Procurement Category Manager

Who We Are

At Freshpet, our goal is to change the way people nourish their pets forever. We strive to strengthen the bond between people and our pets so that we both live longer, healthier, and happier lives while being kind to the planet. We believe that if we can create fresh, real foods that pets love and help them live healthier lives, that their pet parents will also enjoy the many benefits of a rich life shared with a pet.

We started off with a mission to change the way pet parents feed dogs and cats, but we also wanted to be a company that had a thoughtful approach to how we operate. We wanted to do things differently, make great products but be gentle to the planet, good to the people who touch our business, and leave a positive impact with everything we do. We work hard every day to ensure that the original vision is met, starting with making the highest quality foods in our kitchens to running our business with integrity, transparency, and social and environmental responsibility. IT'S AMAZING WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN YOU START COMPLETELY FRESH!

What You Will Do

As Indirect Procurement Category Manager, MRO and services, you will work with internal stakeholders to develop the sourcing strategy for the indirect spend related to maintenance, repair and operations categories. The goal is to be a value-added sourcing partner to the business to ensure a complete alignment and deep understanding of the business goals in developing sourcing strategies. You will interface with internal stakeholders to carry out all procurement activity from RFQ to supplier selection and implement robust contracts. You will recommend cost savings proposals including alternative sourcing solutions and will collaborate to determine appropriate action.

How You Will Make An Impact

• Develop & foster relationships with major suppliers in the marketplace

• Understand and stay abreast of macroeconomic, regulatory, and capacity trends which could impact the business

• Leverage procurement best practices to develop and implement strategies in alignment with business and project objectives

• Work with stakeholders to conduct make/buy analysis for relevant categories

• Demonstrate leadership, engagement, and partnerships with internal stakeholders to understand requirements and collaborate on solutions

• Develop detailed project plans, project scopes, and project objectives based on specifications and feedback from key stakeholders

• Run large scale Requests for Quote (RFQ) following through to full supplier selection and evaluation

• Lead the development, negotiation, and implementation of contract agreements with suppliers including Freshpet legal, if needed

• Evaluate risks, negotiate services, prices, and terms of contracts, and recommend purchases to obtain the best possible value while adhering to quality of work, specifications, and business requirements

• Understand changes to business forecasts, project objectives, and translate its impact to procurement activities

• Responsible for ensuring purchases or services meet and/or exceeds contractual obligations, and any pertaining industry standards or customer requirements

• Support stakeholders on supplier relationship management initiatives to drive delivery of best-in-class performance and innovative products and services

• Engage in dispute resolution and continuous improvement processes, when needed

What You Will Bring

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain, business, engineering, or equivalent experience

• 8+ years of experience in an indirect category manager/sourcing manager role working for a direct manufacturer

• Collaborate with people of different levels inside/outside the company as a team, working toward common goals and objectives

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

• Proficient in MS Office Suite (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint)

• Must be able to manage multiple projects simultaneously, balancing short term vs. long term needs

• Ability to effectively interact with and influence people at all levels and varied cultures within and outside of Freshpet

• Extensive negotiation, project management, conflict management, and problem-solving skills

• Strong sense of urgency and attention to detail

• Develop indirect procurement process and initiate best practices, policies, and procedures

• Ability to take full responsibility for decisions and results even when all elements are not under individual direct control

• Quickly develop an understanding of business technologies to identify opportunities across multiple projects

• Extremely high standards of excellence and quality-oriented mindset10-20% travel between Freshpet locations (PA, NJ, TX, AR) and visits to suppliers

What We Offer

At Freshpet, we offer a competitive salary and an excellent benefits package, including medical, dental and vision insurance, basic and optional life insurance, short- and long-term disability protection, flexible spending accounts, and a 401(k) plan with company match, paid parental leave, pet insurance, tuition assistance, a generous PTO plan and so much more!

Our Commitment to a Diverse Workforce:

At Freshpet, we embrace and encourage our employees' differences in age, sex, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique.

Freshpet aims to foster, cultivate, and preserve a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our employees are our most valuable assets. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities, and talent that our employees invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation and company's achievement as well. Freshpet is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Disclaimers

We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor visas.

Freshpet is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. Please, no phone calls or emails. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at Freshpet via-email, the Internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of Freshpet. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by Freshpet as a result of the referral or through other means