Manager, Strategic Sourcing

Supply Leadership Administration & Management LLC; Spartanburg (SC); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

SLAM Supply Leadership Administration & Management, based in Spartanburg, SC, seeks a Manager of Strategic Sourcing for Produce to lead fresh and frozen produce sourcing strategy, including potatoes and related categories. The role emphasizes continuity of supply, product quality, and total delivered cost, partnering with Operations, Culinary, QA, Marketing, and Distribution.

You will develop and execute multi-year strategies, lead negotiations, and manage supplier performance to drive cost

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a related field.
• 7+ years in procurement, sourcing, category management, or supply chain leadership.
• Fresh produce sourcing/category-management experience required.
• Experience with fresh/frozen produce, potatoes, dairy, dry mixes, or seasonings preferred.
• Foodservice/retail/grocery experience preferred.
• Strong negotiation and supplier management experience.
• Knowledge of seasonality, shelf life, cold-chain, and distribution economics.

Responsibilities

• Develop multi-year sourcing strategies for fresh and frozen produce and related categories.
• Lead sourcing events, negotiations, and contracting with growers, processors, manufacturers, and distributors.
• Deliver cost savings, productivity, and risk mitigation while maintaining quality and availability.
• Monitor crop cycles, regional yields, and market drivers to inform strategy.
• Create contingency plans to mitigate supply disruptions and shortages.
• Manage supplier performance across safety, quality, specs, fill rate, and service.
• Collaborate with Culinary, QA, Operations, Marketing, and Distribution on specs and transitions.
• Align forecasts, promotions, inventory targets, and replenishment plans.

Skills

Negotiation

Analytical thinking

Cross-functional leadership

Supply chain strategy

Communication

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business / Supply Chain / Agriculture / Food Science / Finance

MBA preferred

Job description

SLAM Supply Leadership Administration & Management

Spartanburg, SC|Full-Time|20–30% Travel

SLAM is seeking a Manager, Strategic Sourcing – Produce to lead sourcing strategy for fresh and frozen produce, potatoes, and other assigned food categories.

This role is responsible for creating measurable value for SLAM members through continuity of supply, product quality, food safety, total delivered cost, supplier performance, innovation, and risk mitigation. The Manager will lead category strategy, sourcing, contracting, supplier relationships, and cross-functional initiatives with Operations, Culinary, Marketing, Quality Assurance, Distribution, Finance, and other stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain multi-year sourcing strategies for fresh and frozen produce, potatoes, and other assigned food categories.
• Lead sourcing events, supplier negotiations, and contracting with growers, processors, manufacturers, and distributors.
• Deliver productivity, cost savings, cost avoidance, and inflation mitigation while protecting product quality and availability.
• Monitor crop cycles, weather, growing regions, yields, seasonality, storage, freight, and other market drivers.
• Develop contingency and continuity plans to mitigate supply disruption.
• Build and manage relationships with growers, processors, manufacturers, and distributors.
• Manage supplier performance across food safety, quality, specifications, fill rate, shelf life, service, cost, and execution.
• Partner with Culinary, Quality Assurance, Operations, Marketing, and Distribution on specifications, menu development, product transitions, and commercialization.
• Develop and implement the produce distribution model in partnership with the Distribution team.
• Align forecasts, promotions, inventory targets, order patterns, and replenishment plans to reduce shortages, shrink, excess inventory, and obsolete inventory.
• Analyze crop reports, market benchmarks, supplier data, freight economics, and cost models to develop sourcing recommendations, risk assessments, and business cases.
• Mentor procurement staff and support disciplined category management and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Agriculture, Food Science, Finance, or a related field; MBA preferred.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in procurement, sourcing, category management, or supply chain leadership.
• Fresh produce sourcing or category-management experience is required.
• Experience with frozen produce, potatoes, dairy, dry mixes, or seasonings is strongly preferred.
• Foodservice, restaurant, retail grocery, food manufacturing, or distribution experience preferred.
• Demonstrated success negotiating agreements and managing strategic suppliers.
• Strong analytical, market-analysis, financial modeling, presentation, and communication skills.
• Working knowledge of seasonality, specifications, shelf life, traceability, cold-chain requirements, and produce distribution economics.

Core Competencies

Category Strategy | Produce Market Knowledge | Negotiation | Cost Modeling & Analysis | Grower & Supplier Management | Food Safety & Supply Risk | Cross-Functional Influence | Decision Making | Continuous Improvement | Leadership

Travel

This position is primarily office-based in Spartanburg, South Carolina, with periodic travel to farms, growing regions, supplier and manufacturing locations, distribution centers, member meetings, and industry conferences. Travel may increase during sourcing events, crop transitions, supplier qualification, or supply disruptions.