Foothill Packing, Inc. is established Company with operations in Brawley, Coachella, Salinas Valley, and Santa Rosa, California, and Yuma, Arizona. We pride ourselves with providing agricultural labor, custom harvesting, and operational support to our customers with an emphasis of enhancing value to our farmers’ all while maintaining safety, quality, and innovation in mind. Our team is incredibly dedicated, pioneering, abides by integrity and is our number.
We are seeking a Purchasing & Inventory Manager to join our team in our Salinas, CA or Yuma, AZ Office.
The Purchasing & Inventory Manager position is responsible for managing the company’s sourcing and procurement processes with the goals of optimizing costs, timely procurement of required goods and services and continual evaluation of the quality of those goods and services and the vendors that provide them. Responsibilities also include managing a system of purchasing and inventory controls.
At Foothill Packing, we have embraced continuous process improvement (CPI). The Purchasing & Inventory Manager is a major contributor to the success and growth of the company. The manager will collaborate with cross-functional teams, define strategy and implement best practices within our procurement and inventory functions.
General Duties:
- Supervise parts department employees.
- Work with CFO to ensure that internal procedures and controls are documented.
- Set and achieve goals for cost reduction and provide efficient and accountable handling of Company resources.
- Develop documentation of processes, procedures and policies for all areas of operation taking into consideration any uniqueness that may exist in that area.
- Ongoing education, development and networking with major procurement groups and associations.
- Create a system of reports and KPI’s for management.
Purchasing Objectives:
- Issue purchase orders, verify/confirm purchases and amounts and terms.
- Implement independent receipt of goods processes.
- Ensure that purchases meet required internal, customer and regulatory requirements.
- Manage request for quote (RFQ) process with multiple vendor candidates for large, strategic and ongoing purchases.
- Assist department on negotiating terms and conditions for goods and services.
- Forecast required purchases.
- Maintain automated systems for reordering where possible.
- Conduct cost analyses and set benchmarks for improvement.
- Develop risk management procedures to deal with product shortages.
- Working closely with the management and legal to ensure contracts and terms are favorable for major contracts.
- Prepare risk management strategy for supply contracts and agreements.
Vendor Management Objectives:
- Define and administer process for vendor qualification and ongoing evaluation.
- Maintain up-to-date vendor database.
- Ensure that there are no conflicts of interest with vendors.
- Document and administer comprehensive vendor selection process.
- Manage multiple vendor relationships.
- Setting organizational standards for vendors.
- Resolve vendor disputes.
Inventory Control Objectives:
- Develop inventory usage tracking reports, distribution of reports to Managers.
- Measure inventory turns to ensure that inventory levels are optimal.
- Develop just-in-time purchasing where feasible.
- Manage and evaluate inventory controls. Train others in inventory management best practices.
- Become proficient with Cetaris software in all aspects of use and reporting.
- Manage independent cycle and quarterly/annual full physical inventory counts.
- Ensure adequate security is in place to protect inventory assets.
- Develop and maintain inventory stock room locations and efficient system of inventory stocking, usage and tracking.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities (but not limited to the following):
- Lead the planning, execution, and successful delivery of business systems projects, ensuring alignment with company goals. Create long- and short-term plans, including targets for milestones and deadlines.
- Cultivate a deep understanding of all business system functionalities, particularly focusing on how these systems can be leveraged to meet business needs, with a particular emphasis on NAV functionality and its application within the organization's business processes.
- Offer hands-on support and strategic guidance throughout the project lifecycle, facilitating collaboration among internal teams and external partners. Manage external vendors, oversee contract negotiations, monitor performance, and address challenges to ensure project success. Develop and maintain partnerships with third-party resources, including vendors and researchers.
- Assign and monitor resources to ensure project efficiency and maximize deliverables. Delegate tasks on the project to employees best positioned to complete them.
- Effectively leading project teams, resolving conflicts and motivating team members.
- Work closely with managers and key stakeholders to develop comprehensive project plans, set timelines, and define project deliverables. Communicate regularly with executives, managers and key stakeholders to keep the project aligned with their goals. Report project outcomes and/or risks to the appropriate management channels and escalate issues, as necessary, according to project work plan.
- Perform quality control on the project throughout development to maintain the standards expected. Establish and maintain processes for managing scope during the project lifecycle, setting quality and performance standards and assessing risks.
- Review all related contracts and make recommendations on terms, pricing, incentives, deliverables, etc..
- Define, lead and develop internal projects using existing infrastructure as needed. Hands on development of some solutions is required.
Required skills and qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in business, purchasing management, supply chain management or related field.
- Seven years or more of related experience.
- Experience with contract creation and negotiation of contracts.
- Strong understanding of ERP systems, with specific experience in Microsoft Dynamics NAV preferred.
- Management of vendor relationships, including contract negotiation and performance evaluation.
- Strong verbal and written communication and presentation skills.
- Effective interpersonal skills: Ability to develop productive relationships with stakeholders at all levels within the organization and with vendors and suppliers.
- Strategic business thinker with strong business acumen, capable of translating complex business requirements into actionable project plans and technical solutions.
- High level of written and oral communication skills.
- Strong attention to deadlines and budgetary guidelines.
- Supervisory and management experience.
- Strong written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
Desired Qualifications:
- Agricultural Industry experience (preferably in the Harvesting/Farm Labor Contracting).
- Bilingual in Spanish and English
Physical Requirements:
- Periodic travel between the Yuma, AZ and Salinas, CA offices.
- Light to moderate lifting (up to 60 pounds).
- Reaching, stooping, pulling, pushing and manual dexterity.
- Operating a computer, calculator, copier and typewriter involves repetitive hand arm movement. Sitting for long periods of time.
- Working in an outside environment.
- Entering data by touch requires the ability to hear computer alarms for errors.
- Communication via phone and radio.
