Procurement Forester

Smurfit-Westrock; Cottonton (AL); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Training & development opportunities

Global packaging company environment

Sustainability and safety focus

Job summary

Smurfit Westrock is seeking a Procurement Forester to join the Mahrt, AL Forest Resources team. The role focuses on aggressively managing fiber purchases, developing and supporting fiber supply initiatives, and ensuring compliance with safety and environmental requirements.

You will identify fiber sources, negotiate pricing, and coordinate with suppliers, landowners, and the mill team to maintain delivered fiber at required levels while supporting mill forecasts.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of work experience interacting with external wood fiber suppliers or procurement forestry internship.
• Bachelor’s degree in forestry or related field required.
• Proficiency with MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Proven and effective negotiating skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead fiber procurement planning to ensure lowest cost and highest quality delivered fiber for the digester.
• Identify and develop fiber sources and negotiate pricing based on market demands.
• Support annual strategic purchase plans and tactical execution for mill requirements.
• Develop financial forecasts, budgets, and spending projections for the fiber program.
• Collaborate with regional team and landowners to secure delivered volumes across the mills.

Skills

Negotiation

Stakeholder communication

Strategic purchasing

Financial analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in forestry or related field

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW) is the go-to leader and partner of choice in sustainable packaging. We are dedicated to creating efficient and scalable paper and packaging solutions to help solve complex packaging challenges. Guided by our values of safety, loyalty, integrity and respect, we are committed to delivering meaningful value for shareholders, customers, employees and the communities where we operate.

The opportunity:

We have an opportunity for a Procurement Forester to join our Mahrt, AL Forest Resources team to assist in aggressively managing fiber purchase requirements, supporting the overall region objectives to maintain the lowest cost, highest quality fiber sourcing in support each mill’s forecasted needs while maintaining the highest compliance with safety and environmental requirements. This Procurement Forester role will work with suppliers and landowners to secure delivered volumes of roundwood to our Mahrt & Cottonton Mill facilities. The position will be relied on principally to identify and develop fiber supply but will also lead, develop and support team initiatives, and provide strong customer service to our mill.

How you will impact Smurfit Westrock:

• Lead, promote, enhance, and model Smurfit Westrock’s safety and environmentally conscious culture.
• Assist the Area Manager in executing the annual strategic purchase plan to provide the highest value fiber to the digester across the annual cycle by identify and developing fiber sources and ensuring a consistent supply of targeted levels of delivered fiber through external purchases.
• Assist in the development of the tactical plans supporting the annual strategy to deliver on mill requirements. Lead the ground level execution of the tactical plans.
• Ability to demonstrate understanding of market data, identifying cost savings opportunities, and providing feedback and options to the Area Manager for decision making.
• Work with other members of the regional team in the execution of the fiber supply plan with precision and a high sense of urgency, remaining flexible to adjust strategy and tactics given changes in market conditions and/or mill operations to sustain the highest value fiber to the digester across the annual cycle.
• Effectively evaluate delivered fiber opportunities and successfully negotiate pricing based on true market demands that provide high quality fiber to the digester at lowest possible costs.
• Effectively purchase fiber that meets and exceeds Smurfit Westrock’s sustainability and certification standards, including compliance with multiple certifications standards while meetings all state and federal forestry best management practices.
• Communicate effectively with all stakeholders including peers, the fiber procurement team, management, landowners, and suppliers in verbal and written form related to relevant operations, strategies, and status of execution.
• Assist the Area Manager in the development and reporting of timely and accurate financial information including budgets, forecasts, and projected spending.
• Identify and support opportunities to increase productivity and efficiency across the region.

What you need:

• 5+ years of work experience related to the direct interaction with external wood fiber suppliers or completion of a procurement forestry internship.
• Bachelor’s degree in forestry or related field.
• Proficiency with MS Office computer skills, Excel, PowerPoint, MS Word, Outlook, and other software.
• Capability to learn and develop tactical plans with aggressive strategy built on mill requirements, solid analysis, and robust market data.
• Ability to learn, build, and track financial forecasts and budgets.
• Proven and effective negotiating skills.

What we offer:

• Corporate culture based on integrity, respect, accountability, and excellence.
• Comprehensive training with numerous learning and development opportunities.
• An attractive salary reflecting skills, competencies, and potential.
• A career with a global packaging company where Sustainability, Safety and Inclusion are business drivers and foundational elements of the daily work.

Candidates are required to undergo a drug screening after receiving a conditional job offer, but before starting employment.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by state or federal law.