Threshold Enterprises® is a wholesale distributor of dietary supplements and health care products to the natural foods industry and health care professionals as well as the parent company of Source Naturals® and Planetary Herbals® brand supplements.
Summary of Job Duties:
The Purchasing Manager is responsible for meeting the purchasing needs for Threshold manufacturing and supporting other corporate procurement needs. The Purchasing Manager will implement best practices to optimize processes, workflows, materials management and suppliers. The Purchasing Manager will utilize his/her knowledge of the nutritional raw material and dietary supplement manufacturing industries to proactively identify potential supply issues and resolve them to ensure continuous supply of components to support the manufacturing of Threshold products. This position will be responsible to leverage Threshold buying power to reduce cost and will be required to negotiate supply agreements as per Threshold standards and in compliance with cGMPs and 21 CFR part 111.
Specific Job Duties:
- Manage and direct personnel and daily workflow in the Materials/MRO Purchasing department.
- Effectively motivate, train and communicate with assigned team members to assure superior levels of Safety, Quality, Service and Cost.
- Ensure that purchases are compliant with cGMPs and 21 CFR part 111.
- Demonstrate and teach negotiation skills.
- Lead Threshold in optimizing the purchasing standards for complex commodities or commodity groups, components and MRO items.
- Drive long term purchasing standards through cross-functional teams to generate supply chain improvements and efficiencies through the optimization of processes, designs, materials and suppliers.
- Establish and implement best practices to ensure continuous supply of components.
- Establish a good relationship with global suppliers
- Lead two-way communication with suppliers to ensure that challenges and issues receive the appropriate response.
- Research and analyze market intelligence to make strategic recommendations to senior management on timely purchases.
- Support new product launches on schedule by procuring components from preferred suppliers, ensuring that components are delivered to support launch timelines.
- Demonstrate leadership within project teams by clearly communicating expectations, motivating team performance and managing all deliverables.
- Develop and implement long term corporate sourcing strategies.
- Negotiate and execute supply agreements with favorable terms to Threshold.
- Build relationships with suppliers.
- Support Purchasing agents in managing negotiations, pricing, quality and availability with numerous suppliers.
- Coordinate activities with Planning, R&D, QC, QA, suppliers and contract manufacturers to ensure successful fulfillment in a timely manner.
- Perform all other tasks as assigned by Threshold Management.
Minimum Qualifications Required:
- Minimum 5 years relevant work experience in purchasing with a natural raw materials or dietary supplement company, including supervising and or managing personnel.
- Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Supply Chain, Engineering, Technology or a related relevant degree.
- Recognized business acumen.
- Strong analytical skills to develop complex, multi-year strategic business plans.
- Proven selling, negotiation and influencing skills.
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills.
- Ability to build relationships and strategic alliances.
- Ability to motivate teams and suppliers to meet strategic objectives.
- Solid mentoring, training and coaching skills
- Excellent computer competency.
Skills and/or Training Desired:
- 10+ years of experience purchasing in natural products or dietary supplements.
- Well-developed understanding of contract development with global experience.
- Cross functional team experience with Planning, R&D, Quality and suppliers.
- Supply Chain operational experience.
- Master’s Degree in Business or Supply Chain.
- Six Sigma, Lean, TQM or other strategy experience.
- Existing contacts within the dietary supplement industries.