Purchasing Manager

Negotiates and manages purchasing programs with approved suppliers for sale to endorsed distributors, ensuring adequate quantities of approved product at competitive prices for franchisees and generating a profit for the organization. Follows up with manufacturers and troubleshoots to resolve issues such as shipment shortages to distributors, pricing discrepancies, product complaints, and production delays. Utilizes basic risk management programs to mitigate risk exposure and supply disruptions.

Ensures inventory levels are adequate across all distributors. Assist in the preparation of the USCI annual profit plan.

• Negotiates pricing and freight with approved suppliers to ensure competitive pricing and availability and enhance franchisee profitability. Negotiates 1-3 year contracts to ensure optimum costs, risk mitigation, and reliable supply.
• Understands commodity price drivers, raw materials sourcing, production, and can implement basic risk management strategies.
• Supports the efforts of marketing in establishing a promotional calendar, then works with suppliers to make sure adequate inventory is available to meet the demand of system sales or test markets. Follows up with manufacturers and troubleshoots to resolve shipment shortages to distribution centers.
• Negotiates, where necessary, and ensures timely and accurate supplier compliance with USCI standards, programs, responses, reports, and payments of committed funds.
• Utilizes quality reports and franchisee complaints to help develop solutions for quality issues with QA, R&D, and suppliers. Works with suppliers to keep complaint levels within a normal range and be willing to have direct conversations if quality issues are not within an acceptable range.
• Have the tenacity to elevate conversations within a supplier organization to gain agreement or solutions.
• Establishes and maintains positive relationships with suppliers and the endorsed distributor to assure the highest level of service.

• Ensures inventory levels are adequate across all distributors. Anticipates and works to prevent and eliminate slow-moving and obsolete inventory, as well as inventory shortages in certain areas. When this occurs, it gathers data from manufacturer and distributor inventory to determine inventory across distribution centers, which distribution centers are in most need, and from which to move inventory to other distribution centers, taking into account sales and promotional history, etc.
• Can identify and quickly evaluate multiple alternative suppliers that are potential manufacturers for key items in areas of assigned responsibility.
• Can manage multiple LTOs or product tests within the area of responsibility. Maintains knowledge of inventory of unique raw ingredients, work in progress, and other materials that may cause risk to the supply chain.
• Knows and has used alternative distribution methods to ensure the product moves through the supply chain effectively.

• Maintains accurate prices, as well as vital product and supplier information within USCI systems, for use by endorsed distributors and corporate staff.
• In preparation for longer term product launches, and with the aim of cost savings and efficiency, provides input to the strategy created by the Director or the VP of Purchasing by advising on necessary product (raw material, tooling, etc.) ordering time frames, taking into account anticipated manufacturer delays, technical aspects associated with freight and shipping, and risk management opportunities, etc.
• For the purposes of creating the USCI annual profit plan, is responsible for estimating/forecasting the number, price, and movement of cases for the product area of responsibility. Forecasts for supply amounts of approximately $40-$60M in sales.
• Updates product cost-based commodity forecasts that are used by IDQ’s Finance Team to send Franchisees’ menu pricing recommendations.

• Monitors and analyzes market trends and data provided by economists, suppliers, and other industry publications and sources.
• Researches and stays knowledgeable of industry information and of market trends for key commodities affecting product costs, and works proactively to minimize negative impact on product pricing and availability.
• Communicates price changes and significant industry information to franchisees and corporate employees.
• Can communicate new or potential risk management strategies or options in the industry.
• Continuously reviews new and alternative suppliers to keep up to date on changing suppliers to the industry.

• Assists with planning and coordination of supplier participation at the annual Supply Chain Summit and every other year, DQ Connect.
• Sources product and alternative suppliers in support of R&D / Marketing departments as it relates to the execution of the…