Strategic Sourcing Manager

At Zentis - We are Fruit Masters!

Zentis is Europe's number one fruit processing company and one of the leading brand manufacturers of jams, sweets, and custard-based desserts. The Company's North America operations are located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Plymouth, Indiana, where we produce fruit and dairy preparations for a variety of customers including yogurt, ice cream and bakery manufacturers. This is an in-office position in Philadelphia.

We are seeking a hands-on Strategic Sourcing Manager to own indirect procurement activities in our Philadelphia location. This is not a traditional sourcing role. We are looking for someone who enjoys working directly with plant teams, solving operational challenges, supporting maintenance and engineering activities, and managing procurement projects from concept through completion.

This role is responsible for supporting plant operations through effective sourcing, purchasing, supplier management, contractor coordination, MRO inventory support, and facility improvement projects. The successful candidate will work closely with Maintenance, Engineering, Operations, Finance, and external suppliers to ensure materials, equipment, and services are available when needed.

The ideal candidate is highly independent and comfortable working in a manufacturing environment.

Primary Responsibilities

Day-to-Day Plant Purchasing and Ops Support

• Support everyday purchasing activities with Maintenance, Engineering, Operations, Production, R&D, and Finance.
• Ensure purchase requests are properly sourced, quoted, approved, and executed in accordance with company policy.
• Resolve invoice and payment discrepancies by working with suppliers and internal stakeholders to ensure efficient flow from initial order through final payment.
• Recommend improvements for indirect procurement methods, processes, and purchasing controls.

MRO Purchasing

• Evaluate machinery components and supplies in cooperation with Maintenance and Engineering teams to ensure critical spare parts are identified and available.
• Identify critical spare components and evaluate supplier lead times to ensure proper stocking levels are maintained.
• Evaluate MRO inventory to identify obsolete and slow-moving parts and recommend inventory optimization opportunities.
• Provide hands-on support to identify, recommend, and purchase equipment components, services, and other indirect materials required to support plant operations.

Vendor Management

• Manage RFQs, RFPs, supplier evaluations, commercial negotiations, and contract execution for capital equipment, technical services, contractors, and facility improvement projects.
• Obtain and compare quotations from suppliers and contractors to ensure the company receives the best overall value.
• Monitor supplier performance to ensure compliance with quality, safety, delivery, pricing, service-level expectations, and project milestones.
• Maintain approved and preferred supplier lists while identifying qualified alternative suppliers for indirect materials and services.
• Negotiate commercial terms including pricing, warranties, service agreements, performance guarantees, delivery schedules, and contractual risk mitigation provisions.

Role Requirements:

• 7+ years of purchasing, procurement, sourcing, or supply chain experience
• Experience in sourcing industrial equipment, automation systems, utilities, engineering services and construction related services.
• Strong knowledge of MRO purchasing, spare parts management, and indirect procurement.
• Strong negotiation and vendor management skills.
• Experience in sourcing industrial equipment, automation systems, utilities, engineering services and construction related services.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to independently manage multiple projects.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel, with knowledge of pivot tables, file merging, and data import.

Nice to Have Qualifications:

• SAP or similar MRP software experience
• Experience in supporting manufacturing capital projects and facility expansions.
• Experience with procurement activities for projects in excess of $ 1 million.
• Food, beverage, consumer packaged goods, chemical, pharmaceutical, industrial, or automotive manufacturing experience.
• Ability to communicate in German is a plus