Sr Manager, Procurement- Raw Materials

At Russell Stover, not only do we love chocolate, but we love our jobs! Every day we go to work exhibiting our values of excellence, innovation, entrepreneurship, responsibility, and collaboration. Working at Russell Stover you’ll be part of the leading manufacturer of boxed, seasonal, and sugar-free chocolates. For over 100 years, Russell Stover Chocolates, Whitman’s, and Pangburn’s have been crafted with the finest ingredients to bring happiness to generations. Today, we produce over 55 million pounds of chocolate annually, and our legacy brands can be found in 13 company-owned stores and over 9,000 wholesale accounts. Join our team and let’s continue making chocolate lovers happy!

A day in the life…

As the Sr. Sourcing Manager for Raw Materials at Russell Stover Chocolates, you'll lead efforts to secure high-quality ingredients such as cocoa, chocolate, sugar, palm oil, whey, flavors, and other specialty ingredients for confectionery production. You'll develop sourcing strategies, negotiate contracts, and manage supplier relationships to ensure uninterrupted supply while optimizing costs and quality. Collaborating closely with cross-functional teams such as Finance, R&D, Marketing, and Operations, you'll anticipate market trends, mitigate risks, and drive continuous improvement initiatives. You will be comfortable modeling pricing scenarios, making buy vs make recommendations leveraging market insights along with your professional experience to drive favorable outcomes. Your role is pivotal in maintaining product integrity, enhancing supply chain efficiency, and contributing to our company's success.

What You Will Be Doing…

• Develop and Execute Sourcing Strategies
• Formulate comprehensive sourcing strategies to secure a reliable and cost-effective supply of raw materials crucial for chocolate production—tailor strategies to align with company objectives, market dynamics, and quality standards.
• Supplier Management and Negotiation
• Identify, evaluate, and onboard suppliers while fostering solid relationships built on trust and collaboration. Negotiate contracts, pricing, and terms to ensure favorable agreements that balance cost optimization with quality assurance.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders, including R&D, Marketing, Operations, and Quality Assurance, to align sourcing activities with production schedules, quality requirements, and inventory management.
• Risk Management and Market Analysis
• Monitor market trends, supplier performance, and geopolitical developments to anticipate potential risks and disruptions. Implement risk mitigation strategies and contingency plans to ensure uninterrupted supply chain operations requiring high levels of collaboration across the organization.
• Continuous Improvement
• Drive initiatives to optimize sourcing processes, reduce costs, improve quality, and enhance supplier performance. Leverage data analytics and performance metrics to identify process enhancement and innovation opportunities.
• Compliance and Sustainability
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulations, industry standards, and company policies related to sourcing, quality, and sustainability—champion ethical sourcing practices and initiatives to enhance the company's reputation and corporate responsibility efforts.
• Leadership
• Responsible for (1-2) sourcing managers
• Develop a continuous learning organization that is positioned to support the current and future growth of the company.
• Provide coaching and mentoring of individuals in their technical development, change management, negotiations, communication, and cross-functional management.
• Lead the procurement participation in the cross-functional product development process. Add value by bringing innovative ideas to the business.
• Must be at ease engaging with senior leaders on a local, regional, global level (CFO, CEO , VP Finance Operation, Global Commodity Managers, Risk and Treasury, Sustainability
  

Do you have what it takes?

(Basic Qualifications)

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Business Administration, or a related field. A master's degree is preferred but not mandatory. Additional experience and qualifications will be considered.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, or supply chain management, preferably within the food or confectionery industry, is essential. Demonstrated success in developing and executing sourcing strategies that deliver cost savings, improve quality, and mitigate supply chain risks is also essential.
• Solid understanding of raw material markets, industry trends, and supply chain dynamics within the food or confectionery industry. Experience with the commodities of Cocoa, Sugar, fats and Oils is highly preferred.
• Proven analytical and problem-solving skills, capable of analyzing data and deriving actionable insights to drive informed decision-making.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite and ERP systems is expected. Experience with sourcing software/tools is a plus.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across functions and influence stakeholders at all levels. Experience working cross-functionally with teams in Finance, R&D, Marketing, QA, and Operations is preferred.
  
  

At Russell Stover Chocolates, we don’t just accept difference — we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our community. Russell Stover Chocolates is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer.

We provide equal employment opportunities to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, protected medical condition, genetic information, military service, veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by law.

Employment by Russell Stover Chocolates is contingent upon I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification, passing the urinalysis drug screen, education verification, and satisfactory reference and background checks.

Make Happy. Work Happy.

Alternatively, you can apply to this job using your profile from Indeed by clicking the button below: