What are the responsibilities and job description for the MRO Buyer position at Ferrara Candy Company, Inc.?
For more than 115 years, Ferrara has created sugar confections that enable moments of sweetness, celebration, and connection for candy lovers of all generations. Today, the company is the #1 sugar confectioner in the United States. Ferrara boasts a passionate team of nearly 9,000 employees creating and delivering hundreds of products sold under 20 popular brands like Brach’s®, NERDS®, SweeTARTS®, Laffy Taffy®, and Trolli® to more than 66 million U.S. households annually and popular Dori snacking products under brands such as Dori, Gomets, Pettiz, and Yogurte 100 in Brazil. Additionally, Jelly Belly, known world-wide for its confections, was acquired in November of 2023.
MRO Buyer
Your work ensures that critical parts and supplies are always on hand—supporting smooth equipment operation, reducing downtime, and driving continuous improvement across the site. If you love being the go-to problem solver who keeps everything running behind the scenes, this role offers a major opportunity to make an impact.
- Generate purchase orders in SAP, tracking purchase requests in SAP and Ariba daily and create orders
- Forecast and track inventory levels to prevent stockouts while minimizing excess
- Track costs for emergency shipments
- Source and negotiate with suppliers to secure optimal price, quality, lead time, and contract terms
- Add new items to SAP including suppliers, manufacturers, cost, photos, units of measure, and conversions as needed
- Partner with Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, and Production departments to assess needs, develops spares lists, and align purchases with the maintenance schedule
- Maintain accurate vendor records, price lists, purchase history, and warranty information
- Analyze spend data, identify savings opportunities, and recommend cost-effective suppliers
- Work with corporate procurement on cost saving initiatives
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Highly organized with attention to detail
- Excellent analytical and negotiation skills
- Self-motivated and able to prioritize and meet deadlines in a dynamic setting
- Collaboration capabilities, able to work with suppliers and internal stakeholders
- 2-5 years of MRO, procurement, or purchasing experience in manufacturing required, CPG or food processing strongly preferred
- Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, or related field preferred
- Experience using SAP or related ERP system required
- Experience issuing Pos, expediting, and managing supplier relationships
- Demonstrated background in cost-savings and inventory management initiatives
- Knowledge of maintenance parts, tools, and equipment a plus
- Maintenance experience/knowledge very helpful including parts, tools, and equipment
Compensation
Ferrara’s success in industry-leading innovation has been driven by deep consumer insights, strong retailer co-creation and partnerships, and a dedication to diversity of thought, experience, and people. A privately held company, Ferrara has its global headquarters in Chicago and an operational network of more than 27 locations in North America, Brazil, and China that includes manufacturing, distribution, sales, and R&D facilities. Ferrara is a privately held Ferrero related company. Learn more at www.ferrara.com or www.linkedin.com/company/ferrara-.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. In order to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees, employment decisions and opportunities at Ferrara will be based on merit, qualifications, and abilities, without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital or civil union status, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, military or veteran status, disability, handicap, genetic information, pregnancy (childbirth or related medical condition), or on any other basis prohibited by law. This policy governs all aspects of employment, including selection, job assignment, compensation, discipline, termination, and access to benefits and training.
Nearest Major Market: Sacramento
Nearest Secondary Market: Fairfield
Salary : $75,000 - $90,000