Buyer/Procurement Specialist

Legacy Bakehouse; Cudahy (WI); On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision

401K

Company paid Life

AD&D

Short Term Disability

Job summary

Legacy Bakehouse is seeking a Buyer / Procurement Specialist for Ingredients & Packaging to own sourcing, pricing, and inbound logistics, ensuring continuous production and cost savings. This role partners with QA, R&D, and finance to deliver value while maintaining quality and food-safety standards.

You will manage ERP/MRP-driven purchasing, negotiate terms, analyze supplier performance, and drive supplier collaboration to protect margins in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of purchasing or buying experience, preferably in food or CPG manufacturing.
• Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems and strong Excel skills.
• Ability to place orders via customer portals (e.g., SAP) and manage schedules.

Responsibilities

• Convert MRP demand into purchase orders and maintain reorder points, lead times, and minimum order quantities in the ERP.
• Expedite and de-expedite against production schedule changes; own inbound delivery dates and flag supply risk to scheduling.
• Manage safety stock and days-on-hand targets, balancing shortage risk against working capital and shelf-life exposure.
• Maintain item master data – pack sizes, conversion factors, supplier part numbers.
• Place orders and manage delivery schedules through customer portals, including SAP-based portals used by major customers.

Skills

Purchasing experience

Negotiation results

Cross-functional collaboration

Fast-paced environment

Education

Bachelor's degree in supply chain or related field

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

NetSuite

SAP

Excel

Job description

Buyer / Procurement Specialist - Ingredients & Packaging

About Us At Legacy Bakehouse, we are more than a food manufacturer - we are a team committed to quality, safety, and innovation. We take pride in creating a workplace where employees feel valued and supported. We are a family-oriented company with opportunities for growth and development.

The Role

This role owns the sourcing, pricing, and flow of all ingredient and packaging materials. The mandate is dual: keep the plants running without material shortages, and deliver year-over-year cost savings on a spend category that drives a large share of COGS. Success is measured in both service level and dollars returned to margin.

Core responsibilities

• Convert MRP demand signals into purchase orders; maintain reorder points, lead times, and minimum order quantities in the ERP so the system plans accurately
• Expedite and de-expedite against production schedule changes; own inbound delivery dates and flag supply risk to scheduling before it becomes downtime
• Manage safety stock and days-on-hand targets, balancing shortage risk against working capital and shelf-life exposure
• Maintain accurate item master data - pack sizes, conversion factors, supplier part numbers
• Place orders and manage delivery schedules through customer-required portals, including SAP-based portals used by several of our largest customers; keep portal orders, confirmations, and schedule changes in sync with the ERP and production plan

Cost and negotiation

• Negotiate pricing, payment terms, and freight terms; maintain a rolling savings pipeline with quantified annualized value
• Track purchase price variance against standard cost and explain the drivers to finance monthly
• Run competitive bids and qualify second sources on high-spend and single-sourced items
• Monitor commodity and packaging markets (grains, oils, dairy, sweeteners, resin, corrugate) and recommend buy timing or contract coverage
• Support annual standard cost setting with current and forecasted material costs

Supplier and quality management

• Maintain approved supplier documentation: specifications, COAs, allergen statements, continuing guarantees, and third-party audit certificates, consistent with SQF/GFSI requirements
• Run supplier scorecards on cost, on-time delivery, quality, and responsiveness; lead corrective action when suppliers miss
• Partner with QA on non-conforming material, holds, and supplier chargebacks

Cross-functional

• Support new product launches: source and qualify new ingredients and packaging, secure pricing for costing, and manage first-article and pilot quantities
• Work with R&D and finance on cost-down initiatives - reformulation, spec changes, film downgauge, case-count changes
• Manage slow-moving and obsolete inventory; drive disposition before write-off

Qualifications

Required

• 3+ years of purchasing or buying experience, preferably in food or CPG manufacturing
• Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems (NetSuite, SAP, or similar) and strong Excel skills
• Hands-on experience using customer portals, such as SAP, to place orders and manage schedules - or the ability to become proficient quickly
• Demonstrated negotiation results with documented savings
• Ability to work cross-functionally with production, scheduling, QA, R&D, and finance
• Comfort operating in a fast-moving environment with shifting production schedules

Preferred

• Familiarity with food safety requirements as they touch supplier approval and ingredient specifications (SQF, GFSI, FSMA)
• Exposure to commodity markets and contract coverage strategies
• Bachelor's degree in supply chain, business, or a related field
• CPSM, CPIM, or APICS certification

Success measures - first 12 months

• Material cost savings delivered, in dollars and as a percentage of addressable spend
• Purchase price variance against standard cost
• Zero production downtime attributable to material shortages
• Inventory days on hand and obsolescence write-offs
• Supplier on-time-in-full performance
• Percentage of high-spend items with a qualified second source

Why Work for Us

• Steady, full-time work with competitive pay
• Benefit packages include health, dental, vision. 401K, company paid Life, AD&D, Short Term Disability.
• Friendly supportive team environment.
• Opportunities for growth and advancement

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, military service, protected veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.