Sr. Buyer, EMI - Meat & Cheese

Kraft Heinz•Chicago, IL

9d•Hybrid

About The Position

This role involves owning a defined set of external manufacturing sourcing, supplier management, and portfolio support activities within an assigned area. The Sr. Buyer will manage day-to-day work independently, supporting sourcing execution within Meat and Cheese external manufacturing. This includes supplier identification, bid support, negotiations, contracting coordination, implementation, and performance monitoring. The role also entails managing ongoing supplier interactions, issue resolution, service support, escalation tracking, and performance management. The Sr. Buyer will deliver against defined productivity, inflation management, cash, service, and supply continuity priorities. A practical understanding of supplier capabilities, category dynamics, stakeholder needs, and business priorities is essential to support stronger execution and recommendations. Coordination with cross-functional partners such as Operations, Finance, Quality, R&D, Legal, and Supply Chain is required to move work forward and resolve issues. The role champions the total cost of the assigned category by identifying and implementing novel means for reducing costs, improving quality, or improving total cost of ownership. Proactive management of supply chain risk and ensuring resiliency through adequate capacity management, including developing risk mitigation strategies, is also a key responsibility. The Sr. Buyer will support supplier strategy execution and category planning by providing inputs, tracking actions, and translating plans into execution. Leading Supplier Relationship Management activities, identifying supplier performance themes, development needs, and follow-up actions are crucial. The role also supports risk management, business continuity planning, supplier segmentation, and supply base management activities. Strengthening existing tools, templates, routines, and ways of working to improve efficiency, visibility, follow-through, and execution discipline is expected. Maintaining consistency in sourcing processes, supplier communication, issue tracking, and follow-up across the area of responsibility is important. Utilizing data and established governance routines to monitor progress, support accountability, and improve execution quality are key. The role also involves contributing ideas that simplify processes, reduce rework, and improve speed and clarity of execution.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, finance, operations, engineering, or a related field
Solid procurement experience, ideally including external manufacturing, finished goods, ingredients, packaging, CAPEX, or related categories
Experience managing sourcing activities, supplier relationships, negotiations, contracting coordination, and operational follow-through in a complex business environment
Strong execution mindset with the ability to manage multiple priorities with quality and discipline
Strong organizational and follow-through skills, with the ability to keep work moving across stakeholders and timelines
Sound commercial and business judgment within a defined scope of responsibility
Ability to identify issues early, solve problems proactively, and escalate appropriately when needed
Strong communication and stakeholder management skills across matrixed teams and functions
Ability to coordinate effectively with cross-functional partners and maintain momentum on shared work
Growing category and supplier management capability, including understanding of performance drivers, risks, and business implications
Continuous improvement mindset, with the ability to strengthen existing tools, routines, and ways of working over time
Curiosity about AI and digital tools, with interest in how they can improve visibility, efficiency, and decision making
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and familiarity with source-to-pay tools such as SAP, Ariba, Workday, and related systems

Responsibilities

Own a defined set of external manufacturing sourcing, supplier management, or portfolio support activities within an assigned area
Manage day-to-day work independently within established priorities, processes, and procurement policies
Support sourcing execution within Meat and Cheese external manufacturing, including supplier identification, bid support, negotiations, contracting coordination, implementation, and performance monitoring
Manage ongoing supplier interactions and follow-up within assigned scope, including issue resolution, service support, escalation tracking, and performance management activities
Deliver against defined productivity, inflation management, cash, service, and supply continuity priorities within area of responsibility
Build practical understanding of supplier capabilities, category dynamics, stakeholder needs, and business priorities to support stronger execution and recommendations
Coordinate with cross-functional partners including Operations, Finance, Quality, R&D, Legal, and Supply Chain to move work forward and resolve issues within scope
Champion the total cost of assigned category by identifying and implementing novel and creative means for reducing costs, improving quality, or otherwise improving total cost of ownership
Proactively manage supply chain risk and ensure resiliency through adequate capacity management. Develop risk mitigation strategies to meet business needs by identifying potential areas of risk, recommending proposed solutions and executing with cross-functional stakeholder alignment
Support supplier strategy execution and category planning by providing inputs, tracking actions, and helping translate plans into execution
Lead Supplier Relationship Management activities by identifying supplier performance themes, development needs, and follow-up actions within assigned suppliers or categories
Support risk management, business continuity planning, supplier segmentation, and supply base management activities within assigned scope
Strengthen existing tools, templates, routines, and ways of working to improve efficiency, visibility, follow-through, and execution discipline
Help maintain consistency in sourcing processes, supplier communication, issue tracking, and follow-up across the area of responsibility
Use data and established governance routines to monitor progress, support accountability, and improve execution quality
Contribute ideas that simplify processes, reduce rework, and improve speed and clarity of execution