Senior Manager, Category Manager

The Farmer's Dog • New York, NY

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Category Manager is a strategic leadership role within Procurement, reporting to the Procurement Director. This role partners closely with the Director to translate procurement strategies into actionable category plans that align with key business objectives. The position owns the end to end sourcing lifecycle for produce and dry food ingredients, including market intelligence, contracting, supplier management, cost optimization, risk mitigation and cross-functional communication.
This leader is a self starter who can interpret complex produce and dry food ingredients markets, proactively identify risks and opportunities and translate them into clear, actionable guidance for the business. Success in this role requires strong judgment, data driven decision making, executive ready communication and the ability to execute against complex, high impact business goals.

Requirements

• You have 7+ years of experience in sourcing, procurement, or operations, preferably within consumer goods, food, or related manufacturing.
• You bring 3–5+ years of experience in produce and dry food ingredients category management.
• You are a self starter with strong analytical and financial aptitude, comfortable working with commodity markets, cost model and scenario analysis.
• You have a proven track record of developing and executing category strategies that deliver measurable business impact across cost, quality and supply assurance.
• You are an effective communicator, able to convey complex market and sourcing narratives clearly across multiple levels of the organization.
• You are a confident negotiator and influencer who builds strong supplier partnerships while maintaining clear governance and commercial discipline.
• You balance strategic thinking with operational follow through, ensuring plans translate into results.
• You’re an effective team leader and mentor, capable of balancing tactical execution with strategic alignment.
• You are proficient in Excel, e-procurement tools, and comfortable working within Google and Microsoft Suites.
• You’re willing to travel up to 25% of the time.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the multi-year produce and dry food ingredients category strategy and sourcing roadmap in alignment with commercialization goals, product quality standards, cost optimization targets and supply chain resilience objectives.
• Serve as the produce and dry food ingredients category subject matter expert, owning market & commodity intelligence, supplier landscape analysis and technology awareness across the category.
• Lead RFPs, conduct contract negotiations and supplier performance reviews to drive continuous improvement across key category KPIs including supplier quality, cost variance and service performance.
• Provide accurate cost forecasts and scenario modeling, translating complex market and supplier data into actionable insights that guide category strategy and executive decision-making.
• Own supplier and cost optimization initiatives by identifying opportunities to reduce total category spend while sourcing the highest quality ingredients at competitive terms.
• Manage supply continuity and obsolescence risks, implementing proactive mitigation strategies to minimize disruptions.
• Partner with R&D, FSQR and Commercialization to ensure produce and dry food ingredients sourcing deliverables are seamlessly executed in support of new product development and commercialization initiatives.
• Track project timelines, sourcing deliverables and supplier readiness, proactively escalating potential delays or risks.
• Build and manage executive-level supplier relationships, establishing governance frameworks, leading strategic business reviews and driving long-term value creation across key partnerships.
• Lead, mentor and develop a high performing produce and dry food ingredients team, fostering a culture of ownership, data driven decision making and proactive problem solving.
• Elevate the team’s strategic thinking on markets and risks, translating tactical insights into actionable recommendations for the business.

Benefits

• Dog-friendly office in SoHo
• Market-competitive compensation and equity packages
• Comprehensive Healthcare, Dental, and Vision
• Company supported mental health benefits
• 12 week paid parental leave
• Competitive 401k plan with company match
• Flexible PTO
• Discounted fresh food for your pup
• Your pet interrupting video calls (and in-person meetings) is now a feature, not a bug

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed