Procurement & Sourcing Specialist – Viking Culinary Products
Clipper is a fun and fast paced entrepreneurial organization with advancement opportunities for individuals looking to develop their career potential. We have three divisions, Food Service, Uniforms, and Retail Brands. We are the exclusive licensee for Viking Culinary in North America. Consistently seeking to learn and be the best possible partner to our retail customers, we are motivated by constant improvement that makes it easy for our customers to rely on us as a solutions provider that can deliver results.
We offer a competitive benefits and compensation package which includes medical, dental, vision and life insurance, a retirement package, vacation, bonus opportunities and more.
Position Overview:
Do you speak Mandarin? Are you a recent graduate? Do you have a passion for international business? This is the perfect opportunity for a bilingual candidate to begin their career in international business with a global company that focuses on building long term partnerships. We are looking for an energetic Procurement & Sourcing Specialist with great negotiation skills to help us develop amazing consumer products while ensuring that the performance of our factories is rock-solid with verified quality and on-time delivery. The position will be responsible for the sourcing and procurement of raw materials and finished goods as well as assuring the availability of regularly stocked items to meet customer demand. This cross functional position will work through all stages of product development and interact directly with our development team, graphics department, planning, forecasting and sales and customers.
The Procurement & Sourcing Specialist will have the experience, functional expertise, motivation and the responsibility for maximizing savings, inventory turns, negotiating price, delivery and payment terms, supplier relationships, cost reduction, and process improvements. An important aspect of this role is seeking maximum value for the company and ensures that products purchased from suppliers are delivered according to agreed terms and conditions.
The position requires the ability to develop relationships with key factories, anticipating their needs and collaborating with our internal and external teams to deliver exceptional service throughout the supply chain.
The successful candidate is self-motivated with an entrepreneurial spirit, adept at multi-tasking, resourceful, high energy, and flexible. Most importantly, the candidate will possess a sense of urgency and react accordingly.
Job Responsibilities:
Sourcing & Product Development
- Ownership of supplier relationships; build partnerships with production suppliers through effective communication
- Lead and participate in cost saving initiatives. Work diligently to identify the balance between quality and cost, negotiating aggressively to meet product and customer targets as well as company profitability
- Send request for proposals to suppliers on new products; evaluate samples with sales and quality control team
- Confer with sales team on product management and pricing projects; maintain internal cost worksheets.
- Maintain accurate product costs and data in the company ERP system. Manage item numbers and upc’s
- Work directly with QC to develop spec sheets and maintain a database of all approved products and samples
- Ensure orders adhere to supplier agreements and contracts; reports non-conformance
- Attend trade shows for new product development opportunities and analyze industry trends
- Attend meetings with sales team and customers as needed
Purchasing
- Procurement of finished goods and/or component parts in a timely manner to meet the company needs and customer requirements
- Interface with sourcing and procurement team, purchasing coordinator, and logistics to plan and prioritize procurement and shipping activities. Ensure component and finished goods availability and on-time delivery
- Review planned orders, create requisitions for purchased items, and manage orders through the approval process. Maintain purchase orders in ERP system and issue them to factories
- Participate in the planning process to ensure that we are consistently in-stock with all products and have ramped up for seasonal and promotional needs
- Maintain quality standards and resolve problems related to unsatisfactory materials received
- Provide assistance with documentation, reports, and correct any shipment deficiencies in the order fulfillment process
- Provide assistance to finance and logistics staff in resolving receiving issues and invoice discrepancies
- Ensure orders adhere to supplier agreements and contracts; report non-compliance and maintain performance scorecards
Operations
- Maintain Bill of Material (BOM) files. Create material requisition in ERP system for cost specialist to consolidate landed cost for finished goods
- Work with warehouse team on product assembly as necessary based on BOM requirements
- Develop project chart/flow and manage projects across teams on time from end to end
- Provide assistance with documentation, reports, and correct any deficiencies in the order fulfillment processes
- Manager inventory reports and investigate discrepancies in on-hand quantities
Perform such other duties and tasks as assigned or may be necessary to fulfill job responsibilities
Required Qualifications:
- Bilingual – Fluency in English and Mandarin
- Bachelor’s degree - focus on international business preferred
- Keen ability to negotiate and create win-win outcomes
- Desire to establish a career in sourcing and product development
- Extensive proficiency with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and the full suite of Office Products.
- Excellent problem solving and analytical skills based in the ability to actively listen
- Quick learner with the ability to multi-task in a fast pace, ever changing environment
- Exceptional attention to detail while keeping sight of the overall project vision
- An innate sense of urgency
- Possess excellent follow-up capabilities, ability to prioritize and handle several projects simultaneously
- Demonstrate sound decision-making processes and work well under pressure.
- Be proactive in identifying, resolving and communicating challenges
- Solid organizational and time management skills
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills (both oral and written)
- Ability and willingness to travel; potential international travel included (10 – 20%)
Desired Qualifications:
- Prior experience with sourcing and development
- Strong analytical skills with a and the ability to develop and use data to drive decisions
- A passion for cooking and kitchen products
Job Type: Full Time
Location: Carson, CA