What are the responsibilities and job description for the Supplier Manager 3PL position at Westrock Coffee?
The Supplier Manager -- 3PL is responsible for managing relationships and performance of Westrock Coffee's third-party logistics (3PL) providers, including warehousing, transportation, and distribution partners. This role ensures 3PL partners meet cost, service, quality, and compliance expectations while supporting the company's broader supply chain strategy across sourcing, roasting, and finished goods distribution. This position is a bridge between Westrock's Logistics & Procurement Strategy and requires a continuous improvement mindset.
Job Duties:
- Manage day-to-day relationships for contract compliance with 3PL warehouse, transportation, and distribution providers
- Partner with Procurement on Supplier report cards.
- Monitor and report on 3PL performance against KPIs (on-time delivery, order accuracy, inventory accuracy, damages/claims, cost per unit)
- Lead regular business reviews (weekly/monthly/quarterly) with 3PL partners to address performance gaps and drive continuous improvement
- Manage compliance of 3PL contracts, rate agreements, and statements of work in partnership with Procurement/Legal
- Serve as primary escalation point for service failures, capacity constraints, and operational issues with 3PL partners
- Track and manage 3PL invoicing accuracy, billing disputes, and cost allocation
- Analyze 3PL cost, service, and performance trends and performance data to identify cost savings and continuous improvement opportunities, developing business cases and recommendations to Supply Chain leadership.
- Maintain and manage supplier contracts, SLAs, KPIs, performance scorecards, inspection records, and compliance documentation to ensure audit readiness and contract governance.
- Collaborate with Demand Planning, Transportation, Procurement, and Warehouse Operations teams to align 3PL capacity with forecasted volume.
- Support onboarding of new 3PL partners, including RFP participation, vendor selection, and implementation
- Coordinate supplier qualification & first article inspections (FAI) for raw materials, packaging, ingredients, and finished goods at 3PL facilities to ensure specifications and quality requirements are in compliance before released.
- Own the escalation process for FAI and quality non-conformances, driving root cause analysis and corrective action with 3PL partners and internal Quality/Procurement teams
- Conduct site visits and audits to verify compliance with food safety, safety, and operational standards
- Ensure 3PL partners comply with all applicable regulatory, food safety (e.g., SQF, FSMA), and contractual requirements
Qualifications:
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Business, or related field (or equivalent experience)
- 5 years of experience in supply chain, logistics, or 3PL management
- Demonstrated experience managing 3PL or vendor relationships and contracts
- Strong understanding of warehousing, transportation, and distribution operations
- Experience with first article inspection (FAI) processes and quality escalation procedures for raw materials, packaging, ingredients, or finished goods
- Experience with KPI tracking, performance scorecards, and business reviews.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel; experience with WMS/TMS systems and ERP platforms (e.g., SAP, Oracle)
- Strong negotiation, communication, and vendor management skills
- Ability to travel to 3PL sites as needed in support of all Westrock locations from an Enterprise mindset.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience in the food & beverage or CPG industry, particularly coffee or beverage manufacturing
- Familiarity with food safety standards (SQF, FSMA, HACCP)
- Experience with RFP processes and 3PL network design/optimization
- APICS, CSCP, or CPSM certification
- Experience managing multi-site or national 3PL networks
- Background in cost modeling or transportation/warehouse rate analysis
Equal Opportunity Employer / Vets / Disabled