Procurement Specialist
Country Dairy · New Era, MI, USA
Build Something New at Country Dairy
Help Us Build the Purchasing System for Our Next Stage of Growth
Country Dairy is growing—and we're looking for someone who wants to help us build
something that doesn't currently exist.
We are a family-owned dairy company with a unique operation that includes our farm, dairy processing, packaging, distribution, retail, and more. Today, purchasing is primarily handled by individual managers within their departments.
That has worked as we've grown to where we are today. But we're not planning to stay there.
We are looking for a Procurement & Supply Chain Specialist who can help us develop a company-wide purchasing strategy and the systems we need to grow.
This is a brand-new position, and that's important. We aren't looking for someone to step into a perfectly established procurement department and maintain the status quo.
We need someone who can build it.
This employee will also need to align with the values of Country Dairy where we strive for Integrity, Excellence, Gratefulness, Stewardship, Community, and Innovation. We strive to be honest and respectful in all of our dealings, care for our employees, our resources, and our community, and do so with gratefulness for all we've been given.
Procurement & Supply Chain Specialist
Country Dairy | Full-Time | Reports to Chief Executive Officer
About the Position
Country Dairy is a growing, family-owned dairy company that controls the process from our farm and cows through processing, packaging, distribution, and retail. As we continue to grow, we are looking for a Procurement & Supply Chain Specialist to help us build a stronger, smarter, and more efficient purchasing system across the company.
This is a new position at Country Dairy and will have the opportunity to build the procurement function from the ground up.
Today, purchasing is largely handled by individual managers within their departments. This position will bring those purchasing activities together and create a more coordinated company-wide approach.
The person in this role will be both strategic and hands-on. We are looking for someone who can spend one day researching suppliers and negotiating pricing, another day working with a manager to determine what we actually need, and another day developing a system to improve how we purchase and manage inventory.
The goal is not simply to buy things at a lower price. The goal is to develop a company-wide procurement strategy that improves cost, quality, availability, inventory, supplier relationships, and efficiency while giving our managers more time to focus on their own departments.
This position will work across the farm, processing plant, maintenance, transportation, retail, food service, administration, and other areas of the company.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Procurement & Purchasing
• Develop and implement a company-wide procurement strategy that supports Country Dairy's continued growth.
• Review current purchasing practices across departments and identify opportunities to improve cost, efficiency, consistency, and accountability.
• Research products, materials, equipment, services, and suppliers to identify the best combination of price, quality, reliability, and service.
• Obtain and compare quotes and proposals from multiple suppliers.
• Negotiate pricing, terms, freight, payment terms, volume discounts, contracts, and other purchasing agreements.
• Identify opportunities to combine purchases across departments and take advantage of increased purchasing volume.
• Establish purchasing standards and preferred suppliers where appropriate.
• Develop a process for larger purchases and competitive bidding.
• Work with department managers to understand their needs while challenging existing purchasing practices when better options may exist.
• Monitor market conditions, pricing trends, and new products or suppliers that may benefit the company.
• Look for opportunities to reduce the total cost of ownership, not simply the purchase price.
Supplier Management
• Develop strong working relationships with key suppliers and strategic partners.
• Evaluate existing suppliers based on price, quality, delivery, service, responsiveness, and reliability.
• Identify opportunities to consolidate the supplier base where appropriate.
• Research and qualify new suppliers when better options are available.
• Establish supplier performance expectations and track results.
• Lead supplier negotiations and periodic business reviews.
• Help resolve supplier issues involving pricing, quality, delivery, shortages, or service.
• Maintain an organized and current supplier database, including pricing and purchasing information.
Inventory Management
• Develop and improve systems for managing company inventory.
• Establish appropriate inventory levels and reorder points for commonly purchased items.
• Help reduce excess, obsolete, duplicate, and slow-moving inventory.
• Coordinate and participate in physical inventories and cycle counts.
• Monitor inventory accuracy and investigate significant variances.
• Work with department managers to understand usage patterns and future needs.
• Identify opportunities to improve inventory turns while maintaining adequate supplies.
• Develop systems that make it easier to know what we have, what we need, when we need it, and how much we should buy.
Process & Systems Development
• Evaluate the company's current purchasing processes and recommend improvements.
• Develop standardized purchasing procedures that can be used across departments.
• Help establish purchasing policies, approval processes, purchasing limits, and documentation requirements.
• Research and recommend technology, software, reporting tools, or other systems that can improve procurement and inventory management.
• Develop purchasing reports and key performance indicators to help management understand spending and savings.
• Create systems that can scale as Country Dairy grows from approximately $25 million to $50 million and beyond.
• Look for ways to reduce manual work, duplicate purchasing, unnecessary purchases, and inconsistent processes.
• Help establish a centralized view of company spending by supplier, category, department, and product.
Cross-Department Collaboration
• Work closely with department managers to understand their purchasing needs and priorities.
• Become familiar with the products, materials, parts, ingredients, supplies, and services used throughout the company.
• Identify opportunities where departments can work together rather than purchasing independently.
• Help managers spend less time searching for products, comparing prices, placing orders, and managing suppliers.
• Provide purchasing expertise while respecting the knowledge and operational needs of each department.
• Communicate clearly with management regarding purchasing opportunities, risks, recommendations, and savings.
Hands-On Purchasing
• Place purchase orders and manage day-to-day purchasing activities as needed.
• Confirm pricing, quantities, availability, and delivery dates.
• Follow up with suppliers to ensure orders arrive when needed.
• Monitor backorders, shortages, substitutions, and delivery problems.
• Maintain accurate purchasing records.
• Assist with receiving, invoice discrepancies, and purchasing-related issues.
• Step into day-to-day purchasing activities when needed rather than simply directing others to do the work.
What Success Looks Like
The successful person in this position will help Country Dairy move from a collection of individual purchasing activities to a coordinated company-wide procurement system.
Within the first year, we would expect this person to:
• Develop a clear understanding of what Country Dairy purchases, from whom, and at what cost.
• Identify significant opportunities for cost savings and purchasing efficiencies.
• Develop a strategy for consolidating and rationalizing the supplier base.
• Identify opportunities to combine