Senior Procurement Manager

Leads the strategic sourcing, contract negotiation, and supply chain management of raw milk, cream, and milk permeate to support Chobani’s plant in Allentown, PA. This senior management role is responsible for securing a reliable, cost-effective, and fully compliant supply of raw milk from dairy cooperatives. This position bridges agricultural relations with corporate dairy manufacturing, ensuring that milk component levels (butterfat, proteins) align with the plant’s needs while maintaining legal compliance within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Sourcing & Contract Management

• Lead negotiations with regional dairy cooperatives (Land O Lakes, DFA, MDVA) to secure competitive volume agreements
• Manage risk through strategic dairy commodity buying, spot market trading, and the profitable disposal of processing sub-products like cream and milk permeate
• Build trusting and long-term relationships with the dairy cooperatives, milk haulers, and individual dairy farms
• Collaborate closely with Research & Development (R&D) and Plant Quality Assurance teams to ensure incoming raw milk meets strict microbiological standards required for live and active culture fermentation

Producer Relations & Network Growth

• Interface with network boards like Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Pennsylvania Association of Milk Dealers and Northeast Dairy Foods & Suppliers Association
• While working closely with the Director of Milk Quality & Animal Welfare, ensure farm-level compliance with milk quality standards and the Farmers Assuring Responsible Management program (F.A.R.M.), as well as make many visits to dairy farms that our Co-Ops source milk from

Collaboration with the Processing Team

• Daily communication with the Processing team to fully understand the plants’ needs, as well as last-minute production changes.
• Obtain the batch plan for the Processing team and put together next week’s raw milk and cream plan
• Place raw milk orders with the Co-Ops, as well as plan all the outbound available cream
• Create an inbound raw milk schedule that fits Co-Ops, haulers, and the plants needs.
• Communicate daily with the plant, the raw milk projections for the week.

Milk Permeate Management

• Create a legal agreement with Carne
• Work closely and communicate frequently with Carne (our outside partner that markets and sells our byproducts)
• Ensure that we are maximizing our revenue stream by selling all our milk permeate
• Visits to our milk permeate customer farms

REQUIREMENTS

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Business, Dairy Science, Supply Chain Management, Business, or a related field; MBA or master’s degree preferred
• 5 years of progressive experience in dairy procurement, commodity sourcing, agricultural supply chain, or dairy processing operations
• 3 years of experience leading people or managing teams, either directly or through cross-functional influence
• Demonstrated experience negotiating and managing high-value supply contracts with cooperatives, suppliers, or other strategic partners

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong knowledge of the U.S. dairy industry, including Federal Milk Marketing Orders, Pennsylvania milk marketing regulations, milk pricing, and dairy commodity markets
• Understanding of raw milk composition and quality (butterfat, protein, somatic cell count, microbiological standards) and their impact on fermentation and yogurt production
• Familiarity with the F.A.R.M. program, food safety, and regulatory compliance requirements for raw milk supply
• Proven negotiation, contract management, and financial analysis skills, including cost modeling and budget management
• Ability to manage risk through commodity buying and market analysis, and to translate market trends into sourcing decisions
• Strong planning and forecasting skills, with the ability to balance co-op, hauler, and plant needs in a fast-paced, changing environment
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels, from dairy farmers to senior leaders
• Ability to coach, develop, and lead team members, and to set priorities and hold the team accountable for results
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (especially Excel) and ERP or procurement systems

Working Conditions

• Regular travel to dairy farms, cooperatives, and the plant, including some early-morning, evening, or weekend availability to respond to supply needs
• Ability to work in farm and plant environments and comply with biosecurity and food safety requirements