Director of Purchasing & Commodities

Description

#Come Join The Fun  with us as our Director of Procurement & Commodities and be part of #Making Candy Fun !

At R.M. Palmer Company, our mission is clear: driving innovation that celebrates life’s special moments by focusing on value and integrity while making candy fun in everything we do. We take pride in blending creativity and tradition to deliver products that spark joy, bring smiles, and create lasting memories, one candy at a time.

Since 1948, R.M. Palmer Company, LLC has grown from just 4 employees and 4 products into a leading manufacturer of imaginative chocolate novelties with more than 500 unique products and over 600 full-time employees. Today, we operate two manufacturing facilities and a distribution center the size of 11 football fields, producing more than 50 million pounds of product each year.

Our continued success is built on the people and values that drive us every day. We believe in getting it done with urgency, ownership, and accountability. We challenge ourselves to break it better through innovation, curiosity, and continuous improvement. We own the outcome by taking responsibility and acting in the best interest of our team, customers, and company. We play to win by focusing on results and striving for excellence in everything we do.

Most importantly, we aim to leave them smiling by bringing positivity, teamwork, passion, and energy to every interaction.

The Director of Procurement & Commodities leads strategic sourcing, purchasing, and commodity management across the organization’s confectionery manufacturing operations. This role is responsible for ensuring supply continuity, optimizing material costs, managing commodity risk, and developing strong supplier partnerships to support operational and business objectives.

• Develop and execute procurement and commodity strategies aligned with business and operational goals.
• Lead sourcing and market strategies for key commodities, including cocoa, sugar, dairy, oils, and packaging materials.
• Monitor commodity markets and proactively manage pricing volatility, inflation, supply risk, and cost exposure.
• Manage material budgets, forecasts, cost models, and initiatives focused on savings, cost avoidance, and PPV improvement.
• Oversee purchasing activities to ensure materials are available to support production schedules and inventory requirements.
• Strengthen supplier performance through strategic relationships, contract management, negotiations, and risk mitigation.
• Develop contingency and dual-sourcing strategies to protect supply continuity.
• Ensure supplier compliance with food safety, quality, regulatory, and contractual requirements.
• Partner with Planning, Operations, Logistics, Finance, R&D, Sales, and Marketing to support business needs, product launches, and customer initiatives.
• Drive procurement process improvements, ERP accuracy, data integrity, and purchasing discipline.
• Lead, develop, and coach the procurement and commodities team, building capabilities in strategic sourcing, negotiation, and commodity management.
• Provide leadership with visibility into procurement performance, market conditions, supply risks, and cost opportunities.

• 8–12+ years of progressive procurement, strategic sourcing, or supply chain experience; food manufacturing or CPG experience preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Finance, or a related field required; CPSM, CPM, MBA, or other advanced degree preferred.
• Strong experience in commodity management, market-driven sourcing, and supplier negotiations.
• Proven success delivering cost savings, cost avoidance, and supplier performance improvements.
• Experience supporting procurement across multiple manufacturing facilities preferred.
• Strong financial acumen with an understanding of COGS, working capital, and material cost drivers.
• Experience with ERP systems, procurement analytics, and data-driven decision-making.
• Demonstrated leadership experience with a track record of developing high-performing teams.
• Strong negotiation, analytical, problem-solving, and strategic thinking skills.