sourcing manager, Global Tea

Now Brewing - sourcing manager, Global Tea! #tobeapartner

From the beginning, Starbucks set out to be a different kind of company. One that not only celebrated coffee and the rich tradition, but that also brought a feeling of connection. We are known for developing extraordinary leaders who share this passion and are guided by their service to others.

As a sourcing manager, Global Tea, you will contribute to Starbucks success by supporting and executing sourcing strategies for tea, botanicals, and related ingredients that enable exceptional quality, supply continuity, responsible sourcing, and value. Working closely with tea product development, quality, sustainability, supply chain, and supplier partners, this role helps ensure Starbucks sources teas and botanicals that meet our quality expectations, support our product portfolio, and strengthen our long-term supplier partnerships.

This role is ideal for someone with sourcing, procurement, supply chain, or agricultural commodity experience who brings a strong interest in tea and botanicals, understands the importance of ingredient quality, and can connect supplier capability, origin conditions, quality performance, and business needs.

As a sourcing manager, Global Tea, you will...

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for tea, botanicals, and related beverage ingredients across priority categories, suppliers, and origins.
• Partner with Quality, R&D, and Product teams to help ensure sourced ingredients meet Starbucks expectations for sensory quality, specification compliance, consistency, and customer experience.
• Use supplier insights, origin knowledge, market intelligence, crop conditions, cost drivers, and quality performance data to inform sourcing recommendations.
• Manage core and routine supplier relationships, including supplier meetings, performance discussions, quality issue follow-up, corrective actions, and improvement plans.
• Support the evaluation and onboarding of tea and botanical suppliers, including assessment of supplier capability, quality systems, responsible sourcing practices, capacity, and commercial fit.
• Partner with quality, product, sustainability, planning, logistics, and other cross-functional teams to support supply continuity, product quality, responsible sourcing, and commercialization needs.
• Identify and help mitigate risks related to supply availability, ingredient quality, ethical sourcing, regulatory requirements, logistics, supplier capacity, and cost volatility.
• Build and maintain a value pipeline that may include cost savings, margin protection, quality improvement, supplier diversity, innovation, responsible sourcing, and sustainability opportunities.
• Support contracting activities, including pre-planning, term-sheet development, negotiation support, agreement execution, and ongoing contract compliance.
• Support responsible sourcing program execution through traceability, supplier due diligence, data collection, documentation, and sustainability reporting.
• Manage multiple projects and timelines, independently solving problems and escalating appropriately to enable successful execution.
• Connect supplier capabilities with internal product, quality, and business needs to support innovation and long-term category health.

We'd love to hear from people with:

• Experience in tea, botanicals, coffee, agricultural commodities, food and beverage ingredients, or other quality-sensitive global supply chains.
• Understanding of how agricultural origin, supplier capability, processing, logistics, storage, and specification management can affect ingredient quality.
• Experience working with suppliers to improve performance, resolve quality or supply issues, and support business objectives.
• Experience in sourcing, procurement, supply chain, planning, quality, product development, analytics, or related business functions.
• Analytical skills and comfort using data to evaluate supplier spend, cost drivers, quality performance, risk, and sourcing opportunities.
• Interest in responsible sourcing, sustainability, traceability, ethical procurement, and supplier due diligence.
• Ability to manage projects, prioritize competing work, and communicate clearly with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Collaborative negotiation skills and a supplier partnership mindset.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain, business, agriculture, food science, engineering, or a related field preferred, or equivalent experience.
• 2+ years of experience in sourcing, procurement, supply chain, quality, product development, analytics, planning, finance, engineering, or another relevant field.
• Working knowledge of procurement processes such as sourcing strategies, supplier relationship management, RFXs, market analysis, risk management, and key legal terms.
• Demonstrated ability to manage projects, prioritize work, and execute against timelines.
• Strong problem-solving skills and business acumen.
• Ability to influence and collaborate across peer groups, management, suppliers, and cross-functional teams.
• Strong written, verbal, and visual communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel; experience with sourcing, ERP, analytics, or business intelligence tools preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with tea, botanicals, coffee, agricultural commodities, or food and beverage ingredient sourcing.
• Experience working with quality-sensitive ingredients, including specification management, supplier quality performance, sensory quality, or quality issue resolution.
• Experience supporting sustainability, ethical sourcing, responsible procurement, supplier due diligence, or traceability programs.
• Familiarity with origin-based sourcing, crop cycles, agricultural supply volatility, logistics constraints, or commodity market dynamics.
• Experience with supplier performance management, structured business reviews, corrective action plans, or supplier improvement plans.
• Experience with SAP Ariba, Oracle, Incorta, or similar systems.
• Growth mindset and curiosity for learning about tea, botanicals, global sourcing, quality systems, and external market trends.

As a Starbucks partner, you (and your family) will have access to medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, and other voluntary insurance benefits. Partners have access to short-term and long-term disability, paid parental leave, family expansion reimbursement, paid vacation from date of hire*, sick time (accrued at 1 hour for every 25 hours worked), eight paid holidays, and two personal days per year. Starbucks also offers eligible partners participation in a 401(k) retirement plan with employer match, a discounted company stock program (S.I.P.), Starbucks equity program (Bean Stock), incentivized emergency savings, and financial well-being tools. Additionally, Starbucks offers 100% upfront tuition coverage for a first-time bachelor's degree through Arizona State University's online program via the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, student loan management resources, and access to other educational opportunities. You will also have access to backup care and DACA reimbursement. Starbucks will comply with any applicable state and local laws regarding employee leave benefits, including, but not limited to providing time off pursuant to the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, and in accordance with its plans and policies. This list is subject to change depending on collective bargaining in locations where partners have a certified bargaining representative. For additional information regarding partner perks and more detailed information about benefits, go to https://www.starbucksbenefits.comstarbucksbenefits.com.

• If you are working in CA, CO, IL, LA, ME, MA, NE, ND or RI, you will accrue vacation up to a maximum of 120 hours (190 in CA) for roles below director and 200 hours (316 in CA) for roles at director or above. For roles in other states, you will be granted vacation time starting at 120 hours annually for roles below director and 200 hours annually for roles director and above.

The actual base pay offered to the successful candidate will be based on multiple factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge/skills, experience, geographical location, and internal equity. At Starbucks, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the high end of the range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.

We believe we do our best work when we"re together, which is why we"re onsite four days a week.

Join us and inspire with every cup. Apply today!

Starbucks Coffee Company is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with all federal, state and local ordinances.

Starbucks Coffee Company is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at applicantaccommodation@starbucks.com or 1(888) 611-2258.