Ralcorp Holdings, Inc.

• Job ID:
• Date:11/05/2008
• Location:St. Louis
• State:Missouri
• Degree:B.S./B.A.
• Major:Supply Chain, purchasing, business, engineering, finance, or related discipline

Salary/Compensation:

Competitive Salary & Benefits Package

Job Types:

Materials Mgmt./Logistics/Supply Chain, Packaging, Purchasing

Ralcorp, headquartered in St. Louis, MO, is the leading producer of a variety of value brand and store brand foods sold under the individual labels of various grocery, mass merchandise and drugstore retailers, and frozen bakery products sold to in-store bakeries, restaurants and other foodservice customers. Through a recent merger with Post Foods, Ralcorp is now also a leading producer of branded cereals. Ralcorp's diversified product mix includes: ready-to-eat and hot cereals; nutritional and cereal bars; snack mixes, corn-based chips and corn snack products; crackers and cookies; snack nuts; chocolate candy; salad dressings; mayonnaise; peanut butter; jams and jellies; syrups; sauces; frozen griddle products; frozen biscuits and other frozen pre-baked products.

We have emerged as a solid and powerful organization focusing on newly energized and highly motivated teams. Today we also emerge with a heightened commitment to expand our presence through new product development and through the acquisition of allied store brand businesses. Through operations in over thirty plants within the United States and Canada we employ about 9,000 people with sales boasting of $3 billion. Every location offers an environment that values each of its employees!

JOB DESCRIPTION:

The Strategic Sourcing Manager-Packaging is responsible for the category sourcing and assisting where needed in procurement and supplier management for all Ralston Foods packaging items as well as non commodity ingredients as assigned. Primary areas of responsibility will include but are not limited to flexible film, injection molded caps, corrugate containers, labels, folding cartons and at times required to assist non-commodity ingredient buy. An annual spend in excess of $100 million on packaging. Actively lead and participate in Ralcorp Network Purchasing initiatives and manage strategic partnerships between Ralston Foods and vendors. This position is responsible for the total quality, continuous improvement, costs, service and value performance of the vendors supplying our seven manufacturing facilities and co-packers. This position reports directly to the Director of Procurement, indirectly to the Ralcorp VP & CPO.

• Have a comprehensive and effective knowledge of the strategic sourcing process and practical utilization of various sourcing tools including RFx processes as well as web based auction tools and analytical cost analysis programs and processes.
• Develop and maintain ongoing market insight and knowledge so as to assure Ralston Foods and Ralcorp are current on all changes associated with product types, vendors, market conditions and pricing domestically and internationally.
• Effectively lead or participate in strategic sourcing efforts for Ralston Foods as well as the Corporate Purchasing Network on business unit specific and corporate wide common materials.
• Be the primary leader on any and all vendor transitions that are directly related to R-source efforts that were led by the Strategic Sourcing Manager.
• Support the Ralston Foods Material Supply Manager and staff in their management of daily, weekly and ongoing material needs required in meeting product production demands.
• Responsible to maintain contract files, contract calendars, supplier performance scorecards and purchase price variance analysis.
• Develop annual budgets for unprinted packaging and ingredients; assist the Materials Supply Manager in the development of budgets for printed packaging to assure cost performance goals are met.
• Develop strategies and build necessary relationships with Ralston Foods plants and suppliers to implement lower cost alternatives as well as meet all material quality requirements.
• Assure ingredient supply needs are met so as to meet all production and customer requirements.
• Work with division, corporate and plant personnel to mitigate risks associated with the cost and supply of materials.
• Included in this responsibility is the development and ongoing management of material hedging programs.
• Support cross functional efforts with Operations, Quality Assurance, R&D, Sales and Graphics. Included but not limited to new product development, reformulations, process changes, etc…
• Cost/Pricing management
• Supplier management
• Internal interaction with Operations and Quality performance
• New product development and Sales and Marketing interaction
• Network Procurement Team involvement
• Administrative management
• Support and develop Sustainability Efforts

JOB QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree, MBA preferred, in Supply Chain, purchasing, business, engineering, finance, or related discipline.
• Minimum of five to seven years of experience in a packaging sourcing or procurement management role with direct responsibility for supplier management and pricing/costs decisions required. Working knowledge and experience with strategic sourcing processes is required.
• Demonstrated leadership and project management skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Experience with MRP systems is a must; experience with procurement suite (RFx, Contract Management); experience with JD Edwards’s systems would be a plus
• Effective interpersonal skills
• Strong PC software application knowledge using Excel, Word, Access and PowerPoint
• Travel required
• Demonstrated ability to lead and function on sourcing teams.

Ralcorp is an equal opportunity employer.

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