Product Director

JOB SUMMARY: Love Beets Production, LLC seeks Product Director to provide procurement leadership and oversight to the shareholders, directors, and senior managers.

Location: Rochester, NY

Job Summary:  Love Beets Production, LLC seeks a Product Director to provide procurement leadership and oversight to the shareholders, directors, and senior managers of Love Beets Production. This includes all agricultural/fresh produce raw materials and ingredients, with associated costing and supply models and analysis.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Actively take a leadership role on key initiatives in alignment with company objectives.
  • Build a profitable and sustainable business, managing risk and expenditure.
  • Responsible for the development and execution of procurement strategies to ensure all quality measure, pricing controls, inventory management, and vendor relationships align with Love Beets values and support the long-term success of the business.
  • Lead and develop raw material supply chain strategy for sourcing beets in North America.
  • Build and oversee a high-performing supply chain team, leading different teams within the business to assist in change management, improve process development, introduction of new equipment and packaging.
  • Negotiate terms and conditions with primary and secondary suppliers to ensure continuity of supply, favorable pricing, and consistency of product quality.
  • Support new product development projects by engaging suppliers regarding industry trends, identifying sources for new ingredients, on-boarding new (suppliers/growers), providing costing projections, and achieving commercialization timelines working with technical, commercial and operations colleagues. Developments include varietal and genetic plans to support differentiation of product offer and brand.
  • Maintain a strong understanding of market conditions, documenting market trends on key commodity driven items.
  • Communicate financial implications and update senior management on potential supply risks or opportunities.
  • Collaboratively share market conditions, grower/supplier contacts and sourcing information with cross-functional pees.
  • Work with sales demand forecast to develop growing plans and make adjustments on live run-rates and projections.
  • Evaluated and generate a grower/supplier performance scorecard based on quality, price, on-time delivery, inventory management and innovation in process, and on new variety/genetics trials.
  • Make recommendations on introducing new suppliers and sources or adjusting existing based on transparent, key performance criteria.
  • Travel to suppliers to oversee or review audits and train future team members to participate in this process.
  • Ensure product specifications of all ingredients meet quality assurance requirements and all vendor documentation is 100% complete and up to date.
  • Develop procurement procedures aligned with all food safety requirements, including but not limited to full traceability program requirements.
  • Responsibility for oversight of grading facility process for quality and quantity at all levels of the process.
  • Responsibility for for managing and coordinating import agents, including identifying providers.
  • Guide, inspire, and lead senior management across Love Beets Americas through thought leadership and inspiration in business, farming, and supply chain matters.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness, Agricultural Business Management, or a related field
• 5 years of progressive professional-level production management experience in the food industry as Product Director or related occupation, to including product management of root vegetables and salads, management of harvesting and food manufacturing operations, demonstrated knowledge of supply chain management practices and procedures
• Knowledge of governance aspects, including responsibility for meeting legal and regulatory requirements

 

 

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