Truck Category Manager

Truck Category Manager Decatur, IL Ready for a Supply Chain career with more impact? Join a market leader in ingredient manufacturing that is poised for a new era of success. ABOUT PRIMIENT Established yet entrepreneurial: Primient is an industry leader with proven products, six manufacturing plants, 1500 employees and deep roots in corn wet milling. Yet we’re also a brand-new company that is ready to drive change and create impact. Inspired by a meaningful purpose: we use renewable sources to produce plant-based ingredients for some of the world’s best-known brands. It feels good to produce safe, high-quality, sustainable products – that go into everything from sodas to hand cream and cardboard to clothing. Poised for a new era of success: we’re investing in our plants and people to unlock our potential in the industrial and food sectors. Guided by our values of Safety, Excellence, Integrity, and Growth, we’re focused on growing our business, our reputation, and the career of every colleague. THE OPPORTUNITY The Primient Supply Chain is a lean, Six Sigma operation that acts as the lifeblood of our business. It is an exciting time to be part of a team that is driving continuous improvement built on proven best practice. The Transportation Procurement Manager will be responsible for negotiations, contractual agreements, vendor risk management, assessing near and long-term plans and ensuring Primient capacity requirements meet business demand. The role will define strategies to improve delivered price, enhance customer experience while driving creative capacity management ensuring longevity of a nimble Supply Chain. Key responsibilities: Truck Category Manager Developing and executing category strategic sourcing strategies, best practices, risk mitigation and appropriate capacity planning. Vigorous and dynamic supplier performance management targeting improved service execution, joint continuous improvement initiatives driving overall lower total cost. Managing all regional spend for the category negotiating through eRFI’s and eRFP’s. Develop selection criteria and create streamlined business processes. Researching and analyzing market data fundamentals providing information on category trends. Redirecting category strategy when appropriate with thorough analytics and good understanding of regional market dynamics. Analyzing profitability of all lanes to ensure costs and revenue are balanced Ensuring compliance with all internal processes and approvals for the North America region. Developing and ownership of supplier relationships and manage agreed upon vendor KPI metrics. Developing budget pricing forecasts and the strategy to achieve forecasts. Developing influential and positive stakeholder relationships across the group to ensure category buy-in. Ensuring appropriate and robust commercial arrangements are defined which meet the dynamic business requirements. Establishing, leading and supporting cross-functional category sourcing teams. Ensuring savings targets and reporting requirements are met in a timely manner. Challenging business requirements and specification where appropriate to deliver best value. Collaborating with Finance, Business, Sales, Manufacturing and Quality management to ensure common understanding of needs and alignment of procurement approach. Driving an innovative, lean & continuous improvement culture within supply chain and procurement demonstrating Primient is a shipper of choice and preferred supplier. Exuding a culture of honesty, integrity and trust in all business dealings both in and outside the organization. ABOUT YOU The person is a self-starter with a proven record of accomplishment in Strategic Procurement and Category management. Experience in building mutual relationships with key carriers/vendors, this person will effectively establish business needs, matching creative solutions to meet those needs. Their experience will have been gained in a fast paced, dynamic industry where the emphasis is on relationships, solution benefit, meeting challenging targets, customer satisfaction and delivering business requirements. Proven expertise in Transportation procurement management, inclusive of operational experience. Well-developed commercial mind-set and logistics market knowledge in the categories of over-the-road freight procurement and operations including but not limited to: dry van trucking, liquid bulk trucking, dry bulk trucking, less-than-truckload, intermodal, parcel, backhaul and pool trucks. Understand and ability to successfully develop and manage stakeholder relationships. Proven track record of strategic procurement and category management with small, medium and large carriers/vendors. Self-starter, outcome-oriented individual with a proven track record of delivering savings targets by developing excellent stakeholder relationships both within and outside the organization. Track record of working successfully in cross functional teams to serve business needs, develop a compelling selling proposition, and negotiate win-win contract agreements. Understand unique delivery requirements with determination and willingness to win customer accounts regardless of complexity. Strong analytical and mathematical skills. Excellent written and verbal communication skill. Well-developed presentation skills. Ability to manage numerous competing priorities and deadline driven. Strong competency in complex negotiations A degree in Supply Chain, Business Administration, International Trade or Engineering with consideration to years of experience. To be successful in the role: Solid understanding of the contracting cycle with ability to apply knowledge in every carrier interaction and become a trusted advisor within the organization. Experience in successfully delivering category management in a global organization. Systems experience with Oracle and SAP would be advantageous Advanced Excel and PowerPoint skills, Microsoft email and MS office suite of standard programs Experience with Power BI is a plus Experience and understanding of risk management tools and techniques Performing market assessments, trends and recommending mitigation action plans Positive outlook cultivating team performance and morale Willingness to travel 15% domestically in support of category and business requirements Additional Information Rewards and Benefits Competitive salary / 401 K matching and non-contingent matching plans / Healthcare / Medical insurance Career development Our structure provides autonomy and accountability in your role. You have scope to develop a depth of expertise and the opportunity to follow career pathways outside the norm. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging We are passionate believers in the power of difference. We strive to represent the communities in which we operate and to provide an inclusive, welcoming environment for all. We want Primient to be a place where every employee feels they belong and knows they are seen, heard, valued and safe to speak up. Our aspiration is to unlock the full potential in diverse perspectives, while offering everyone an equal chance to grow, thrive and progress. Primient is an equal opportunity employer, committed to the strength of an inclusive workforce. California Consumer Privacy Act ("CCPA") The Company is committed to complying with the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) and all data privacy and laws in the jurisdictions in which it recruits and hires employees. We collect the following categories of personal information for the purpose of hiring the best qualified applicants and to comply with applicable employment laws: Name and contact information; Job preference and work availability; Social Security Number and/or other identification information; Education and qualifications; Employment history and experience; Military service; Reference and background check information, including relevant criminal history and credit history; Social media information; Pre-employment test results; Post-offer medical examination information and results, including drug test results; Voluntary self-disclosure information regarding minority, veteran, and disability status; and Information provided by you during the hiring process. Primient is a leading producer of food and industrial ingredients made from plant-based, renewable sources. We deliver value through deep technical, commercial, and operational expertise that is backed by our long-standing corn wet milling heritage. Wherever we are in the process, from start to finish, we focus our priorities on producing the safest, highest quality ingredients through practices that uphold our ongoing commitment to sustainability. Our employees, some of whom are second and third generation legacy, understand the importance of maintaining the highest levels of safety, excellence, and integrity in all that we do. We continue to grow with a century long history of ingenuity that started with agricultural visionary Augustus “Gene” Staley. Staley’s “can do” attitude and entrepreneurial spirit continue to lead and inspire Primient in new ways that ensure we honor our traditions to confidently trail blaze ahead. We proudly walk the halls of the ‘Castle in the Cornfields’ administration building in Decatur, IL, US, tracing our rich heritage and planning for the next big ideas.