Director of Procurement (Animal Nutrition) (Finance)

Purpose of the Position

The Director of Strategic Sourcing provides leadership and overall direction for the Sourcing & Procurement functions for assigned categories and business units within Simmons Foods. Develops and manages sourcing strategies, processes and procedures to ensure proper inventory levels at all locations for continuous supply of goods. The Director of Strategic Sourcing will drive to continuously improve processes, optimize inventory levels, deliver a competitive cost advantage, recruit and develop talent, develop and grow effective external and internal relationships and thrive on driving results.

Responsibilities & Tasks

• Lead the team to manage sourcing strategies, processes and procedures to ensure optimal inventory levels at all locations and ensure surety of supply to support continuous operations of direct and indirect materials.
• Develop and sustain an effective supplier relationship management program to meet current and future business needs.
• Actively lead the teams in supplier and item level strategic rationalization exercises to ensure the ongoing efficiency and health of the business
• Oversee and lead the competitive bid process, for goods and services, including sourcing event type, supplier selection, negotiations, pricing, commercial terms and agreements.
• Lead team members to develop and execute short and long-term capacity planning and analysis to meet the ongoing needs of the business.
• Responsible for ensuring all contractual agreements are executed and meet all company and legal requirements and include best practices to support the collective enterprise.
• Drive strategic CapEx investments in collaboration with Senior Management by providing strategic insights and analysis in the bidding process, securing pricing and negotiating contract terms, pricing and conditions.
• Recruit, develop and mentor talent to support the ongoing and future needs of the business.
• Collaborate and build strong relationships with cross-functional business partners and procurement teams across the enterprise, including Operations, Sales, Marketing, Research & Development, Finance, Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, Regulatory and other team members to provide project support and ensure purchasing and procurement best practices are utilized to deliver business results.
• Build strong relationships with leaders across all business areas to resolve tactical and strategic issues (resource constraints, labor, quality, etc.) and identify and execute long-term solutions and drive accountability while establishing a culture that encourages people to work together to solve complex issues & problems.
• Drive transformational change by establishing results focused KPIs, that align with and support the annual operating plan, and actively manage the business to deliver against these metrics.
• Foster and grow a culture to drive continuous improvement to move the business forward while driving waste and inefficiency out of the organization.
• Direct responsibility to ensure the Strategic Sourcing team delivers on all ethical, sustainability, diversity company priorities and objectives.
• Drive joint business planning processes with strategic supplier partners to push the business forward and position the company to leverage key resources and deliver on future opportunities.

Essential Position Responsibilities - This is a Salary Exempt position.

Oversees the development and execution of strategies through the strategic sourcing process. Serves as primary champion and process leader for the strategic sourcing process across Refrigerated Meats, Packaging, Indirect or Commodity categories including contract negotiations (depending on the division). Works with the divisional President and senior team members to set priorities and performance goals for the purchasing and strategic sourcing teams, guides strategy development, oversees the development of annual strategic sourcing plans which specify how savings goals will be achieved, communicates team progress to senior business unit leadership and ensures clear alignment between team actions and business unit interests. Leads strategic sourcing efforts in specific procurement areas of responsibility.

Oversees the process to select and manage suppliers. Based on the sourcing strategy, oversees the supplier selection and negotiation process for key sourcing teams. Establishes and maintains contractual and business relationships with senior management of key suppliers. Active in efforts to source from diverse suppliers. Effectively communicates all contracts with each facility for implementation purposes, accordingly.

Measures and tracks internal performance within each spend category. With the assistance of the Purchasing Managers, tracks forecasted vs. actual savings for sourced categories and communicates performance against these measures and their potential budgetary impact. Works closely with senior stakeholders in the business units to ensure savings are built into budgets and into the annual operating plan.

Monitor strategy implementation. Works with Purchasing Managers to ensure that sourcing strategies are implemented and that "Total Cost of Ownership" reductions are secured according to forecasts. Breaks down organizational barriers and communicates overall sourcing trends/results for assigned procurement area (to the senior leader in purchasing and or finance/accounting depending on the division) and to senior business unit leadership.

Team Building. Works across departments that contribute to building effective collaboration and leading direct reports in providing feedback, coaching and developmental opportunities that contribute to building effective Teams. Challenges and inspires team members to achieve business results. Develops departmental succession plans as a means to promote growth within the department and provide sustainability to the development of the team.

Manages employees. Directs and supervises employees' work activities and monitors work performance. Collaborates with Human Resources to screen, interview and hire candidates. Administers disciplinary actions and recommends performance improvement actions in collaboration with the HR Manager. Monitors work performance and recommends compensation decisions based on guidelines. Follows Simmons values to develop and maintain a favorable working relationship with all employees. Promotes a cooperative and harmonious environment in order to facilitate positive employee morale, productivity, and continued improvement.

Participates as a member of the Team . Participates in the ongoing development, communication and implementation of team concepts, programs and policies; coordinates work to ensure best practices with all team members. Attends appropriate team meetings. As a member of the Team, fosters strong cohesiveness regarding all major issues; e.g., direction, annual plan, budget, policy changes, etc. Accepts responsibility to quickly identify any areas that lack cohesiveness, bringing them to the attention of the team leader and working with the team in a supportive manner to resolve issues and actively look for ways, and reinforce actions needed, to achieve synergy possible within the larger organization.

Simmons Operating systems principles and objectives: Is familiar with Simmons' established operating systems (e.g. quality, security, office environment, company policies, LEAN); understands the responsibility to maintain familiarity with the systems and this position's role in support of these systems - including a consideration of the impact of individual actions on the systems and the responsibility to communicate concerns and improvement ideas.

Performs other duties as necessary in support of business objectives: This position description is intended to guide the activities of the person in this position and is not intended to limit the thinking and creativity of the person as to the work of this function nor is it intended that this describe all the work that may be required of the person in this position.

Physical Activities: Enters and locates information on a computer. Visually verifies information, often in small print. Communicates with Customers, Vendors, or Employees via telephone, in person, and/or electronic mail. May present information to small or large groups. Must be able to work in various temperatures. Move about in a manufacturing environment, office environment, and surrounding property.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): As required by visiting facility.

Travel: Travels within North America, often requiring overnight stays. Approximately 30%.

Technical Experience: 7 or more years purchasing experience within the Poultry, Pet Food or Animal Nutrition Industries with an extensive knowledge of the Commodity market as it relates to Proteins, Fats and other Nutrients, Grains, Packaging and Indirect Spend. Extensive knowledge of JD Edwards or Oracle software preferred. Proven ability to develop and implement cross functional teams, as well as work effectively on these types of teams to deliver results. 3-5 years managerial experience is required. Strong analytical ability, production scheduling knowledge and financial & commercial awareness required. Experience effectively managing working capital and customer requirements.

Industry Experience: Preference for experience within the Poultry, Pet Food, Animal Nutrition or related Industry and/or Consumer Packaging, Food Ingredient Industry.

Minimum Education : Bachelor's Degree in Business or related field, or 4 years related work experience

Preferred Education: Designated Supply Chain Management Professional (SCMP), MBA or equivalent.

We value military experience and welcome veterans to join our team.