Procurement Performance & Operations Associate Manager

Bel, makers of iconic brands including Babybel, The Laughing Cow, Boursin, Kaukauna, Merkts, Price's and GoGo Squeez is a growing global company that values your contributions, strives to create a sense of belonging for everyone and offers career growth and development opportunities, as well as competitive total compensation and meaningful well-being benefits from day one.

For All, For Good, our company signature, reflects Bel’s commitment to sustainability and healthier and responsible food for all.

Bel Brands USA has been named Chicago's "101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" for 10 years in a row. The company has headquartes in Chicago for our Bel Cheese business and in New York City for GoGo Squeez.

Bel operates five manufacturing plants in Little Chute, WI, Leitchfield, KY, and Brookings, SD, Nampa, ID, and Traverse City, MI.

Job Description Summary

Procurement Performance & Operations is the key interface between Administration & Systems, Quality & Food Safety, Factory Operations, Industrial Finance, Procurement Category Management, Regional / Country Sourcing Teams, and Supply Chain.

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Associate Manager to lead our Procurement Performance & Operations activities for Bel’s North American Cheese business unit.

This is a key integrator role responsible for ensuring that ingredients and packaging are supplied efficiently and cost effectively to Bel factories and external co-manufacturing / co-packing partners in USA and Canada.

The Procurement Process and Operations Associate Manager will develop and implement purchasing methodologies, processes, tools, systems, reporting, analytics, and related strategies.

This role will also ensure smooth execution of day-to-day activities, and drive performance improvement to support our functional / organizational growth and regional ambitions.

Additionally, the role will be responsible for assigned indirect & services sourcing projects and activities, supporting a potential combination of categories at the factory level and at the corporate level and partnering and supporting key stakeholders across the Bel Cheese BU in North America.

The ideal candidate will have a solid track record in and exposure to Procurement, Supply Chain, Supplier Quality & Food Safety, Systems & Processes, and Supplier Relation Management.

Main Responsibilities :

Identify areas for process improvement within procurement operations, including streamlining manual processes and implementation of automation, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence where applicable.

This includes challenging the current state.

• Drive visibility, improvement, and value via data analysis and synthesis, automation, process + RACI clarity, and sets industry best practices to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of procurement function while delivering net total cost reductions.
• Employ Corporate & Social Responsibility, Sustainability, and DE&I procurement strategies in line with Bel sustainability goals and in collaboration with procurement category leads (Regional and Global) for the region.
• Co-develop (in collaboration with Category leads) and support implementation of procurement strategies / tactics, gain visibility / control and mitigate / eliminate supply continuity risks, optimize cost, safeguard quality Farm to Bel Factories.
• Contribute to the selection, evaluation, and management of suppliers of raw materials, ingredients, and packaging including driving towards positive relationship between suppliers and factory operations in a step-lock approach with Strategic Sourcing and Factory Operations teams.

Proactively work with suppliers to ensure the delivery of continuous improvement ideas and technology which ultimately leads to competitive advantage and revenue generating opportunities.

• Collaborate and partner with Q&FS and R&D to ensure that materials meet the required Bel specifications and approvals. This includes being the SPOC (Single point of contact) and managing necessary documentation workflow for the regional procurement team, co-manage supplier audits (with Q&FS) and follow ups, and co-lead (with Q&FS) reviews to ensure processes are clearly mapped, RACIs aligned, and procurement responsibilities portions are executed.
• Support the Procurement Productivity Champion and drive cross-functional business partners for creation and implementation of Total Delivered Cost Reduction and propose strategies to optimize procurement expenses without compromising quality or service.
• Provide leadership, training, and support to a team of factory procurement professionals fostering a culture of excellence and collaboration.
• Support Regional Indirect / Services Procurement Director with assigned projects. Have the ability and experience to run the sourcing, negotiations, implementation, analysis, reporting, etc.

independently as directed.

Support Regional Indirect / Services Procurement Director with evaluating business and market conditions to develop best strategy to deliver best business results to organization.

Support KPI evaluation for identified categories, analyzing the data to information decision making and present findings to senior management.

Other duties as assigned.

Requirements :

Bachelor's degree in Procurement, Supply Chain Management, Environmental Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field.

Master's degree a plus.

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in procurement operations, ideally within the ingredients industry, with a proven track record of successful supplier management, total cost, and process optimization.
• Strong understanding of supply chain dynamics, sourcing best practices, and the regulatory environment specific to the ingredients industry.
• Excellent negotiation, communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills, with a demonstrated ability to influence a high-performing procurement team in a matrix organization.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with a high-level attention to detail.
• In depth understanding of Supplier Relationship Management programs, continuous improvement programs, risk mitigation strategies, supplier food quality and safety, procure-to-pay technologies, root cause analysis, total landed cost, inventory management, Material Replenishment Planning and Bill of Materials.
• Experience in Commodity markets and / or materials sourcing a plus.
• Experience with evaluating or managing Indirect Categories and Services.
• Languages : English. Knowledge of French a plus.
• Ability to travel within US and Canada and internationally up to 50% (to factories and suppliers)

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Total Rewards :

Base Salary : $90,000 - $100,000

Annual Incentive Bonus : 12%

401k, Medical, Dental, Vision benefits available from Day 1

PTO and more

Bel Brands is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status, disability status or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

Bel Brands also prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories. It is also Bel Brand’s policy to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws respecting consideration of unemployment status in making hiring decisions.

Bel Brands is committed to recruiting, hiring and promoting people with disabilities and veterans. If you need an accommodation or assistance in using the website, please call 312-462-1500.