Strategic Purchasing Specialist

Purchasing & Inventory Specialist

St. Catharines, ON

Food Production

The Opportunity :

Our client has a great opportunity to bring your knowledge and experience to a growing and dynamic company. Your key mandate is to lead Purchasing of ingredients and raw materials and analyze and coordinate the inventory and consumption of material, as well as to create beneficial relationships within the team and with domestic and international suppliers.

The role works closely with several other interconnected teams (Operations, Quality, R&D, Finance) as well as with international sister companies to continuously re-evaluate new and cost-effective alternative source of supply.

The successful candidate will have a passion for seeking out solutions, is self-motivated and a strategic and critical thinker.

Key Responsibilities & Deliverables :

• Analyze and determine appropriate raw material inventory levels based on customer requirement and market pricing / availability
• Collaborate with buyer and production scheduler to maintain and implement materials purchase plan in accordance with actual customer demand
• Manage overseas container shipments by actively planning material requirements and collaborating with our sister companies located abroad
• Develop contingency supply strategies, identify risks, potential liabilities, and forecast tolerance to ensure supply is met
• Source, obtain, and evaluate competitive quotes for materials, equipment, supplies and services
• Negotiate terms, pricing, and contract with all vendors and service providers
• Maintain and build collaborative and credible relationships with all vendors and service providers
• Act as the main vendor contact for all issues regarding pricing discrepancies, quality, terms, and conditions, and timely deliveries
• Maintain supplier rating system based on delivery, quality, and other attributes
• Maintain and update Approved Supplier Price List
• Work with finance team to ensure purchasing spend is within set budget
• Develop and execute strategies to meet supply chain KPI’s such as : cost reductions, on-time delivery, inventory accuracy, etc.
• Oversee and verify inventory accuracy, and coordinate corrective actions
• Actively review inventory status to identify and address slow moving material
• Research and prepare report for market pricing and trend of key ingredients and commodities
• Identify and execute opportunities for continuous improvement as it relates to procurement, supply chain, and inventory management

Desired Qualifications, Skills and Abilities :

Education and Experience :