Hybrid Strategic Purchasing & Margin Leader

Dierbergs Markets; Bridgeton (MO); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) with company match

Hybrid work schedule

Paid time off

Wellness programs

Job summary

Dierbergs Markets is seeking a Purchasing & Cost Manager to own end-to-end sourcing, cost data, and margin governance for ingredients, packaging, and indirect spend. You will lead supplier strategy, negotiate terms, and ensure timely cost inputs while translating changes into business impact.

This strategic role connects plant operations, product development, category management, finance, and suppliers with a focus on margin protection and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain, business, finance, food science, operations, or related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Five or more years of progressive experience in food manufacturing, commissary, retail food procurement, strategic sourcing, cost accounting, or a blended purchasing and cost-management role; people-leadership experience preferred
• Demonstrated supplier negotiation and sourcing results with quantified savings, cost avoidance, service improvement, or risk reduction
• Working knowledge of standard costing, BOM or recipe costing, purchase-price variance, yield and usage variance, and margin analysis
• Experience with competitive bidding, contract and term management, supplier scorecards, alternate sourcing, and supply-risk mitigation
• Advanced analytical capability in Excel and experience with ERP, recipe-management, procurement, or costing systems; Eatec experience strongly preferred
• Ability to build governance, process, and accountability across functions, not simply administer purchase orders or react to shortages
• Clear executive communication and sound judgment when balancing cost, quality, service, innovation, inventory, and continuity of supply

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute category and sourcing strategies for Commissary ingredients, packaging, and designated indirect spend based on business requirements, total cost, supply continuity, quality, and innovation needs
• Lead competitive bids, supplier selection, negotiations, renewals, and commercial terms, including pricing, freight, payment terms, volume commitments, rebates, allowances, and service expectations
• Own contract documentation and an active contract calendar, including renewal dates, pricing windows, commitments, and required approvals
• Build and maintain supplier scorecards covering cost, service, quality, responsiveness, innovation, and risk; lead regular business reviews and corrective-action follow-up
• Develop qualified alternate sources and contingency plans for critical ingredients and packaging in partnership with Quality Assurance, Product Development, and Operations
• Monitor relevant commodity, freight, market, and supply conditions; recommend buy timing, forward coverage, substitutions, or other risk-mitigation actions within company policy
• Own the private brand cost reduction pipeline: identify, prioritize, and manage the biggest savings opportunities, and lead those initiatives from a purchasing standpoint, partnering with the Private Brand Manager and team
• Create purchasing controls for approved suppliers, item setup, order authorization, acknowledgements, lead times, minimums, freight, and exception escalation
• Ensure purchase commitments align with demand, inventory targets, production plans, storage capacity, shelf life, and working-capital expectations
• Partner with the Warehouse & Receiving Manager on inventory signals, inbound exceptions, supplier service issues, returns, credits, and operational follow-through without absorbing day-to-day receiving supervision
• Own buying-side item costs and related purchasing attributes in Eatec and connected systems, ensuring vendor changes are validated, entered, effective-dated, and communicated accurately and promptly
• Establish a documented cost-change workflow with thresholds, required approvals, accountable owners, due dates, and escalation paths
• Maintain an auditable record connecting supplier notices, negotiated outcomes, system updates, credits or rebates, and downstream business decisions
• Partner with Finance, Product Development, and Operations to define ownership and audit cadence for ingredients, packaging, yields, labor, overhead, freight, and other recipe or finished-good cost components
• Identify master-data or process defects that create inaccurate standard, recipe, or actual costs and coordinate permanent corrective action
• Deliver recurring cost, purchase-price variance, usage or yield variance, and margin reporting by item and category, with concise explanation of drivers, risk, and recommended action
• Create proactive alerts for material cost changes and items approaching defined margin thresholds so issues are addressed before losses accumulate
• Lead cross-functional evaluation of corrective actions, including renegotiation, alternate sourcing, specification change, reformulation, pack or process change, repricing, promotion adjustment, or discontinuation
• Quantify sourced savings and cost avoidance using agreed baselines; track implementation and validate that negotiated value reaches the P&L
• Partner with the Manager of Perishable Private Brand Development on target cost, should-cost thinking, supplier capability, and commercial feasibility for new or reformulated items
• Support assortment and production rationalization by providing fact-based cost, margin, supplier, and risk analysis to the Plant Manager and appropriate business leaders
• Partner with Quality Assurance to ensure sourced materials meet approved specifications, food-safety requirements, certifications, and documentation standards before use
• Monitor supplier concentration, continuity, capacity, geographic, commodity, transportation, and other material supply risks; maintain visible mitigation plans
• Establish clear decision rights and operating routines across Purchasing, Warehouse and Receiving, Product Development, Operations, Category Management, and Finance
• Communicate directly and constructively when cost, margin, supply, or data integrity requires leadership attention or a decision
• Bachelor's degree in supply chain, business, finance, food science, operations, or a related field preferred, or equivalent relevant experience
• Five or more years of progressive experience in food manufacturing, commissary, retail food procurement, strategic sourcing, cost accounting, or a blended purchasing and cost-management role; people-leadership experience preferred
• Demonstrated supplier negotiation and sourcing results with quantified savings, cost avoidance, service improvement, or risk reduction
• Working knowledge of standard costing, BOM or recipe costing, purchase-price variance, yield and usage variance, and margin analysis
• Experience with competitive bidding, contract and term management, supplier scorecards, alternate sourcing, and supply-risk mitigation
• Advanced analytical capability in Excel and experience with ERP, recipe-management, procurement, or costing systems; Eatec experience strongly preferred
• Ability to build governance, process, and accountability across functions, not simply administer purchase orders or react to shortages
• Clear executive communication and sound judgment when balancing cost, quality, service, innovation, inventory, and continuity of supply

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Supplier negotiation

Cost analytics

Cross-functional leadership

Excel analytics

ERP systems

Cost management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Eatec

ERP systems

Job description

Dierbergs Markets is seeking a Purchasing & Cost Manager to own end-to-end sourcing, cost data, and margin governance for ingredients, packaging, and indirect spend. You will lead supplier strategy, negotiate terms, and ensure timely cost inputs while translating changes into business impact.

This strategic role connects plant operations, product development, category management, finance, and suppliers with a focus on margin protection and continuous improvement.