Senior Buyer - Operations

Marlborough, MA, United States

Ken's Foods is a family owned business that takes pride in its roots. Ken's Foods, Inc was incorporated in 1958, and currently has plant operations in Marlborough, Massachusetts, McDonough, Georgia, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Lebanon, Indiana. In addition, Ken's employs over 1000 employees nationally. To this day, Ken's is still owned by the same family, as they continue their tradition of flavor obsession. Joining Ken's Foods is becoming part of an enthusiastic team. Whether you're in our state-of-the-art facilities or in our corporate headquarters, you'll enjoy a warm company culture and get all the tools you will need to succeed in your career.

SUMMARY

This role contributes to Ken's Foods success by executing procurement processes while simultaneously building solid relationships with both internal business partners and external suppliers. The Buyer will support the development and optimization of critical procurement processes by identifying and implementing best practices that will drive suppliers to higher levels of performance to minimize disruptions to Plant Production. The Buyer will be responsible for the on-going operational relationships with Suppliers and Plants, while managing the overall Procure to Pay cycle for their designated Materials/Plants. All Ken's Employees are accountable for creating and maintaining a culture of Safety and assuring a safe work environment.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:

Procure to Pay/Plant Support

Responsible for replenishment of materials, building trucks from various supplier locations, while monitoring lead times, order quantities, storage requirements, and shelf life (as applicable)

Determines appropriate order quantities to balance demand and financial resources (i.e. available warehouse footprint)

Ensures seamless delivery of goods (and services) to Ken's; managing inventory for zero out of stocks

Coordinate "Collect/Backhaul" Truckloads with the Logistics Department and identify/execute opportunities to streamline Freight costs

Ensure that material pricing/freight costs are accurately invoiced per Contracts and Pricing Agreements

Review the Daily Exception report and expedite materials as needed to cover Plant production

Review the weekly Inventory Discrepancy report and work with Plant(s) to adjust, as needed

Manage/oversee reverse logistics; work with Quality, Plant, and Supplier in the event of a material issue (Return to Vendor, oversee reimbursement process)

Be adept at crisis management and have excellent multi-tasking skills when issues arise involving any materials used in production

Primary contact for Plant Personnel for any material issues; available 24/7 to handle material issues that could cause potential Plant downtime

Facilitate the transfer of materials from Plant to Plant, as needed, while monitoring the formula transitions between Plants

Minimize obsolescence, tracking discontinuations and slow-moving materials (review short-shelf life report and "dead" inventory report)

Manage and facilitate quarterly inventory responsibilities

Manage invoice discrepancies with Accounting via DocStar

Back-up for other Materials/Plants, as needed

Manage item creation and ongoing data integrity maintenance (LT, SS, MOQ, ROQ, Shelf-Life, Pricing, COO, etc.)

Manage Supplier set-up and on-going maintenance, as applicable

Supplier Management Initiate and facilitate Supplier Business Reviews to drive improvement and manage suppliers

Execute and make recommendations on Supplier and Ken's Key Performance Indicators

Attend and report on audits with QA manager for critical and at-risk Suppliers

Primary contact for Supplier issues

Manage corrective action requests

Contract Management/Sourcing Support Ensure that volume, pricing, delivery terms and conditions are followed, including accurate freight costs

Drive and manage "off the shelf" purchases

Support buys where Suppliers are established, and minimal modification/development is needed

Identify/execute against savings opportunities, as applicable (i.e. volume tiered pricing, freight differentials, alternative Suppliers)

Provide input into the strategic sourcing process (including document collection, regulatory, sample review, financial audit, etc.) and make recommendations, partnering with the Sourcing team

Lean Process Improvements Regularly interface with cross-functional Business Partners to drive value across the Supply Chain

Streamline procurement processes (including with Suppliers and at the Plants)

Perform value engineering activities for existing contract products/services

Commitment to safety begins with management. Managers and frontline supervisors are accountable for creating and maintaining a culture of Safety and assuring a safe work environment .

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

Senior Buyers must also be able to effectively mentor/coach Buyers and Purchasing Coordinators within Ken's Foods.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience

Four-year degree in related field preferred; 8+ years with Purchasing, Supply Chain Management, and/or Inventory Management experience; 8+ years in Direct Buying, Supplier Management, and/or Project Management experience; 8+ years Cross-functional Team Management Experience.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES Proficient in the Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, and PowerPoint)

Syspro experience a plus

Ability to work both independently and as part of a team

Ability to set priorities, meet deadlines, and manage multiple projects in a fast-paced and changing environment

Proficient in enhancing productivity and effectiveness using Supply Chain/Procurement tools and techniques

Ability to travel up to 25% (primarily for Supplier Meetings)

Proficient in applying broad based business disciplines/knowledge to support Procurement activities

Highly proficient in maintaining accurate information about items and suppliers

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