Procurement Manager - Ingredients

Location: Irvine, CA, United States, 92618 Position Summary: Proactively manage the direct raw material supply base to meet or exceed Ventura Foods’ service, quality, cost, inventory, growth, and innovation requirements. Major Duties and Responsibilities: Operational Performance: Partner with key functional leaders and stakeholders to deliver best‑in‑class service, quality, cost, and inventory performance. Conduct business reviews with internal stakeholders and suppliers to monitor progress against key goals, identify issues and opportunities, and understand category trends. Proactively monitor and manage supply risk to ensure continuity of supply. Commercialization / Strategic Sourcing: Lead and/or support commercialization and growth initiatives impacting suppliers (bids/RFQ, speed to market, new products, new suppliers). Implement category and sourcing strategies that deliver against overall requirements at best value pricing. Partner with cross‑functional teams to expand the supplier network, assess capability, develop supply‑chain models, negotiate agreements, and implement contracts that address Ventura Foods expectations. Cost Savings: Proactively partner with suppliers and external experts to identify, assess, develop business cases, prioritize, and execute cost‑saving initiatives that leverage product optimization, value engineering, risk management, and process improvement. Performance Reporting: Generate reports that track and analyze key metrics monthly and quarterly (Quarterly Business Reviews). Identify root‑cause issues, align cross‑functional teams, and propose improvement opportunities. Key metrics include service, quality, cost, cost savings, inventory, inflation summaries. Inflation and Cost Management: Leverage market insights, inflation mitigation techniques, escalation/de‑escalation agreements to forecast and secure competitive pricing. Provide quarterly updates on cost inflation by category and update standard costs. Partnerships and Supplier Relationship Management: Develop engaged supplier partners and category experts that provide competitive advantage. Segment suppliers and develop strategies to drive improved value within each segment. Develop and execute supply agreements and contracts. Best Practices: Benchmark sourcing best practices, processes, and tools for raw material categories. Partner with stakeholders to adopt best practices as standard operating procedures for Ventura Foods. Education and Experience: Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent Manufacturing Operations experience is required. Direct ingredient procurement experience is required. 5+ years in Procurement and/or Strategic Sourcing, including vendor selection, negotiation, commercial agreements, and supplier performance management. 7+ years in Purchasing and/or Supply Chain Planning and Management. Ability to travel 20% in North America. Degree in Supply Chain or Engineering is desired. CPSM highly desirable. Experience in food manufacturing, co‑pack, or food manufacturing environments beneficial or highly desirable. Lean/six sigma training and experience highly desirable. Knowledge and Skills: Strategic thinking combined with tactical execution. Ability to lead and influence stakeholders across functions, cultures, and regions. Effective in a matrix organization and comfortable with cross‑team collaboration. Strong leadership, project management, negotiation, influence, and presentation skills. Foster partnerships at all levels within the organization. Business acumen and organizational savvy to handle ambiguity. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Results‑oriented, self‑starter, able to manage multiple initiatives while meeting deadlines. Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills. Proficient with Microsoft Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Word. Benefits: Medical, Prescription, Dental, and Vision coverage beginning on your first day for eligible employees. Profit sharing and 401(k) matching after eligibility. Paid vacation, sick time, and holidays. Employee appreciation events and employee assistance programs. Salary base range: $101,914.10 – $159,871.32*. Annual bonus opportunity based on incentive program terms. *The “base salary range” is a good faith estimate of compensation for this position in specified markets. Ventura Foods reserves the right to pay outside this range based on candidate skills, job complexity, budgetary factors, and location. Compensation ranges are reviewed regularly. Diversity & Inclusion: Our commitment to a diverse and inclusive environment ensures all employees are treated with respect. We foster inclusion and diversity across our organization to attract top talent, drive innovation, and meet high expectations. Ventura Foods is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Nearest Major Market: Irvine, California Nearest Secondary Market: Los Angeles #J-18808-Ljbffr Ventura Foods