Strategic Sourcing Specialist - Fiber

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At Lactalis in the USA, we're committed to providing meaningful opportunities for our people to learn, grow, and thrive-whether you're just starting your journey with us or looking to take the next step in your career. From day one, we offer the tools and support to help you succeed.

As the world leader in dairy, Lactalis is a family-owned company with over 85,000 pragmatic and ambitious professionals across the globe. Each day, we're proud to produce award-winning dairy products that bring people together.

In the US, we proudly offer an unrivaled house of beloved brands, including Galbani Italian cheeses and ricotta, President specialty cheeses and butters, Kraft natural and grated cheeses, Breakstone's cottage cheese, Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond cheddar, and Parmalat milk. Our yogurt portfolio includes siggi's, Stonyfield Organic, Brown Cow, Oui, Yoplait, Go-Gurt, :ratio, Green Mountain Creamery, and Mountain High, along with a growing family of ethnic favorites like Karoun, Gopi, and Arz.

At Lactalis, we live by our core values-Ambition, Engagement, and Simplicity. We foster a workplace where innovation thrives, diverse perspectives are celebrated, and everyone's unique background and ideas are valued.

Even if you don't meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply. We want to hear about your PASSION, your STORY, and how your EXPERTISE can help us shape the future of dairy.

From your PASSION to ours

Midwest Yogurt, part of the Lactalis family of companies, is currently hiring a Strategic Sourcing Specialist - Fiber, based in Minnetonka, MN.

From your PASSION to ours

The Strategic Sourcing Specialist is an active member of the Purchasing Team North America (NA), participates in sharing purchasing excellence and strategies, supporting teamwork, joint learning and development initiatives. Under the direction of the Manager, they support North American sourcing strategy initiatives for the assigned Direct Purchasing Category.

From your EXPERTISE to ours

Key responsibilities for this position include:

• Achieve budget objectives by identifying, developing, and supporting North American sourcing strategy initiatives
• Lead and coordinate team projects to achieve the savings initiative success in accordance with Operations' requirements. Support the overall bid process by identifying stakeholder expectations; preparing bid documents; performing bid analysis and preparing vendor contract recommendations.
• Support global negotiation initiatives led by corporate office global procurement by providing information such as pricing specifications and vendor listings and negotiating at North American level.
• Identify and/or execute value analysis and vendor transfer savings opportunities as a cross-functional effort to deliver cost reduction targets and optimize other performance measures such as on-time delivery & lead time on purchased goods and services, without jeopardizing quality, flexibility and supply continuity.
• Participate as an active cross-functional team member, along with Supply Chain, Operations, Finance, Quality, Packaging Development, Sales and Marketing, and other key functional areas of the business for effective project execution such as new launches, lien extensions, and process optimization. The scope includes sourcing, pricing, as well as sharing process improvements ideas provided by the vendors.
• Develop relationships and work collaboratively with Packaging Services to ensure alignment on all cost savings activities and streamlining initiatives are met.
• Develop and/or support external supplier relationships to optimize supplier quality and performance, including continuous improvement, innovation, reduction in total cost of ownership to add value to Lactalis North America. Resolve supplier quality and supplier non-conformance concerns.
• Perform administrative duties such as tracking cost savings initiatives, providing monthly status reports vs. objective targets, reviewing and validating pricing and communicating the pricing to master data for upload.
• Perform administrative duties as identified by procurement leadership supporting overall North American strategy.
• Participate in development opportunities such as leading and/or engaging in presentations to senior leadership, Identifying and developing Value Analysis or Savings projects for Lactalis affiliates in North America and the development of annual savings targets.

From your STORY to ours

Qualified applicants will contribute the following:

• Bachelor's degree in business, Supply Chain, Procurement, or another appropriate discipline
• Three (3) to five (5) years' experience in operations and/or Procurement function, preferably at a food company
• Job related experience, Industrial and/or Supply Chain Purchasing experience preferred.
• SAP or similar business systems experience
• High level of initiative, and strong interpersonal skills
• Strong negotiation and presentation skills
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to operate in a team environment with the ability to motivate others
• Ability to adapt in a changing work environment
• Strong planning, project management and execution skills
• Proficient with Microsoft Office including advanced proficiency MS Excel and MS PowerPoint
• Ability to travel within the United States and Canada and internationally, up to 20% of the time.
• Bilingual (French/English) is an asset

At Lactalis, we offer a comprehensive Total Rewards Program with a variety of affordable benefits and coverage options. We support insurance costs significantly, contribute generously to retirement plans, and offer Paid Time Off from day one. We are committed to your professional growth, providing training and development opportunities, including Education Reimbursement. Join us and grow your career.

Lactalis is an equal employment opportunity employer. We will not discriminate against applicants with regard to any legally-recognized basis including, but not limited to: veteran status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, and physical or mental disabilities. Further, any division of the Company that is an Affirmative Action Employer will comply with all related legal obligations.