Procurement Manager; Raw Protein

Role Summary

The Procurement Manager is responsible for developing and executing strategic sourcing initiatives to ensure the timely, cost‑effective, and reliable procurement of direct materials that support manufacturing operations. This role manages supplier relationships, negotiates commercial agreements, drives cost savings and inventory optimization initiatives, and collaborates cross‑functionally with Planning, Operations, Quality, and Finance to maintain supply continuity. The position also ensures supplier compliance with food safety and quality standards while supporting continuous improvement and business objectives through effective procurement and supply chain management.

• Create and implement commodity strategies that engage the right suppliers.
• Provide and negotiate with all the information necessary to planners to execute the ordering process (approved supplier list, SLA—lead times, MOQ, etc.), price list/formula price, payment terms.
• Manage OTIF KPI and address major deviations with suppliers.
• Manage inventory value, working with planning and suppliers to achieve target monthly levels.
• Total Cost Ownership management: identify cost savings/process opportunities through RFPs, projects, spec changes, yields, and lead these projects internally.
• Support customer requirements for new developments, product changes, tests, and process optimization.
• Negotiate contracts, SLAs, and claims with external warehouses.
• Maintain Syspro supplier information (price list, payment terms, new supplier setup).
• Maintain Supplier QA documents process, including specs and SLA information.
• Approve and resolve issues with suppliers related to price discrepancies, ensuring timely payments.
• Support internal warehouse targets (space utilization) by identifying opportunities to transfer extra/obsolete materials to external warehouses.
• Reduce/eliminate spot/urgent buys by negotiating price lists and contracts for all materials.
• Negotiate claims with suppliers based on information collected by Material Planners.
• Build collaborative, mutually beneficial supplier relationships, manage rebates, service levels, and business reports.
• Lead cost savings projects.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices and HACCP standards.
• Bachelor’s Degree.
• Work experience:
  
  5+ years of procurement experience in competitive procurement, ideally including experience with Direct procurement.
• Experience working in a food processing environment, including extensive experience with raw meat and seafood.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; able to communicate firmly and precisely but with diplomacy. Conversational Spanish is a plus.

• Self‑directed with a strong work ethic and the ability to prioritize workload to ensure timely issue resolution.
• Communication:
  Exhibit honest and clear communication, both orally and written, for effective teamwork. Treat everyone equally with respect, listen to others, and make them feel valued. Communicate at higher levels when customer decisions or food safety is a concern.
• Leadership:
  May be required to take control of a team, work closely with another department or brief other members of the organization, including board members and HR staff, on a variety of matters.
• Time Management & Organization:
  Organize and prioritize actions efficiently; manage multiple tasks simultaneously; be flexible and responsive to shifting priorities and schedules while paying attention to detail.
• Team Commitment:
  Handle conflict maturely to establish trust and encourage collaboration. Understand departmental roles and support team decisions.

• Sit for an extended period of time.
• Stand and walk in cold temperatures (38°F) for several hours when needed.
• Position based onsite in Mundelein, IL. Relocation assistance available for the right candidate.

Food Safety Kilcoy has adopted the SQF System for food safety management and is under continuous USDA meat & poultry jurisdiction. All team members are responsible for food safety and quality requirements, will be regularly informed, trained, and held accountable for managing food safety and regulatory expectations within their work areas. Team members should notify their department management about any food safety issues or concerns to be adequately addressed.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

$110,000 – $140,000 annually. This range reflects our good faith estimate at the time of posting and may change based on experience and qualifications.