Strategic Ingredient Sourcing Category Manager

Reser's Fine Foods, Inc.; Beaverton (OR); On-site; USD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Reser's Fine Foods, Inc. is seeking a Category Manager in Corporate Purchasing to lead ingredient sourcing, supplier evaluation, and cost optimization across global suppliers.

The role requires coordinating with R&D, Food Safety, Regulatory, Quality, and Operations to ensure product performance, safety, and compliance while driving supply continuity and competitive costs. You will develop sourcing strategies, lead RFQs and supplier negotiations, and manage end-to-end category projects in a

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in a related field preferred; equivalent experience may be considered.
• 10+ years in purchasing, procurement, ingredient sourcing, category management, or supplier management within a corporate food manufacturing, CPG, or related environment preferred.
• Experience sourcing food ingredients domestically and internationally.
• Experience working with R&D, Food Safety, Regulatory, Quality, Operations, and plant purchasing teams.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating supplier pricing, terms, contracts, cost changes, and service expectations.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for assigned ingredient categories, including domestic and international suppliers, brokers, importers, and manufacturers.
• Identify, evaluate, qualify, and onboard new and alternate ingredient suppliers to support cost savings, innovation, business continuity, risk mitigation, and supply assurance.
• Partner with R&D, Food Safety, Regulatory, Quality, Operations, Plant Purchasing, Commercialization, and suppliers to source ingredients meeting product performance, safety, labeling, compliance, and production needs.
• Lead supplier discovery, RFQs, RFPs, bid analysis, supplier comparisons, and award recommendations using total value criteria.
• Negotiate pricing, contracts, payment terms, freight terms, lead times, minimum orders, stocking agreements, and service levels.
• Provide category forecasts, usage projections, market updates, price-change recommendations, and supply risk assessments.
• Monitor market conditions, tariffs, crop conditions, commodity trends, transportation, regulatory changes, and supplier risks impacting cost or supply.
• Manage supplier performance through regular reviews of service levels, quality, documentation, delivery reliability, and contract adherence.
• Coordinate supplier documentation and ingredient approvals, including specs, nutrition, allergens, country of origin, Prop 65, certificates, audits.
• Support Food Safety and Regulatory requirements by ensuring complete, accurate supplier documentation and escalation of issues.
• Lead or support cross-functional projects tied to new product development, alternate supplier qualification, cost savings, and supply issues.
• Maintain records in systems for suppliers, items, pricing, quotes, contracts, and stocking agreements.
• Collaborate with plant purchasing and operations to resolve shortages, delays, pricing discrepancies, and inventory issues.
• Communicate updates and analyses clearly to Purchasing leadership and stakeholders.
• Perform special projects and other related duties as assigned.

Skills

Negotiation

Supplier management

Forecasting

Project management

Communication

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor degree in Supply Chain, Business, Economics, Accounting, Finance, Food Science, or related field

Tools

ERP systems

M3 / FoodLogiQ

Job description

Reser's Fine Foods, Inc. is seeking a Category Manager in Corporate Purchasing to lead ingredient sourcing, supplier evaluation, and cost optimization across global suppliers.

The role requires coordinating with R&D, Food Safety, Regulatory, Quality, and Operations to ensure product performance, safety, and compliance while driving supply continuity and competitive costs. You will develop sourcing strategies, lead RFQs and supplier negotiations, and manage end-to-end category projects in a