SUMMARY

The Raw Ingredient Buyer is responsible for managing inventory and acquiring raw materials for the production of finished goods at a designated manufacturing facility.

The ideal candidate must possess excellent planning, organizational, and mathematical skills, and the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Word is a requirement. Experience in negotiating material contracts and knowledge of food commodity buying are desirable. Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to make sound business decisions are essential. Effective communication skills and the ability to collaborate with external suppliers and internal customers are necessary. Coaching and mentoring abilities are vital, and a background or interest in the food industry is a plus.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Responsible for replenishing raw materials, building truckloads from various vendors across the country, and monitoring lead times, storage requirements, and shelf life of materials.
• Periodically attend vendor plant audits with QA manager.
• Accountable for accurate pricing of raw materials and freight costs.
• Responsible for identifying cost-saving opportunities through the review of vendor price brackets, freight differentials, and alternative supplier qualifications.
• Review the daily exception report and expedite materials as needed to ensure production coverage.
• Work with Quality to address material issues and act as a liaison between the company and vendors for material returns, discards, and reimbursements. Communicate anticipated credits or payments to Accounting.
• Collaborate with R&D to procure new ingredients for customer formulations.
• Demonstrate crisis management skills and the ability to multitask effectively when addressing issues with raw materials in production.
• Serve as a key contact between plant personnel and be available 24/7 to handle any raw material-related issues that may jeopardize plant operations.
• Facilitate the transfer of raw materials between plants as formulas shift between facilities.
• Manage truckloads in collaboration with the Logistics Department.
• Coordinate with the packaging team and Ryder to optimize weekly backhauls.
• Work with accounting to resolve invoice discrepancies in DocuWare.
• Provide coverage for other plants when buyers are out of the office.
• Submit a weekly Supplyside variance report to the plant, confirm re-counts, and make necessary adjustments.
• Review dead inventory and short-shelf raw material reports.
• Manage and oversee quarterly inventory responsibilities.

Education and/or Experience

Bachelor’s degree (B. A.) from a four-year college or university, preferably with a concentration in business or math. Alternatively, three to five years of relevant experience and/or training, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.