Officer Source Development – Food Ingredients

KDD; Kuwait City; On-site; KWD 9,000 - 14,000; Full time

Job summary

KDD in Kuwait City is seeking a Procurement Specialist to identify, evaluate and onboard suppliers for food ingredients, ensuring a reliable, cost-effective supply base that meets quality, safety and regulatory requirements.

You will maintain supplier documentation, support QA and sustainability initiatives, and collaborate with R&D, Regulatory, Marketing and Production to enable timely material availability for new launches.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related discipline; professional procurement certifications desirable.
• 2–5 years in procurement, sourcing, or supplier development in food manufacturing.
• Experience with ERP procurement systems and MS Office; food ingredients experience preferred.
• Strong analytics, cost analysis, and supplier relationship management.

Responsibilities

• Identify and evaluate potential ingredient suppliers and maintain a pipeline.
• Coordinate supplier onboarding, qualification, and documentation requirements.
• Assess suppliers on quality, cost, service, and regulatory compliance.
• Collaborate with R&D, QA, Regulatory Affairs, Marketing, and Planning for launches.
• Monitor markets, track pricing trends, and seek cost savings and diversification.

Skills

Cost analysis

Commercial evaluation

Excel

ERP systems

Communication

Relationship management

Analytical thinking

Problem-solving

AI tools

Education

Bachelor's degree in supply chain management

Tools

Oracle ERP

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Purpose

To support the identification, evaluation, qualification, and development of new suppliers for food ingredients, ensuring a reliable, cost-effective, and compliant supply base that meets the company’s quality, food safety, regulatory, and commercial requirements. To support QA related documentation. To support Sustainability initiatives. Support new product development. Support procurement activities.

Key Responsibilities

Supplier Sourcing & Development

• Conduct market research to identify alternative ingredient sources, emerging suppliers, and industry trends.
• Develop and maintain a pipeline of potential ingredient suppliers.
• Assist in supplier onboarding and qualification processes.
• Coordinate supplier registration and documentation requirements.

Supplier Evaluation

• Collect and review supplier profiles, certifications, product specifications, and technical documents.
• Coordinate supplier audits with Quality Assurance and Food Safety teams.
• Evaluate suppliers based on quality, cost, service, reliability, sustainability, and regulatory compliance.
• Maintain supplier evaluation records and performance databases.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Work closely with R&D during ingredient trials and product development projects.
• Coordinate with Quality Assurance for ingredient approvals and supplier qualification.
• Collaborate with Regulatory Affairs to ensure ingredients comply with GCC and destination market regulations.
• Coordinate with Marketing, R&D, Planning and Production to ensure timely availability of approved materials for a new launch.

Documentation & Compliance

• Maintain ingredient specifications, certificates, and supplier documentation.
• Ensure suppliers provide required certifications (First and second priority documents, for supplier approval)
• Maintain details of sample approval results.
• Maintain approved supplier lists and qualification records.

Market Intelligence

• Monitor global food ingredient markets, pricing trends, and supply risks.
• Identify opportunities for cost savings and supplier diversification.
• Track geopolitical, logistics, and raw material developments affecting ingredient availability.

Continuous Improvement

• Support supplier performance improvement initiatives.
• Participate in cost reduction and value engineering projects.
• Recommend alternative ingredients or suppliers to improve supply continuity and reduce costs.

Procurement Support

• Obtain quotations and negotiate preliminary commercial terms.
• Compare supplier pricing, lead times, payment terms, and logistics options.
• Prepare cost comparison analyses for management review.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Number of new qualified alternative suppliers developed.
• Supplier approval success rate.
• On-time completion of approval process and supplier documentation.
• Cost savings achieved through alternative sourcing.
• Reduction in supply risk through supplier diversification.
• Supplier performance ratings.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, Business Administration, Commerce, Science, or a related discipline.
• Professional certifications in Procurement, Supply Chain, or Food Science/technology are desirable.

Experience

• 2–5 years of experience in procurement, sourcing, or supplier development within the food manufacturing industry.
• Experience using ERP procurement systems (Oracle, or similar) and Microsoft 365/ Microsoft Office.
• Experience sourcing food ingredients is preferred.
• Familiarity with supplier qualification processes and food safety requirements is preferred.

Required Skills

• Cost analysis and commercial evaluation.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent communication and relationship management skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and ERP systems (Oracle).
• Proficiency in using AI tools relevant to the role.

Preferred Skills (to Be Attained / Developed)

• Supplier sourcing and market research.
• Procurement and negotiation skills.
• Knowledge of food ingredients and food manufacturing processes.
• Understanding of food safety standards and quality systems.
• Ability to manage multiple sourcing projects simultaneously.

Behavioral Competencies

• Effective Team Collaboration & Strong Teamwork Skills
• Initiative and proactive approach Adaptability in a dynamic sourcing environment.
• Analytical thinking.
• Attention to detail.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Commercial awareness.
• Ethical conduct and integrity.
• Continuous Improvement Mindset
• Ownership & Accountability
• Ethical conduct and integrity.