.
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• Partner closely with Inventory Management to optimize stock levels, turns, and shelf-life management.
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• Monitor aging and expiration risk to minimize waste, obsolescence, and production disruptions.
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• Collaborate with Planning, Production, Quality, Finance, and Sales to align material availability with customer commitments.
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• Participate in regular customer calls to build trust, communicate constraints, and reinforce supply chain ownership.
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• Ensure accurate purchasing activity and master data integrity in Microsoft D365 Finance & Operations.
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• Develop and track KPIs related to cost, service, inventory health, supplier performance, and team effectiveness.
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• Lead continuous improvement initiatives across procurement and supply chain processes.
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Why This Role

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Leadership & Team Impact

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You’ll build and shape a capable, engaged procurement team with clear accountability and development pathways.

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Operational Ownership

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You’ll own raw material sourcing and inventory performance, directly influencing cost, service, and customer satisfaction.

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Customer-Facing Partnership

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You’ll work closely with key customers, strengthening relationships and reinforcing the company’s reputation for reliability.

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Growth Environment

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Join a financially stable, growing organization where your ideas and leadership will drive real change.

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On-Site Collaboration

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Based in Chicagoland, this role offers hands-on leadership and close partnership with operations and leadership teams.

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Who You Are

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• A proven people leader with 5+ years of experience managing and developing teams.
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• An experienced procurement professional with 5+ years in a manufacturing environment.
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• Knowledgeable in purchasing raw materials, ideally food ingredients and/or packaging.
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• Strong in inventory management, including shelf life, expiration risk, and stock optimization.
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• Experienced working with ERP systems, preferably Microsoft D365 Finance & Operations.
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• Comfortable collaborating cross-functionally and engaging directly with customers.
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• A clear, confident communicator with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
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• Organized, detail-oriented, and capable of balancing strategic priorities with daily execution.
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Preferred Requirements

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• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Operations, or related field.
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• Experience in food, beverage, CPG, private label, or co-manufacturing environments.
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• Familiarity with commodity markets and cost modeling.
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