Global Category Sourcing - Associate Director

Lactalis USA; Bedford (NH); On-site; USD 153,000 - 164,000; Full time

Job summary

Lactalis USA in Bedford, NH, is hiring a Global Category Sourcing – Associate Director based in Bedford, NH. The role leads the Rigid Plastic Packaging category across North and South America to support Lactalis Group growth.

Responsibilities include defining category strategy with key stakeholders, negotiating Master Supply Agreements, and driving improvements in cost, service, and cash flow. Travel 10–30% is required.

Qualifications

• MBA in Purchasing Management.
• 2 years of experience in Purchasing/Strategic sourcing as a Senior Global Packaging Buyer or Strategic Sourcing Associate Director.
• Frequent travel 10–30% to meet with local teams and visit suppliers.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Rigid Plastic Packaging category work across North and South America (LAN, LATAM & BRAZIL) to find synergies for Lactalis Group growth.
• Define category strategy with stakeholders and design the execution roadmap.
• Negotiate and implement key Master Supply Agreements; monitor supplier performance.
• Coordinate with local teams and drive cost, quality, service and cash improvements.

Education

Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Purchasing Management

Job description

Description

Ready for more than just a job? Build a career with purpose. 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.

Description

Ready for more than just a job? Build a career with purpose. 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, Président® 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

Lactalis Cheese and Dairy Holding, Inc., part of the Lactalis family of companies, is currently hiring a Global Category Sourcing – Associate Director based in Bedford, NH.

From your EXPERTISE to ours

Key Responsibilities For This Position Include

• Lead the Rigid Plastic Packaging category work across North and South America (LAN, LATAM & BRAZIL Procurement Zones) action plans on new acquisitions to quickly find synergies to support Lactalis Group growth in these regions.
• Lead key strategies and projects to optimize the quality, service, costs, innovation and cash performance.
• Define with all relevant stakeholders (Zone Procurement team, R&D, Industrial, Quality, Marketing) the category strategy, considering the internal and external partners (Lactalis countries in Americas, Market environment, Suppliers).
• Design the roadmap for execution.
• Drive the strategies with your local counterparts and monitor its progress.
• Develop market knowledge and expertise, deploy best practices by active benchmark.
• Utilize understanding of the upstream markets for the key commodities (PP, PE, PET resins) to identify dynamics, risks & opportunities and provide relevant market information internally through market reports and ad hoc presentations.
• Define, lead and monitor relationships with our global supplier’s portfolio as well as monitoring their performance.
• Negotiate and implement key Master Supply Agreements and assist local teams in implementing them.
• Participate in budget (commodities assumptions and savings plans).
• Coordinate the work done and methods used in the category to strengthen Lactalis expertise and knowledge.
• Maintain an active innovation watch.

This position is full time (40 hours per week) with a salary of $152,693.00 - $164,000.00 per year. This job is located on-site at 6 Bedford Farms Drive, Bedford NH 03110.

Requirements

From your STORY to ours

Qualified Applicants Will Contribute The Following

• Requires a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Purchasing Management or its U.S. equivalent.
• 2 years of experience in Purchasing/Strategic sourcing as a Senior Global Packaging Buyer or Strategic Sourcing Associate Director.
• Requires frequent travel (10-30% of the time) to meet with local teams and visit suppliers.

Job ID: 4283660

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 Afford?