Ingredient Category Manager

Summary

The Ingredient Category Manager will manage ingredient procurement for Wild Alaskan Company, ensuring adherence to sustainability standards and ethical practices. The role requires a background in supply chain, purchasing, finance, and sustainable food systems, with experience in managing sustainability practices at scale.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree or 5+ years of relevant experience in supply chain, purchasing, finance and sustainable food systems
• Experience managing sustainability practices at scale and balancing cost with ethical sourcing
• Proven track record in procurement with the following categories: seafood, spices, oils, produce, grains, wheat, dairy, eggs, sauces, condiments and packaging
• Experience with General Product Formulation Guidelines
• Passionate about sustainable, wild-caught seafood
• Proficiency in Google Suite with emphasis on Excel/Google Sheets and WMS systems
• Adaptable to new systems and processes (Asana, Looker, etc.)
• Ability to execute quickly
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Experience working with distributed remote teams

Responsibilities

• Develop ingredient programs that meet the following criteria: fully traceable supply chain, verifiable ethical practices of suppliers, establish direct relationships with supply sources, regular auditing of supplier base
• Procure ingredients for bench samples and full production based on new concepts from the Product Development team
• Understand how the ingredients interact with various seafood species to support product formulation and food safety requirements
• Monitor inventory levels to ensure adequate supply at each fulfillment center
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and change management
• Create projections for seafood and calculate ordering needs as well as forecast projected costs of new items
• Develop strategic direction for ensuring continuity of ingredient supply for WAC members
• Work with FSQA to ensure sufficient documentation is current for suppliers and production facilities
• Maintain accurate market insights and communicate fluctuations to the team
• Lead new ingredient onboarding for the organization
• Liaise between suppliers and WAC leadership on credit lines, accounts payable and accounts receivable
• Coordinate with manufacturers to communicate future Wild Alaskan Company production needs and ensure timely completion
• Work cross-functionally with the internal WAC team regarding product needs, including interaction with Product Development, Finance, Data, Digital Product and Marketing teams
• Travel, as needed, to current and prospective suppliers to provide product/process familiarization, resolution of problems, product development assistance and general business updates
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters degree is a plus
• A background in sustainability
• Direct experience working in the Alaska seafood industry
• A track record in eCommerce, supply chain operations, financial modeling and/or Food Safety Quality Assurance (FSQA)
• Proficiency in languages other than English

Benefits

• Health, vision, and dental insurance
• 401k
• Paid time off
• Safe/sick time, vacation, parental leave and more
• A delicious box of free fish every month