What are the responsibilities and job description for the Strategic Sourcing Manager position at Novus Foods?
Summary
The Strategic Sourcing Manager is a high-impact individual contributor who owns end-to-end commodity strategy for a defined portfolio of direct spend categories — from market intelligence and cost modeling to supplier contracting and external manufacturing partnerships. This role sits at the intersection of procurement, finance, and operations, directly influencing P&L outcomes and supply chain resilience. The ideal candidate brings deep category expertise, strong quantitative skills, and the executive presence to drive alignment and present defensible positions to C-suite and PE stakeholders.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Own category-level commodity strategy for assigned direct spend portfolio — including multi-year cost models, forward curve analysis, and scenario planning tied to business AOP and reforecast cycles
- Monitor commodity markets daily (CME futures, USDA, BLS PPI/CPI, trade publications) and translate real-time price movements into quantified P&L impact — communicating risk positions proactively to Finance and senior leadership
- Lead supplier negotiations for pricing, contract terms, and cost-reduction commitments; maintain contract coverage targets across managed categories and escalate material gaps to leadership
- Build and maintain commodity cost models and PPV tracking frameworks that bridge procurement actuals to Finance/FP&A; present inflation drivers, variance analysis, and risk exposure to C-suite and PE stakeholders
- Identify, quantify, and actively manage supply chain risk — including supply continuity, supplier financial health, and commodity price volatility — with documented contingency and mitigation plans
- Execute sourcing events (RFQ/RFP, competitive bids) for managed categories; evaluate total cost of ownership and lead supplier selection processes cross-functionally with R&D, Operations, and Finance
- Support external manufacturing (co-manufacturing and co-packing) sourcing and contracting — evaluating partner capabilities, negotiating capacity and cost terms, and managing ongoing performance to service, quality, and cost commitments
- Manage key supplier relationships through structured business reviews; drive accountability on cost, quality, service, and innovation commitments aligned to annual targets
- Leverage AI/ML tools and data platforms (e.g., SAP, Power BI, market intelligence databases) to enhance cost visibility, identify savings opportunities, and improve forecast accuracy
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Finance, Business, or related field; relevant Master’s degree a plus
- 5 years of direct procurement or commodity management experience; food/CPG industry strongly preferred. Candidates with 2 years specifically managing commodity categories (e.g., dairy, oils, produce, grains, packaging) will be prioritized
- Demonstrated ability to build and present commodity cost models, inflation analyses, and PPV/variance reporting to senior leadership — candidate should be comfortable owning a deck in front of a C-suite or PE audience
- Working knowledge of commodity market intelligence sources (CME futures, USDA reports, BLS PPI/CPI, industry indices); can speak fluently to current market conditions and their P&L implications without needing to be briefed
- Strong Excel proficiency for cost modeling and scenario analysis; experience with SAP (purchasing/reporting modules) and data visualization tools (Power BI or equivalent)
- Experience with AI/ML tools (e.g., Claude, GPT, Gemini) applied to procurement workflows — including market research, data synthesis, and dashboarding — is a differentiating plus
- Strong negotiator and cross-functional communicator; able to defend positions with data, build internal alignment across Finance, Operations, and R&D, and manage supplier relationships professionally under pressure
- Experience with external manufacturing (co-manufacturing or co-packing) sourcing, contracting, or performance management is a strong plus; familiarity with capacity agreements, tolling structures, and manufacturing cost modeling preferred