Bilingual Strategic Supply Manager

Superior Foods International (SFI) is a global importer, distributor, and manufacturer of frozen fruits, vegetables, and value-added meals. Over the past four decades, we have built a culture that is authentic, purpose driven, personal, and dynamic. Every employee has the opportunity to make a positive impact no matter their role. Our 75 employees (and growing) are some of the most passionate, talented, self-driven, empowered, and diverse people in the industry.

SFI is seeking a Bilingual Strategic Supply Manager to join our Supply team onsite in our Watsonville headquarters. The Strategic Supply Manager develops and maintains supplier relationships to maximize business growth, facilitates communication between supplier facility and SFI team, negotiates contracts, monitors performance, and leads the annual Demand Plan process.

Key Responsibilities:

Supplier Management

• Develops and advances trusting relationship with suppliers, evaluates business initiatives, and recommends appropriate courses of action.
• Monitors supplier performance to assess ability to meet quality and delivery performance.
• Facilitates communication as needed between SFI's team and supplier's team (logistics, quality and food safety, accounting, etc) for an effective transaction flow.
• Leads annual Demand Plan process in collaboration with Sales Department.
• Evaluates risk and advises payment or payment hold to Accounting and Management; ensures resolution of more complex supplier accounting matters.
• Prepares reports and attends onsite supplier visits as scheduled.

Supply Driven Opportunities and Contract Management

• Assesses current market conditions and negotiates contracts to maximize business opportunities.
• Manages Master Contracts, ensuring suppliers understand and comply with terms of agreement.
• Provides relevant information in Sales Priority Meeting to enable Business Managers to make decisions on shipment priority and communicate agreed sales priorities to suppliers.
• Reviews packaging options and negotiates packaging terms and payment with suppliers.
• Verifies competitive freight rates and confirms preferred carriers.
• Recommends options to Sales Driven Opportunities with adequate supply options and pricing.

Program Management

• Plans and manages programs by commodity per growing season and origin; leads Annual Demand Plan per commodity to promote sales and opportunities.
• Maintains knowledge of seasons per commodity and shares crop status with the team (beginning of crop, product availability, and constricted items).
• Publishes information on Crop Report and Business Highlights distributed to customers.
• Publishes shipping schedules based on supplier capability/capacity and adjusts shipping schedules based on sales needs.
• Leads weekly key supplier meetings to review programs and crop status and conducts supply meetings and program reviews with sales staff when relevant.

Required Skills and Experience:

• 5+ years related supplier management experience
• S. in International Business, Agribusiness, Supplier Chain Management, or related field; additional relevant experience considered in lieu of education
• Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish required
• Ability to work onsite in our Watsonville, CA, offices
• Ability to travel up to 15% domestically and internationally
• Basic proficiency in Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint; Microsoft Dynamics experience a plus
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with strong negotiation and presentation skills
• Well organized, self-starter with the ability to multitask and work effectively with conflicting priorities and changing deadlines
• Skilled problem solver, solid judgment, and the ability to make sound data-based decisions
• Ability to work effectively with a variety of personalities and strong team spirit; good sense of humor a plus

Compensation and Benefits:

The target hiring range for this position is: $65,000 - $85,000 per year. Compensation is based on a variety of relevant factors, including prior work experience, skills, professional qualifications, and internal pay equity.

Our benefits include:

• Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan with 3% company contribution
• 15 vacation days, 5 sick days, and 10 holidays annually
• Community outreach opportunities and 40 hours of paid volunteer time per year
• Career development opportunities, employee referral bonus, and frozen food reimbursement

About Us:

Superior Foods is based in Watsonville, in the heart of the fertile central California coast. We are a global supplier of frozen fruits, vegetables, and frozen meals for the retail, industrial, club, and foodservice markets. Our supply base spans more than 25 countries and gives us the advantage of staggered growing seasons, geographical diversification, and access to reliable supply.

Our core values center around trust, transparency, and credibility, which have been instrumental to our success. Our company's purpose is to use business as a force for good and to significantly and sustainable improve the lives and well-being of the people within our communities. We are leaders in social responsibility, and we are dedicated to the reciprocal success of everyone we touch.

If you are a talented Strategic Supply Manager and embrace SFI's core values of trust, reliability, integrity, food safety, innovation, and community, we'd love to hear from you! Visit our website at www.SuperiorFoods.com to apply.

Key Words: Supply Management Relationship Management Food Industry Frozen Foods Agriculture International Business Contract Negotiation Contract Management Logistics Project Management Account Management Spanish Speaking Proficiency *