What are the responsibilities and job description for the Purchasing Buyer position at T. Marzetti Company?
About Us:
Overview:
The Marzetti Company (Nasdaq: MZTI) manufactures and sells specialty food products. Our retail brands include Marzetti® dressings and dips, New York Bakery™ garlic breads, and Sister Schubert’s® dinner rolls, in addition to exclusive license agreements for Olive Garden® dressings, Chick-fil-A® sauces and dressings, Buffalo Wild Wings® sauces, Arby’s® sauces, Subway® sauces, and Texas Roadhouse® steak sauces and frozen rolls. Our foodservice business supplies sauces, dressings, breads, and pasta to many of the top restaurant chains in the United States.
At Marzetti, our mission is to make every meal better through high-quality, flavorful food. Led by our purpose, to nourish growth with all that we do, our team members are dedicated to creating great tasting food and cultivating deep and lasting relationships.
At Marzetti, our mission is to make every meal better through high-quality, flavorful food. Led by our purpose, to nourish growth with all that we do, our team members are dedicated to creating great tasting food and cultivating deep and lasting relationships.
Overview:
Great things are happening at the Marzetti Horse Cave Campus and as we continue to grow The Marzetti Company is looking to hire team members who will grow with us on our journey towards world class operational excellence. As a Purchasing Buyer, you will be responsible for the procurement of raw materials, packaging, and production supplies to support production schedules and meet customer demands. You will ensure optimal inventory levels, manage supplier relationships, and balance quality, cost, and efficiency in line with company standards. Working as part of a team, you will collaborate with internal departments and report directly to the Purchasing Manager.
Responsibilities:
- Procurement Management: Efficiently order raw materials, packaging, and production supplies, ensuring that they meet company specifications, quality standards, and production timelines.
- Inventory Control: Monitor and track raw material and packaging inventories, making adjustments as needed to ensure sufficient stock levels for scheduled production and potential customer emergencies.
- Supplier Coordination: Maintain relationships with suppliers, request quotes, and evaluate market conditions to secure the best pricing and terms for the company.
- Logistics Oversight: Ensure the timely pick-up and delivery of shipments, monitoring shipping costs, timelines, and productivity to optimize logistical processes.
- Invoice & Report Management: Resolve suspended invoice issues and print daily department reports. File all purchase order receivers and other purchasing reports
- Compliance & Quality: Ensure all purchases align with company quality programs and comply with federal, state, and local regulations. Address out-of-spec materials with suppliers, ensuring prompt credit resolutions.
- Contract Adherence: Utilize contract suppliers where applicable and ensure all purchases conform to contractual terms and pricing.
- Cross-Department Collaboration: Provide necessary procurement data to internal stakeholders, including R&D, QA, Technical Services, Marketing, Sales, Finance, and Inventory Control.
- Cost Efficiency: Analyze costs and coordinate the disposal of inactive inventory in the most economical and safe manner.
- Reporting & Documentation: Compile and submit information for all required plant and corporate reports (monthly, quarterly, and annual).
- Support Initiatives: Ensure adherence to quality, food safety, OSHA, 5S, and HACCP programs, ensuring compliance with company and government standards.
- Experience: 3 years of purchasing, procurement, or logistics experience, preferably in the food manufacturing industry.
- Education: Bachelor's degree in business management, supply chain management, or a related field is preferred.
- Skills:
- Strong negotiation and vendor management abilities.
- Proficiency in ERP and MRP systems.
- Excellent communication skills for working with both internal teams and external suppliers.
- Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
- Knowledge of food safety standards and regulations (HACCP, GMP, OSHA).
- Behavioral Competencies
- Attention to Detail: Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness in managing orders, tracking shipments, and resolving discrepancies to maintain seamless operations.
- Problem-Solving: Identifies issues in procurement and supply chain processes and resolves them efficiently, balancing quality, cost, and delivery times.
- Time Management: Prioritizes tasks effectively to manage multiple suppliers, orders, and projects, ensuring all deadlines and production schedules are met.
- Collaboration: Works well within a team environment, communicating effectively with peers, management, and cross-functional departments to ensure smooth procurement operations.
- Initiative: Takes proactive steps to improve processes and identify potential savings or efficiencies, without waiting for direct supervision.
- Customer Focus: Understands and anticipates the needs of internal customers, striving to provide optimal service and timely responses to inquiries.
Technical Competencies- Supply Chain Knowledge: Understanding of procurement best practices, inventory control systems, and supplier management in a food manufacturing environment.
- Food Safety & Compliance: Familiarity with food safety regulations such as HACCP, GMP, and OSHA standards, ensuring that all procurement activities meet regulatory and company standards.
- Cost Analysis: Ability to perform cost-benefit analysis, comparing supplier quotes, assessing market trends, and ensuring cost-effective purchasing decisions.
- ERP/MRP Systems: Proficiency with enterprise resource planning (ERP) and material requirements planning (MRP) software used for procurement and inventory management in a manufacturing setting.
- Vendor Management: Skilled in maintaining supplier relationships, negotiating prices, and ensuring supplier compliance with quality and delivery expectations.
- Logistics Coordination: Experience in monitoring shipments and optimizing delivery schedules to minimize delays and reduce shipping costs.
- Report Generation: Ability to compile, analyze, and submit detailed procurement reports for review by management.
- Environment: Primarily office-based, with occasional exposure to the manufacturing environment (up to 10% of the time).
- Physical Requirements: Requires periods of sitting, standing, walking, bending, lifting, and climbing. Some lifting of moderately heavy items such as file boxes may be required.
- Safety Gear: When in the manufacturing environment, ear protection, eye/face protection, hair/beard nets, steel-toed/slip-resistant shoes, and gloves must be worn in accordance with GMP and safety standards.
- Overtime: Occasional overtime and/or weekend work may be required to meet procurement and production deadlines.
- Exposure: The manufacturing environment may expose the employee to non-ambient temperatures, odors, dust, oil, slippery floors, moving parts/equipment, and loud noise levels.
Lancaster Colony Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiary T. Marzetti Company are committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all associates without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. It is our goal to provide opportunities that nourish the growth of each individual team member.
