Job Summary
A growing food and beverage production organization is seeking an experienced Procurement Manager for a direct hire opportunity in the Whittier, CA area. This hands-on role is ideal for a procurement professional who enjoys negotiating with suppliers, improving purchasing operations, controlling costs, and ensuring materials are available to support production.
The Procurement Manager will play a key role in sourcing raw proteins, food ingredients, packaging materials, and operational supplies while working closely with Operations, Production, Quality, Sales, Customer Service, and Finance. This opportunity offers a collaborative, fast-paced manufacturing environment where strong supplier relationships, financial acumen, and continuous improvement are valued.
This is a great fit for a proactive purchasing leader who wants to make a measurable impact on cost savings, supply continuity, inventory performance, and supplier accountability.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage procurement of raw proteins, ingredients, packaging materials, and operational supplies to support production needs.
- Forecast purchasing requirements and align procurement activity with production schedules, inventory levels, and material availability.
- Develop sourcing strategies, negotiate pricing, contracts, payment terms, and supplier agreements.
- Monitor supplier performance, including quality, pricing, delivery, service, responsiveness, and overall KPI results.
- Identify cost savings, supplier consolidation, alternate sourcing, and process improvement opportunities.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Operations, Production, Quality, Sales, Customer Service, Finance, and new product development teams.
Compensation and Benefits
- Salary range: $120,000 to $125,000 per year.
- Job type: Direct hire.
Equal Opportunity Employer / Disabled / Protected Veterans
The Know Your Rights poster is available here:
https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12.pdf
The pay transparency policy is available here:
https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ofccp/pdf/pay-transp_%20English_formattedESQA508c.pdf
For temporary assignments lasting 13 weeks or longer, AppleOne is pleased to offer major medical, dental, vision, 401k and any statutory sick pay where required.
We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact your staffing representative who will reach out to our HR team.
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https://e-verify.uscis.gov/web/media/resourcesContents/E-Verify_Participation_Poster_ES.pdf
We also consider for employment qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements, including, if applicable, the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. Pursuant to applicable state and municipal Fair Chance Laws and Ordinances, we will consider for employment-qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, including, if applicable, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. For Los Angeles, CA applicants: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.
Required Qualifications and Skills
- Manage purchasing and sourcing for food manufacturing materials, including proteins, ingredients, packaging, and operational supplies.
- Lead supplier negotiations, vendor performance management, purchase order activity, and cost control initiatives.
- Analyze inventory levels, purchase price variances, margins, aging inventory, and material availability to reduce shortages and waste.
- Use ERP/MRP systems, QuickBooks, Excel, and purchasing analytics to maintain accurate purchasing records and supplier documentation.
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Accounting, Operations Management, or a related field, or equivalent directly related experience.
- 5+ years of progressive procurement, purchasing, or supply chain experience in a manufacturing environment.
- Experience purchasing raw proteins, food ingredients, packaging, or operational supplies.
- Strong understanding of material costs, inventory control, margins, purchase price variances, and cost reduction strategies.
- Experience with ERP/MRP systems, with Canopy ERP or comparable systems preferred.
- Strong Microsoft Excel, Word, and Outlook skills.
- Excellent negotiation, communication, analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced production environment.
- Experience measuring supplier performance through KPIs, scorecards, or similar tools.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in food manufacturing, meat processing, protein, prepared foods, or packaging environments.
- Knowledge of protein commodity markets or food ingredient sourcing.
- Familiarity with USDA, GMPs, HACCP, SQF, or other food safety and quality systems.
- Experience supporting new product development by sourcing materials that meet quality, cost, and customer requirements.