Director of Procurement- Meat Manufacturing

POSITION SUMMARY

Old World Provisions is seeking a Director of Procurement to lead the company’s procurement function. The Director owns sourcing strategy across all categories — raw meat, packaging materials, ingredients, and indirect spend — and personally leads raw meat sourcing and price negotiation with major U.S. meat processors and packers. Packaging and indirect categories are executed by a dedicated buyer under the Director’s direction.

The role carries full accountability for supplier strategy, material cost, inventory, and continuity of supply, with total annual procurement spend of approximately.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Team Leadership and Oversight
• Set sourcing strategy for the entire procurement organization, covering raw meat as well as packaging and ingredient materials
• Direct and oversee the buyer responsible for packaging and indirect categories — the Director sets direction and controls outcomes, the buyer executes
• Hire, develop, and manage performance across the procurement team
• Own budget and cost accountability across all categories, both raw meat and non-meat
• Establish procurement process standards and own compliance with them
• Raw Material — Meat Sourcing (core)
• Build and manage direct relationships with major U.S. meat processors and packers (Tyson, JBS, Cargill, Smithfield) and approved brokers
• Determine and manage the pricing structure by item — formula pricing against USDA cutout, fixed-price contracts, or spot purchasing
• Monitor CME lean hog and live cattle markets, USDA reports, and cutout trends; provide a regular raw material cost outlook to leadership
• Own raw material specifications (IMPS/NAMP), grade, trim, and yield standards; evaluate yield performance by supplier
• Identify and execute forward-buy and hedging opportunities
• Inventory Management
• Own raw material inventory levels, coverage days, and turns across frozen and refrigerated stock
• Align purchasing volume with the production schedule and sales forecast
• Set and maintain buffer stock policy by item, balancing supply risk against carrying cost
• Manage cold storage relationships and inbound freight
• Work with Operations and Finance on inventory accuracy, aging, and obsolescence
• Packaging, Ingredients, and Indirect Spend (oversight)
• Oversee sourcing of casings, packaging materials, spices and seasonings, and additives
• Oversee indirect procurement including MRO, supplies, equipment parts, outsourced services, and logistics and cold storage contracts
• Review and approve major contracts and price negotiations
• Oversee inventory levels and lead times for packaging and ingredient materials
• Supplier Management and Quality
• Qualify, approve, and periodically audit suppliers; maintain the approved supplier list and secure backup sources for critical items
• Maintain the supplier master, conduct spend analysis, and identify savings opportunities by category
• Partner with Production and Quality to resolve material issues and manage claims
• Ensure supplier compliance with USDA, FSIS, and food safety requirements

Requirements

• Required
• 10+ years of procurement experience in meat or food manufacturing, including experience leading or managing a procurement team
• Hands-on raw meat sourcing experience gained at a meat processing or further-processing manufacturer, or at a packer; distribution or retail channel sourcing experience alone will not be considered
• Track record negotiating bulk commodity purchases directly with major suppliers
• Working knowledge of IMPS/NAMP specifications, grading, and yield
• Experience managing frozen and refrigerated raw material inventory and cold chain logistics
• Experience operating procurement processes within an ERP environment
• Comfortable working hands-on in a mid-sized manufacturing environment
• Preferred
• Existing relationships with Tyson, JBS, Cargill, Smithfield, or comparable processors
• Experience with commodity hedging or price risk management
• Experience managing multiple categories including packaging, ingredients, and indirect spend
• Exposure to export operations or international customers