Associate Director, Ingredients – Cheese and Dairy

The Kraft Heinz Company; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 164,000 - 205,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

Flexible work arrangements

401k plan

Paid time off

Job summary

The Kraft Heinz Company in Chicago is seeking an experienced Senior Procurement leader for Cheese and Dairy categories. You will set strategic direction, lead cross-functional teams, and shape supplier relationships across multiple dairy sub-categories including cheese, milk, cultures, and fats.

You will drive enterprise value through cost, service, risk, productivity, and innovation while mentoring leaders and building robust governance and performance systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred.
• 10+ years of procurement and supply chain experience.
• Proven ability to lead through leaders and build organizational capability.
• Strong enterprise judgment connecting category strategy to financial performance.
• Ability to deliver 1-year execution plans and 3-year strategies.
• Executive communication and storytelling to align senior stakeholders.
• Advanced negotiation and supplier relationship experience.
• Proficiency in MS Office and analytics.

Responsibilities

• Set enterprise-level strategic direction for dairy procurement portfolio.
• Lead through category leaders to align resources and priorities.
• Shape long-term category and supplier relationship strategy.
• Build executive alignment with stakeholders and suppliers.
• Serve as senior escalation and decision-shaping leader.
• Develop leadership and succession readiness within the team.
• Own enterprise outcomes across productivity, cash, and risk.
• Establish governance and performance management processes.
• Lead strategic sourcing and negotiation for complex categories.
• Translate market dynamics into executable category roadmaps.
• Influence senior stakeholders to align on priorities and trade-offs.
• Drive continuous improvement in supplier governance and decision forums.
• Ensure performance goals and commitments are visible across portfolio.
• Improve standards, tools, and leadership behaviors.

Skills

Leadership

Category strategy

Negotiation

Supplier relationship leadership

Data analytics

Stakeholder management

MS Office proficiency

Source-to-pay tools

Education

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, finance, or business

MBA preferred

Tools

Source-to-pay tools

Job description

Job Description

Essential Functions & Responsibilities:

• Set enterprise-level strategic direction for the Cheese and Dairy procurement portfolio, ensuring strong annual execution and credible three-year plans are established, owned, and delivered across the category landscape.
• Lead through category leaders by aligning talent, resources, priorities, and operating routines to deliver sustained enterprise value across cost, service, risk, productivity, innovation, and supply continuity.
• Shape the long-term category strategy, supplier relationship strategy, and operating model for dairy, cream, milk, cheese, cheese powder, cultures, trim, whey, and milk fat across the Kraft Heinz North American Zone.
• Build executive alignment with internal stakeholders and strategic suppliers through clear business storytelling, enterprise judgment, and decisive recommendations on complex trade-offs.
• Serve as the senior escalation and decision-shaping leader for high-impact supplier, market, operational, quality, financial, and risk matters that require cross-functional resolution.
• Develop leadership capability across the team by coaching leaders, setting standards, creating transparency on priorities, and strengthening succession readiness for critical procurement roles.
• Own enterprise outcomes for assigned categories, including productivity, cash, inflation mitigation, supply assurance, supplier performance, innovation enablement, and total cost of ownership.
• Establish scalable routines, governance, and performance management processes that improve decision quality, stakeholder confidence, and functional effectiveness across Procurement and partner functions.
• Lead strategic sourcing, supplier selection, and negotiation strategy for complex, business-critical categories while ensuring leaders apply robust sourcing discipline and commercial governance.
• Advance the category roadmap by translating market dynamics, supplier capabilities, risk signals, and business priorities into clear strategic choices and executable plans.
• Influence senior stakeholders across Business Units, Operations, Finance, Quality, R&D, Global Procurement, and suppliers to align on priorities, decisions, and trade-offs that support enterprise outcomes.
• Drive continuous improvement in internal and external ways of working, including supplier governance, cross-functional decision forums, category planning, risk management, and value reporting.
• Ensure performance goals, productivity pipelines, risk mitigation plans, and financial commitments are clearly owned and visible across the portfolio.
• Create durable functional improvement by strengthening standards, tools, routines, and leadership behaviors that enable consistent execution beyond annual results.
• Represent Cheese and Dairy Procurement in enterprise forums, providing strategic recommendations and clear communication to senior leadership on category outlook, risks, opportunities, and required decisions.

People Management Responsibilities

• Leads a team of category leaders and procurement professionals; accountable for coaching, performance standards, succession readiness, and delivery of business outcomes through others.

Expected Experience & Required Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, finance, business, or equivalent. MBA and advanced Procurement qualifications preferred (CPM, CPIM, etc.). Candidates with equivalent experience will be considered.
• 10+ years of progressive procurement, supply chain, finance, or commercial experience, including significant experience leading complex ingredient, dairy, cheese, commodity, or food manufacturing categories.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through leaders, build organizational capability, coach talent, set leadership standards, and strengthen succession pipelines.
• Strong enterprise and business judgment with the ability to connect category strategy, supplier dynamics, operational risk, financial performance, and long-term business priorities.
• Proven ability to shape and deliver one-year execution plans and credible three-year strategies across multiple categories, spaces, or strategic priorities.
• Executive communication and business storytelling skills; able to simplify complex issues, influence senior stakeholders, and build alignment around trade-offs and decisions.
• Advanced negotiation and supplier relationship leadership experience with demonstrated success in complex supplier, commercial, and cross-functional decision environments.
• Ability to resolve ambiguous and high-impact business challenges by aligning stakeholders, resources, talent, and operating routines to strategy.
• Experience establishing scalable processes, governance, and performance management routines that improve decision quality, accountability, and functional effectiveness.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and source-to-pay tools; ability to leverage data, analytics, and market intelligence to inform enterprise-level recommendations.

Work Environment & Schedu le

This position is considered a normal office environment with moderate travel to supplier locations, manufacturing facilities, etc.; offices are open workspaces. To create a more agile and modern workplace, we allow Chicago/Aon Center-based employees to work virtually for up to two days each week and expect them to work in person during the defined core days at their assigned work location at least three days per workweek.

Our Total Rewards philosophy is to provide a meaningful and flexible spectrum of programs that equitably support our diverse workforce and their families and complement Kraft Heinz’ strategy and values.

New Hire Base Salary Range:

$164,200.00 - $205,200.00

Bonus:

This position is eligible for a performance-based bonus as provided by the plan terms and governing documents.

The compensation offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors

Benefits:

Coverage for employees (and their eligible dependents) through affordable access to healthcare, protection, and savingfor the future, we offer plans tailored to meet you and your family’s needs. Coveragefor benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.

Wellbeing:

We offer events, resources, and learning opportunities that inspire aphysical, social, emotional, and financial well-being lifestyle for our employees and their families.

• Physical - Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, Vision, Screenings/Assessments
• Social - Paid Time Off, Company Holidays, Leave of Absence, Flexible Work Arrangements, Recognition, Training
• Emotional – Employee Assistance Program, Wellbeing Programs, Family Support Programs
• Financial – 401k,Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Disability

Location(s)

Chicago/Aon Center

Kraft Heinz is an Equal Opportunity Employer – Underrepresented Ethnic Minority Groups/Women/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity and other protected classes.In order to ensure reasonable accommodation for protected individuals, applicants that require accommodation in the job application process may contact [e-mail] for assistance.