Innovation Sourcing Lead - External Manufacturing

The Kraft Heinz Company; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 104,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare benefits

401k and retirement planning

Wellbeing programs

Job summary

The Kraft Heinz Company is seeking a procurement lead for innovation initiatives at the Chicago location. You will partner with brand and cross-functional teams, manage end-to-end sourcing for external manufacturing and internal plant innovation, and ensure timely delivery of procurement milestones across the pipeline.

Key responsibilities include supplier identification, RFPs, negotiations, and onboarding, plus governance and readiness planning to support commercialization and lifecycle

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, finance, operations, engineering, or related field; MBA preferred
• Procurement experience in innovation sourcing, external manufacturing, commercialization, ingredients, packaging, CAPEX, or related categories
• Strong negotiation, influence, and cross-functional collaboration
• Familiar with SAP, Ariba, Workday and related systems
• Digital savviness and basic knowledge of BI tools (Tableau, Power BI)
• Analytical and problem-solving capabilities in fast-moving environments

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end procurement for external and internal innovation initiatives across the business unit
• Coordinate with brand and cross-functional teams to align on priorities, timing, and supplier needs
• Serve as primary procurement contact for innovation initiatives and ensure timely execution of deliverables
• Identify and assess external manufacturing partners to enable innovation strategy and growth
• Manage sourcing execution including RFPs, negotiations, contracting, onboarding, and launch support
• Establish governance and readiness plans to support commercialization and lifecycle management

Job description

The Kraft Heinz Company is seeking a procurement lead for innovation initiatives at the Chicago location. You will partner with brand and cross-functional teams, manage end-to-end sourcing for external manufacturing and internal plant innovation, and ensure timely delivery of procurement milestones across the pipeline.

Key responsibilities include supplier identification, RFPs, negotiations, and onboarding, plus governance and readiness planning to support commercialization and lifecycle