Devenish Nutrition - The Agri-technology Company

Purchasing Director

Position Description

The Purchasing Director position is a central role within the organization and will have the responsibility to provide proactive leadership and direction in the areas of procurement and supply-chain management to help support an efficient production environment and a competitive ingredient trading division. This full-time position has complete oversight for all Devenish packaging and feed ingredient purchases within North America. The ideal candidate will be based around our Corporate Office in Fairmont, MN.

Primary Responsibilities

This position involves sourcing multiple strategic ingredients from domestic and international sources, while managing supplier relations and contract negotiations, analyzing market trends and seeking continuous improvement of the overall efficiency of the purchasing department. This position is expected to be well informed and connected to raw material trends to ensure Devenish maintains an extreme level of competitiveness.

Detailed Responsibilities

• Be the company expert on current and future raw material pricing trends for domestic and global markets to aid in forecasting of raw material purchase requirements.
• Communicate with suppliers regarding their product offerings to ensure Devenish achieves the best pricing, payment terms and coverage options available.
• Responsible for the inventory cost's impact on cash flow and warehousing. Communicate with finance & production staff to determine the most economical and efficient level of inventory needed.
• Responsible for developing and executing departmental strategies that will ensure that Devenish meets our overall strategic growth objectives, while constantly identifying opportunities to drive efficiency.
• Assist Commercial Team & Research Team with identifying and locating new or alternative ingredient options that potentially provide more value to our customers and to Devenish.
• Work with the Quality Assurance department on vendor and ingredient approval process, vendor CofA collection and vendor sampling/QA protocols as needed.
• Provide frequent updates to the Commercial Team with on-going market pricing trends and or supply issues.
• Manage and support the Ingredient / Trading Team. Ensure we have an appropriate supply at competitive pricing to support both the Production requirements but all the Trading requirements.
• Establish key performance indicators for the department, monitor ongoing performance and participate in continuous improvement programs to assist in Devenish meeting or exceeding the annual budgets.

Qualifying Skill and Attributes

• Thorough knowledge of feed, feed supplements, feed ingredients and the suppliers of each
• Ability to manage purchasing challenges and staff of a multi-site production system
• Strong interpersonal relationship building and leadership skills
• Flexible and adaptable in terms of role and work hours with ability to travel as required
• Proven track record of successfully leading and delivering continuous improvement programs
• Excellent communication skills with an ability to motivate the team around you