Procurement Manager - Packaging

Position Summary:

This individual will proactively manage the direct raw material supply base to meet Ventura Foods Customer Experience by procuring Packaging materials that meet service, quality, cost, inventory, growth, and innovation business requirements.     

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

Category Strategy & Market Intelligence

• Develop and manage multi‑million‑dollar Packaging Category Strategies within Direct Procurement.
• Deep expertise in packaging raw materials/substrates/chemicals; leverage market & commodity insights, escalation/de‑escalation mechanisms, and inflation mitigation to inform forecasting, decisions, and competitive pricing.
• Provide quarterly updates on cost inflation by category and update quarterly standard costs.

Cost Management, Value Creation & Savings Pipeline

• Identify, assess, build business cases for, prioritize, and execute cost savings initiatives (product optimization, service/quality optimization, supplier optimization, process improvement, competitive bidding, should‑cost modeling, joint CI, negotiations).
• Partner with suppliers and external category experts to develop robust savings/value pipelines and measurable benefits.

Cross-Functional Partnership & Commercialization

• Partner closely with senior leadership across Sales & Marketing, Engineering, Finance, Supply Chain, and Quality to align with business strategy and position Procurement as a strategic partner.
• Lead/support commercialization and growth initiatives via strategic sourcing; optimize supplier network in collaboration with cross‑functional teams.
• Conduct business reviews with internal stakeholders and suppliers to track goals, surface issues/opportunities, and review category trends.

Supplier Lifecycle, Performance & SRM

• Establish best practices to develop and execute supplier agreements.
• Lead and support Supplier Performance Management—track/analyze Service, Quality, Cost, and Innovation for key Packaging suppliers on a recurring cadence.
• Support and implement SRM for assigned suppliers to drive continuous improvement and long‑term, collaborative relationships.

Risk Management & Continuity of Supply

• Proactively monitor and manage internal and external risk (market, operational, quality, logistics, financial) to ensure continuity of supply.
• Integrate risk considerations into sourcing, supplier selection/segmentation, and contract terms.

Sustainability, Diversity & Governance

• Lead sustainability and diversity programs for Packaging suppliers in alignment with Ventura Foods’ priorities.
• Embed governance through standardized practices/playbooks and agreement frameworks to ensure compliance and ethical sourcing.

Leadership, Project Delivery & Tactical Execution

• Lead and coordinate cross‑functional teams to manage projects to outcomes (timeline, quality, cost).
• Support high‑level Procurement initiatives and mentor/support peers to build organizational capability.
• Support tactical activities related to Procurement Category Management (e.g., sourcing events, data upkeep, reporting).

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain Management, Industrial or Packaging Engineering, Business or equivalent Manufacturing Operations experience, is required.
• Packaging procurement experience is required.
• 5+ years Procurement and/or Strategic Sourcing experience, inclusive of vendor selection, negotiation, commercial agreements, and supplier performance management, is required.
• 7+ years Purchasing and/or Supply Chain Planning and Management experience, is required.
• Ability to travel 15% in North America.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain Management, Industrial or Packaging Engineering or Business is desired.
• Masters degree (M.B.A.) beneficial.
• CPSM highly desirable.
• Experience in food manufacturing environment beneficial. 
• ERP or MRP experience (Oracle Fusion, JDE, etc.) is strongly helpful.
• Knowledge of substrates market indexes, like IHS, etc. is helpful.                                                                                                                                                                                             

Knowledge and Skills:

• Demonstrates strategic thinking combined with tactical actions.
• Successfully leads and influences key stakeholders at all levels and across diverse functions, cultures, regions, suppliers, and sites.
• Effective working in a matrix organization and comfortable working in teams.
• Strong leadership, project management, negotiation, influence, and presentation skills.
• Adept at influencing change and alignment with the ability to foster partnerships up and down all levels of the organization with areas such as Supply Chain, Packaging Engineering, Quality, Finance, Manufacturing, S&OP.
• Strong overall business acumen and organizational savvy with the ability to effectively deal with ambiguity.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Results oriented, self-starter, and able to handle multiple initiatives while meeting all key objectives and deadlines.
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills.
• Proficient with analytical and presentation software including Microsoft Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Word.