Director of Purchasing

We are seeking an experienced Director of Purchasing to lead our purchasing function and help build a more strategic, scalable approach to procurement across the organization. This is a highly hands-on leadership role for someone who can think strategically but is also willing to roll up their sleeves and work through the day-to-day details.

The Director of Purchasing will lead a small team while personally owning key purchasing activities, including meat and protein buying, supplier negotiations, contract management, commodity market analysis, sourcing strategy, and supply risk management.

This individual will play a critical role in strengthening our approach to commodity purchasing through improved market intelligence, inventory visibility, analytical tools, and structured decision-making. The position will work closely with executive leadership to evaluate market conditions, manage purchasing risks, and translate market insights into actionable purchasing strategies.

The right person must be comfortable moving between developing a long-term purchasing strategy, negotiating a significant supplier agreement, analyzing commodity markets, and working through an immediate operational issue on the same day. We are looking for someone who is resourceful, practical, and skilled in problem-solving across many facets of a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Based at our Lynn manufacturing facility, this role will work closely with Operations, Planning, Sales, Finance, Quality, and other areas of the business to ensure purchasing decisions support both immediate production needs and the company's longer-term objectives.

• Lead, manage, and develop a small team of purchasing professionals while remaining actively involved in day-to-day purchasing activities and working alongside the team to address operational needs.
• Take direct ownership of meat and protein purchasing while providing oversight and direction across other purchasing categories.
• Develop and execute short- and long-term purchasing and sourcing strategies, incorporating commodity market intelligence, supply risk, and business requirements.
• Monitor domestic and global meat and protein markets, including pricing trends, supply and demand dynamics, geopolitical factors, and other market conditions that may impact purchasing decisions.
• Translate commodity market intelligence into actionable purchasing recommendations, including purchasing timing, supplier selection, volume commitments, and inventory positioning.
• Develop and implement commodity risk management strategies to mitigate price volatility, supply disruptions, and other purchasing exposures.
• Evaluate domestic and international sourcing opportunities, including global protein suppliers, import considerations, and alternative supply channels.
• Lead supplier negotiations, including pricing, contracts, volume commitments, terms, and other commercial agreements.
• Build strong relationships with key suppliers while continually evaluating alternative sources and opportunities.
• Balance cost, quality, inventory, service levels, and supply continuity when making purchasing decisions.
• Identify and execute cost savings opportunities while ensuring purchasing decisions support the broader needs of the business.
• Proactively identify supply risks and develop strategies to minimize potential disruptions.
• Work closely with Planning and Operations to align purchasing with forecasts, production schedules, inventory levels, and changing business needs.
• Partner with Sales and Finance to understand customer requirements, forecasts, pricing considerations, and margin impacts.
• Negotiate and manage supplier contracts and ensure commercial terms are appropriately documented and monitored.
• Establish and…