Strategic Sourcing & Category Innovation Manager

Strategic Supply Chain Sourcing Manager

Location: East Bay, CA

Employment Type: Direct Hire

Salary: $135k- $158k

Work Arrangement: On-site with travel as needed

LHH is partnering with an established food distribution organization to hire a Strategic Supply Chain Sourcing Manager. This player-coach leadership role will guide a team of buyers while directly managing high-impact categories, strategic supplier relationships, complex negotiations, and commercialization initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of procurement and buying professionals.

• Create category strategies aligned with growth, margin, service, inventory, and working-capital goals.

• Manage strategic categories, critical suppliers, competitive sourcing events, and contract negotiations.

• Analyze spend, demand, market conditions, supplier performance, and inventory data to identify savings and sourcing opportunities.

• Establish supplier scorecards, performance reviews, corrective-action plans, and continuity strategies.

• Partner with Finance to evaluate savings, margin impact, total cost, and working-capital implications.

• Coordinate new product, private-label, national-brand, and commercialization initiatives.

• Collaborate across Procurement, Operations, Quality, Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Inventory teams.

• Improve sourcing processes, supplier governance, decision-making, and team accountability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain, Business, Food Science, Finance, or a related discipline.

• 8+ years of progressive experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, category management, food buying, supplier management, or commercialization.

• At least 3 years of people leadership or major program leadership experience.

• Demonstrated success with contract negotiations, supplier performance, cost savings, margin improvement, and product commercialization.

• Food distribution or manufacturing experience strongly preferred.

• Knowledge of private-label products, commodity markets, co-manufacturing, and inventory management is highly desirable.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and experience using ERP, business intelligence, or workflow platforms.

Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate will combine strong commercial judgment with hands-on sourcing expertise and an effective coaching style. This individual should be analytical, collaborative, comfortable influencing senior stakeholders, and capable of balancing cost, quality, supplier continuity, inventory, and customer needs.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

• High-impact leadership role with ownership of strategic sourcing and category initiatives.

• Opportunity to develop purchasing talent and improve sourcing capabilities.

• Broad cross-functional exposure and influence over supplier, inventory, margin, and commercialization outcomes.

Job Posting Managed By: Nadina.jackson@lhh.com

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled

To read our Candidate Privacy Information Statement, which explains how we will use your information, please navigate to https://www.lhh.com/us/en/candidate-privacy

The Company will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with federal, state, and local laws and/or security clearance requirements, including, as applicable:

• The California Fair Chance Act
• Los Angeles City Fair Chance Ordinance
• Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers
• San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance"

Pay Details: $134,998.00 to $158,000.00 per year

Search managed by: Nadina Jackson

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled

Military connected talent encouraged to apply

To read our Candidate Privacy Information Statement, which explains how we will use your information, please navigate to https://www.lhh.com/us/en/candidate-privacy

The Company will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with federal, state, and local laws and/or security clearance requirements, including, as applicable:

• The California Fair Chance Act
• Los Angeles City Fair Chance Ordinance
• Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers
• San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Massachusetts Candidates Only: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.