Vice President Supply Chain

Essex Food Ingredients; Frazer Township (PA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A food manufacturing company in Frazer Township is looking for a Vice President of Supply Chain to lead Operations, Customer Service, and Purchasing Departments. This role is critical for establishing service standards and improving customer satisfaction through strategic leadership and operational excellence. The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of management experience, strong analytical skills, and knowledge of food safety and operational management. The position demands effective communication and a passion for developing high-functioning teams.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of plant/general management experience in a distribution or manufacturing environment.
• Knowledge of food safety, production, distribution, logistics, and inventory control.
• Experience with lean, statistical, and data-visualization tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop operational teams to enhance performance.
• Ensure compliance with food safety policies and company regulations.
• Develop and implement high service standards and continuous improvement.

Skills

Management experience

Relationship management

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Leadership skills

Education

College degree in Industrial Management, Operations, Supply, or Engineering

Tools

MS Office

ERP and CRM systems

Sage X

Job description

At Essex, increasing Customer Success is a key priority to help us build relationships and grow our business. Vice President of Supply Chain is a highly visible role and has overall responsibility for the Operations, Customer Service, and Purchasing Departments. This position coordinates carefully with other departments to ensure a high level of quality, efficiency, and customer satisfaction, while maintaining optimal inventory levels. This position carries out responsibilities in accordance with the organization’s service standards, food safety policies, core values, and applicable laws. The Vice President of Supply Chain is responsible for planning, developing, and directing their teams to maximize customer satisfaction. This will primarily be done by researching and finding new ways to engage with our customers, suppliers, and colleagues, and improving existing processes and procedures. They will establish service standards for the operations so that quality customer satisfaction is achieved. Directly responsible for strategic development of operational requirements, processes, performance improvements, personnel improvements, and technology to deliver key service outcomes for all customers. Vice President of Supply Chain participates as a member of the Essex Leadership Team.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership, Management, & Accountability

• Strategically lead and develop an operational team to enhance performance by setting clear accountable performance measures.
• Selects, develops, retains, and directs qualified supervisor and professional staff
• Responsible for planning, prioritizing, and setting department goals
• Direct and implement scalable methods and procedures empowering staff to navigate customer issues
• Continually seeks opportunities through internal and external resources to develop or enhance management skills, and drives continuous development of team members
• Lead regularly scheduled meetings as a department
• Be visible, involved, informed, engaged, creative, intuitive, challenging, and supportive of managers and team members
• Hold team accountable by managing and executing standard processes and problem‑solving techniques
• Create and maintain high quality work environment so team members are motivated to perform at their highest level.
• Eliminate barriers between and within departments. Resolve employee issues with assistance from Human Resources, VP of Sales, Controller, and President.
• Certify all training programs are well documented for all employees to ensure all are qualified to carry out assigned tasks. All training will be documented, and original documentation supplied to HR Manager.

Supply Chain Operations

• Build and maintain a strong safety culture, achieving zero lost time incidents
• Establish and monitor KPI’s to drive improved safety, perfect service, continuous improvement, and inventory management
• Develop, recommend, and manage expansion projects and capital budgets
• Fulfill the food safety duties and responsibilities as outlined in company’s SQF program
• Ensure compliance and adhere to all company policies as well as federal, state, and local regulations
• Act as the primary Supply Chain point of contact for Essex Food Ingredients and as a resource for sister companies

Process & Performance Improvement

• Develop and implement very high service standards, procedures, and policies in accordance with company goals, while maintaining efficient operation
• Partner with Sales Executives to optimize existing client profitability through business planning and collaboration and deliver increased revenue streams
• Identify and implement opportunities to improve customer experience by seeking new industry tools and technologies
• Develop programs to continually improve quality of service through employee engagement and training
• Facilitate problem solving by modeling continuous improvement methodologies to eliminate root causes and permanently reduce variance through cross‑functional coordination with other key department managers
• Responds to high volume of internal external emails through Microsoft Outlook.
• Responds to internal and external phone calls and requests.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education/Experience

• College degree with a concentration preferred in Industrial Management, Operations, Supply, or Engineering, including 10+ years plant/general management experience in a distribution or manufacturing environment.
• Knowledge of food safety and food production, distribution, logistics, and inventory control, and the ability to apply such knowledge to practical situations.
• Experience utilizing lean, statistical, and data‑visualization tools.
• Advanced knowledge of MS Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, etc.)
• Advanced knowledge of ERP and CRM systems; experience in Sage X preferred

Licenses/Credentials/Certifications

Specialized Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Proven Management and/or relationship management experience on a strategic level
• History of building high functioning teams
• Utilize lean, statistical and data‑visualization tools.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving techniques
• Ability to communicate effectively to a variety of audiences and in a public forum among peers and team members
• Strong communication skills, and able to lead and motivate leadership and team members daily in a face‑past environment, while driving consistent results
• Strong leadership and management skills in accordance with Essex Core Values
• Self‑Driven, motivated individual with an active continuous improvement approach
• Knowledge of SEI and Smartsheets

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Office hours are 40-50 per week – Monday – Friday, 8:00 – 5:00, typically on‑site in Frazer, PA; may require additional hours periodically, including evening and weekends depending on business needs
• Work typically performed in an indoor office setting

Tools and Equipment Used

• Personal computer, copier, fax/scanner, phone, and other typical office equipment