Follow Us  Latest Job Opening for Food & Beverage Industry  Job #05304 About our client Our client is a privately owned manufacturer of pasta and dried noodles. The company has been in operation for more than 25 years and employs over 10,000 people. Position Location Director Purchasing Illinois Salary Reports to Highly competitive package, commensurate with experience Management Responsibilities 1) Lead the purchasing tasks for ingredients, finished products and package materials 2) Strengthen cost competitiveness and support business growth strategies through leveraging purchasing power 3) Define and implement purchasing strategies such as level of integration, suppliers’ basis, type of contracts (short/long term) 4) Support current needs and future growth strategies 5) Develop and analyze market demand, availability trends, company portfolio, pricing and competitor’s data 6) Utilize the data to improve overall purchasing performance 7) Handle contract negotiation with third party suppliers including co-packers, and define requirement for purchase orders 8) Establish pricing and performance standards with suppliers, always seeking ingredients with the highest quality at the best price 9) Search continuously for alternative suppliers and build strong relationships with supplier base 10) Maintain an adequate alternative that allows achieving the best quality, service and price 11) Develop and implement cost saving projects through change of specifications, suppliers and strategies 12) Oversee the correct and timely administration of all general data, including pricing, primary and secondary suppliers and contract status 13) Liaise with Finance for semi-annual true-ups and issue resolution 14) Oversee annual budget management and preparation of all necessary reporting including variances 15) Identify benchmarking data tools and monitor major market trends through interaction with external resources (associations, institutions, media and specialized literature) 16) Support Corporate QA in vendor management and certification 17) Participate in business teams including project development, working closely with Marketing and R&D 18) Support the plants in the energy purchase activities as well as evaluate alternatives of supply and negotiating contracts 19) Work with multiple plant locations and resolve non-conformities, supply issues as well as evaluate alternatives 20) Identify and implement proper supplier basis and cost optimization over indirect materials and services 21) Support Purchasing Global Team over global purchasing strategies and category management with leverage on global markets and global supplies 22) Strengthen cost competitiveness by identifying cost improvement opportunities and materializing related savings 23) Support the CSR plans over supplier’s chains 24) Ensure continuity of supply and reliability of suppliers’ portfolios 25) Support project development over existing and new business categories Requirements 1) 4-year degree (MBA a plus) 2) 10+ years of experience in purchasing with 5 years in consumer products industry (multinational food company a plus) as well as proven track record of accomplishments 3) Knowledge of raw materials and co-packing supplier basis and contract management 4) Technical experience in at least one area of packaging a plus (working with glass, cartons, etc.) 5) Experience in JD Edwards, Manugistics or SAP 6) Experience in pricing and contract management (including drafting contracts, in close contact with internal counsel) 7) Expertise in leading multiple projects across multiple disciplines (Marketing, Supply Chain, etc.) with proven results 8) Knowledge of the energy market and key indirect categories an asset 9) Excellent communication and presentation skills 10) Strong analytical, negotiation and problem-solving skills 11) Ability to work on a global purchasing team with high-level interaction with HQ 12) Ability to build and maintain cross-functional working relationships with Marketing, R&D, Sales and Finance 13) Ability to speak Italian a plus 14) Willingness to travel (20% to 25%)