Sourcing manager, Global Tea

Now Brewing - sourcing manager, Global Tea! #tobeapartner

From the beginning, Starbucks set out to be a different kind of company. One that not only celebrated coffee and the rich tradition, but that also brought a feeling of connection. We are known for developing extraordinary leaders who share this passion and are guided by their service to others.

As a sourcing manager, Global Tea, you will contribute to Starbucks success by supporting and executing sourcing strategies for tea, botanicals, and related ingredients that enable exceptional quality, supply continuity, responsible sourcing, and value. Working closely with tea product development, quality, sustainability, supply chain, and supplier partners, this role helps ensure Starbucks sources teas and botanicals that meet our quality expectations, support our product portfolio, and strengthen our long-term supplier partnerships.

This role is ideal for someone with sourcing, procurement, supply chain, or agricultural commodity experience who brings a strong interest in tea and botanicals, understands the importance of ingredient quality, and can connect supplier capability, origin conditions, quality performance, and business needs.

As a sourcing manager, Global Tea, you will...

* Develop and execute sourcing strategies for tea, botanicals, and related beverage ingredients across priority categories, suppliers, and origins.

* Partner with Quality, R&D, and Product teams to help ensure sourced ingredients meet Starbucks expectations for sensory quality, specification compliance, consistency, and customer experience.

* Use supplier insights, origin knowledge, market intelligence, crop conditions, cost drivers, and quality performance data to inform sourcing recommendations.

* Manage core and routine supplier relationships, including supplier meetings, performance discussions, quality issue follow-up, corrective actions, and improvement plans.

* Support the evaluation and onboarding of tea and botanical suppliers, including assessment of supplier capability, quality systems, responsible sourcing practices, capacity, and commercial fit.

* Partner with quality, product, sustainability, planning, logistics, and other cross-functional teams to support supply continuity, product quality, responsible sourcing, and commercialization needs.

* Identify and help mitigate risks related to supply availability, ingredient quality, ethical sourcing, regulatory requirements, logistics, supplier capacity, and cost volatility.

* Build and maintain a value pipeline that may include cost savings, margin protection, quality improvement, supplier diversity, innovation, responsible sourcing, and sustainability opportunities.

* Support contracting activities, including pre-planning, term-sheet development, negotiation support, agreement execution, and ongoing contract compliance.

* Support responsible sourcing program execution through traceability, supplier due diligence, data collection, documentation, and sustainability reporting.

* Manage multiple projects and timelines, independently solving problems and escalating appropriately to enable successful execution.

* Connect supplier capabilities with internal product, quality, and business needs to support innovation and long-term category health.

We'd love to hear from people with:

* Experience in tea, botanicals, coffee, agricultural commodities, food and beverage ingredients, or other quality-sensitive global supply chains.

* Understanding of how agricultural origin, supplier capability, processing, logistics, storage, and specification management can affect ingredient quality.

* Experience working with suppliers to improve performance, resolve quality or supply issues, and support business objectives.

* Experience in sourcing, procurement, supply chain, planning, quality, product development, analytics, or related business functions.

* Analytical skills and comfort using data to evaluate supplier spend, cost drivers, quality performance, risk, and sourcing opportunities.

* Interest in responsible sourcing, sustainability, traceability, ethical procurement, and supplier due diligence.

* Ability to manage projects, prioritize competing work, and communicate clearly with cross-functional stakeholders.

* Collaborative negotiation skills and a supplier partnership mindset.

Required Qualifications

* Bachelor's degree in supply chain, business, agriculture, food science, engineering, or a related field preferred, or equivalent experience.

* 2+ years of experience in sourcing, procurement, supply chain, quality, product development, analytics, planning, finance, engineering, or another relevant field.

* Working knowledge of procurement processes such as sourcing strategies, supplier relationship management, RFXs, market analysis, risk management, and key legal terms.

* Demonstrated ability to manage projects, prioritize work, and execute against timelines.

* Strong problem-solving skills and business acumen.

* Ability to influence and collaborate across peer…