ILLES Foods Job Description

Job Title: Procurement Manager

Reports To: Procurement Director

FLSA: Permanent, Full Time, Exempt

Schedule: Monday-Wednesday onsite, Thursday-Friday WFH

About Us:
Specializing in custom-crafted culinary solutions—from beverage bases and sauces to marinades and seasonings—ILLES Foods has partnered with food service chains, manufacturers, and retailers across the U.S. since 1927. Our Food Innovation expertise, creativity, and speed to market, combined with a laser focus on customer experience, make us a key partner in product development.  As a family-owned, woman-run business, our growth is fueled by deeply held values: operating with integrity, maintaining intentional curiosity, and strong relationship building through the power of partnership. At ILLES Foods, we strive to be the ingredient that elevates food and enriches the lives of our partners, internal and external.

Job Summary:
The Successful candidate is responsible for managing and executing procurement strategies that support business growth, cost optimization, and supply continuity across raw materials. This role partners cross functionally with R&D, Quality, Finance, Operations, and Materials Handling to ensure reliable supply, competitive cost structures, and data driven sourcing decisions.

The ideal candidate brings deep procurement and supply chain expertise within the food manufacturing industry, and has a strong foundation in strategic sourcing, category and supplier management, and data analytics All partners conduct themselves in a manner that is aligned with our Core Values: We Operate with Integrity, Stay Intentionally Curious, and Believe in the Power of the Partnership

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Lead and support procurement initiatives across business units, including alternative sourcing, continuous improvement, risk mitigation, and continuity‑of‑supply efforts.
Support new business development by leading procurement workstreams such as advanced material planning & ordering, pricing & terms negotiations for new suppliers and materials and coordinating supplier participation in product development by managing samples, specifications, COAs, allergen documentation, and regulatory data for R&D, Culinary, and FSQR teams.
Develop and execute simplification & rationalization strategy initiatives focusing on vendors, materials and finished products. Partnering with R&D, FSQR, Finance, and Operations assess opportunities to consolidate spend and drive continuous improvement.
Assist with RFP sourcing activities for existing and new materials by evaluating contract balances, inventories, and supplier quality alerts. Identify qualified suppliers based on technical, quality, regulatory, and cost criteria, and award recommendations.
Lead the procurement weekly project management (PM) meetings for current & new customers and alternate materials & suppliers to address unique raw material needs, supply risks, and purchasing requirements. Enter and maintain procurement properties and parameters in Product Vision to support accurate costing, commercialization, and production planning. Conduct material planning analysis as needed to assess risk and allocation as needed.
Partner with FSQR on Supplier Quality. Develop, maintain, and evaluate supplier relationships, including performance monitoring, issue resolution, and continuous improvement initiatives. Proactively monitors and resolves supplier quality issues, raw material complaints, returns, and credit requests in coordination with Quality and Operations teams.
Provide technical material or category support as needed in leveraging supplier relationships and expertise to facilitate new business development and problem solving as needed.
Act as the primary procurement contact for 3PL partnership, overseeing inbound and outbound freight initiatives. Lead annual reviews with 3PL to assess mode optimization, lane analysis, and cost‑reduction initiatives. Help resolve freight supply, service, quality, pricing, and freight-related issues.
Support purchase order processing and issue resolution for assigned suppliers or categories and provide support for additional procurement and supply chain initiatives as required.
5-10% Travel required

Required Key Skills and Qualifications:

Strategic Problem Solving & Analytical Thinking: Ability to evaluate sourcing challenges, analyze data, conduct spend analysis and implement effective solutions and performance dashboards.

Negotiation & Supplier Management: Strong capability to negotiate pricing and terms while maintaining productive supplier partnerships. Foresight to redesign supplier networks, identify opportunities for consolidation and standardization, and deliver measurable financial and operational improvements across the organization.

Attention to Detail & Compliance: Ensures accuracy in purchasing data, contracts, ERP system set-ups, and documentation while adhering to policies and regulatory standards.

Communication & Cross-Functional Collaboration: Ability to influence cross-functional teams, challenge existing operating models and engage suppliers professionally. Works effectively with Operations, Quality, Food Safety, R&D, Finance, EHS and Material Handling to align purchasing decisions with business goals.

Organization & Adaptability: Manages multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment where ambiguity, complexity and change are constant. Curiosity to leverage AI and digital tools to improve procurement analysis, reporting and decision making

Flexibility: a hands-on mindset with a willingness to create, revise, confirm, track, and close purchase orders; proactively follow up on unconfirmed or past due PO’s, complete new material and supplier set-ups as required and manage expedite costs as needed

Experience & Education:

Bachelor’s degree required in Business, Supply Chain Management, Operations, Finance, or a related field; MBA required.

7-10 years of progressive experience in procurement, strategic sourcing or category management. Procurement Certification (CPIM or CPM) is a plus.

Food industry experience is required particularly with ingredient sourcing and food manufacturing environments.

Demonstrated experience working with ERP/MRP systems and inventory management processes.

Prior experience in RFP vendor negotiations, cost and spend analysis, and advanced forecasting strongly preferred.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, with advanced Excel skills is required

Working Conditions & Physical Demands:
Ability to bend, stoop, squat, reach above head, lift 50 pounds, sit, walk, or stand for long periods of time, use keyboard and calculator, see, hear, read, learn and speak

What We Offer:
We are a core-value driven, inclusive team that values innovation, growth, and impact. We offer career development, mentorship, competitive pay, and comprehensive benefits—including medical, dental, vision, 401(k) with immediate match, HSA, EAP, life, disability, and more!

Disclaimer:
The job description provides a general overview of the work, not a detailed list of all tasks and skills. Reasonable accommodation is available for individuals with disabilities as required by law. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a health or safety risk. Employees must follow job-related instructions and perform additional duties as per federal and state laws. The listed requirements are the minimum needed to perform the job effectively. Employment is "at-will," meaning it can be terminated at any time. ILLES Foods is an Equal Opportunity Employer. (M/F/D/V).

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Procurement Manager