Sr. Buyer, Agriculture

Florida Crystals is a leading domestic sugar producer and North America’s first fully integrated cane sugar company, guiding our sugar from farm to table.  We are America’s first and only producer of certified organic sugar, grown and harvested in the United States. Our renewable energy facility is the largest of its kind in North America and provides clean energy that powers our sugar operations, which helps us reduce our use of fossil fuels.  Florida Crystals also sustainably farms rice, sweet corn and other vegetables in rotation with our sugarcane.  Our rice mill is the only rice mill in Florida. 

 

 

OVERVIEW

Under general guidance of the Manager, Agriculture Procurement, the Senior Buyer is responsible for FCC’s purchasing strategy through effective vendor relationship management, contract & project management, and management of suppliers. The Senior Buyer will provide direct contact for customers in the procurement of agricultural materials and services at multiple locations throughout North and Central America. The Senior Buyer will be required to work well in a team environment, have the ability to handle a large order volume, prioritize appropriately, and maintain positive business relationships with both internal and external customers. The incumbent must be able to travel up to 20% of the time; travel will be assigned based on the current needs of the business.

 

 

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution with a minimum of 3-5 years of applicable purchasing and agricultural experience.

 

 

ESSENTIAL CAPABILITIES (KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES

• Experience with purchasing on an ERP system.
• Ability to successfully negotiate price, terms, delivery, and volume levels with suppliers.
• Research and evaluate global suppliers based on price, quality, service, support, availability, reliability, production and distribution capabilities, reputation, financial status, and history.
• Work with the Fleet Managers, end users, and suppliers to optimize and standardize agricultural equipment on a global scale.
• Work with finance, operations, and leadership to deliver sustainability solutions.
• Collaborate on material or equipment specifications, review requisitions for goods and services, solicit proposals, and ensure suppliers provide timely and high quality materials and services to agricultural operations.
• Ability to anticipate issues, perform independent/critical needs analysis, and take corrective actions resulting in thorough and effective solutions.
• At a minimum, must have intermediate skills with Microsoft Office Suite (specifically Excel, Word, and PowerPoint).
• Ability to work in a high dollar, deadline driven purchasing environment.
• Ability to work with changing market conditions, incomplete information, and make decisions in the best interests of the business.

• Must have a solid understanding of TCO (total cost of ownership).
• Ability to provide a superior level of customer service and follow up on a variety of issues.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including the ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with internal and external members of the Supply Chain as well as present information in a clear and concise manner to all audience levels.

 

 

PREFERRED CAPABILITIES (KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES)

• Prior experience working across a multi-site enterprise.
• Prior experience with SAP and or Ariba Platforms.
• Verbal and written fluency in Spanish & English.

 

 

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

• Acting strategically- Aligns day to day activities around broader organizational goals and objectives; prioritizes resources based on the strategic objectives of the organization; recognizes and rewards people based on how their actions support the broader needs of the company.
• Working with Ambiguity- Achieves forward progress in the face of poorly defined situations and/or unclear goals; able to work effectively with limited or partial information.
• Accountability: Takes accountability for delivering on commitments; owns mistakes and uses