Procurement Operations Manager - Primal Kitchen

Job Description

Job Summary

Our Operations Team is looking for a Procurement Manager to help lead Primal Kitchen’s procurement and sourcing activities across co-pack procurement, packaging procurement, and ingredient procurement. The position will work collaboratively with partners intenally, in our parent company Kraft Heinz (KHC), and our external partners to develop procurement strategy, complete day-to-day purchasing, and ensure supply continuity for the business. As part of that, the candidate will lead a small team at Primal that directly purchases avocado oil, packaging materials, and other items.  This candidate should have a proven track record of handling external partners, effectively sourcing and contracting materials, and working collaboratively within the structure of a larger procurement organization.  

While this position sits on the Primal Kitchen org chart and will work very closely with the KHC procurement org and will act as liaison between the two procurement teams. This means that the expectation is to remotely attend key KHC procurement meetings & routines, complete all KHC procurement trainings, and build positive relationships with the various buyers at Kraft Heinz. Additionally, the hire will be encouraged to work closely with KHC Legal, Materials Management, R&D, and other functional groups that play a critical role in procurement strategy & execution.      

Essential Responsibilities:

• Work collaboratively with Primal leadership to refine and execute Primal’s procurement strategy across our internal and external manufacturing locations

• Translate Primal’s procurement needs into an actionable plan – and where appropriate, liaison with KHC procurement buyers to execute the procurement needs  

• Where applicable, own Primal Kitchen's direct purchasing of materials and ingredients, including developing and negotiating supplier contracts 

• Lead Primal’s co-man relationships as it relates to procurement, including contracting, price negotiation, payment terms, and more

• Translate Finished Good forecasts into monthly ingredient-specific forecasts and aggregate ingredient demand across SKUs

• Lead and develop junior members of the Primal Operations team to increase their procurement knowledge and capabilities

• Work collaboratively with Operations team to monitor inventory levels and ensure no gaps in supply continuity

• Engage with suppliers and internal partners at Primal Kitchen to drive supplier performance, resolve quality issues, and generate market intelligence

• Problem-solve ingredient or material shortages – both internally and externally at our manufacturers

• Be the liaison to the broader Kraft Heinz procurement organization

• Track and proactively prevent supply chain loss by working collaboratively with our external manufacturers to monitor inventory levels, forecasting, and safety stock

• Drive a proactive and comprehensive procurement strategy across our co-manufacturers to ensure we are getting the lowest landed cost while not sacrificing quality  

• Work directly with co-man procurement teams to drive ingredient contracting and monitor inventory levels

• Identify gaps within Procurement and implement process improvements    

As a leader working cross-functionally with Operations, Innovation, R&D, Quality, Marketing, external partners, and others, the candidate is expected to have the following skills:

• Ability to effectively negotiate and influence business decisions and change

• Understanding of the components of a legal agreement and have reviewed and negotiated commercial terms in a prior role

• Ability to multitask and juggle projects at varying levels of complexity

• Communicate effectively with various levels of stakeholders

• Effectively articulate various perspectives and impacts of issues and project them into the future. Able to see all sides and the inherent value to partners

• Effectively work through tough agreements and settle disputes

• Able to anticipate and adjust for problems and obstacles

• Effective at establishing trust and building effective business relationships and getting things done through others

• Interpersonal Agility - knows how to get things done both through formal and informal channels

• Eliminates roadblocks and builds focus    

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Operations or Supply Chain preferred    

• 5+ years of work experience, including at least 3 years in a procurement-related function

• Experience in the food or consumer products industry preferred