Senior Buyer

For more than 35 years, Harris Spice has been a trusted provider of a wide variety of high-quality spices, herbs, and innovative seasoning blends. With international facilities serving diverse markets—including industrial bulk, food service, and retail—we proudly support some of the nation’s leading brands. As a rapidly growing company, we’re seeking talented and diverse professionals to help drive our business forward and reach new heights.

Position Overview/Job Summary:

The Senior Buyer will be responsible for sourcing and purchasing all packaging materials, as well as managing indirect spend categories critical to ensuring seamless production operations. Key responsibilities include supplier sourcing, contract negotiation, material tracking, and ensuring adherence to defined quality standards. This role will play a critical part in identifying and qualifying new packaging suppliers, coordinating line trials, and ensuring compliance with both customer specifications and internal quality assurance protocols. Packaging materials under this scope include, but are not limited to PET jars, polypropylene (PP) caps, corrugated boxes and slip sheets, fiber drums, primary and secondary labels, and PET liners. The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in strategic sourcing and vendor negotiation, with demonstrated expertise in managing supplier relationships. A keen attention to detail, particularly regarding material quality and compliance, as well as the ability to ensure timely and cost-effective procurement, are essential for success in this role.

Essential Job Functions:

· Collaborate with production and inventory teams to determine packaging material needs.

· Assess current packaging inventory levels and forecast future requirements.

· Identify packaging innovation trends based on peer review of competitive brands

· Engage with packaging suppliers to negotiate favorable pricing and terms.

· Create and manage purchase orders for packaging materials.

· Ensure cost-effectiveness while maintaining quality standards.

· Monitor and track shipments of packaging materials to ensure on-time delivery.

· Coordinate with logistics teams to resolve any shipping issues or delays.

· Investigate and address packaging quality complaints, working closely with quality control teams.

· Implement corrective actions to improve packaging quality as needed.

· Continuously assess the performance of current packaging suppliers.

· Research and identify potential new packaging suppliers to expand our vendor base.

· Conduct supplier audits to ensure compliance with quality and ethical standards.

· Organize and oversee line trials for new packaging components to validate their suitability.

· Identify quality parameters for each packaging component and implement them into the purchasing specification sheet.

· Identify opportunities to reduce or re-purpose packaging waste and help us reach our sustainability goals

· Collaborate with the maintenance engineer to ensure all new packaging components are compatible with our existing manufacturing lines.

· Conduct regular store visits to evaluate competitor packaging and labeling and benchmark our packaging standards accordingly.

· Oversee purchasing of all packaging materials including jars, caps, corrugated boxes, drums, pallets, FIBC bags, pallet slip sheets, labels, liners (for FIBC bags, trash bins, drums), and hand gloves.

· Coordinate price comparisons across Vietnam, India, and the Philippines to establish cost benchmarks and prepare for future import opportunities once tariffs are lifted.

· Other duties as assigned

· This job description describes just some of the main duties, activities and responsibilities for the role which may change at any time with or without prior notice.

Skills & Qualifications:

· Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Food Science, or a related field.

· 5+ years of progressive purchasing/procurement experience in food manufacturing or related industry.

· Proven experience managing sourcing, procurement, and supplier relationships for food ingredients, packaging, and indirect materials.

· Strong knowledge of food safety regulations (e.g., FDA, FSMA, SQF, GFSI).

· Proficient in ERP systems (e.g., IFS,SAP, Oracle, NetSuite).

· Strong Microsoft Excel and data analysis skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP, etc.).

· Ability to build and maintain supplier scorecards and conduct performance evaluations.

· Skilled in negotiating pricing, contracts, and terms for raw materials and packaging.

· Ability to lead or participate in cross-functional teams with R&D, QA, Production.

· Experience with new product launches, cost reduction initiatives, and supplier onboarding.

· Strong negotiation skills and the ability to build and maintain relationships with suppliers.

· Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.

· Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.

· Exceptional attention to detail and a commitment to quality.

· Excellent communication and teamwork skills.

Physical Requirements:

· Ability to work at a computer workstation for extended periods, including sitting, typing, and using a mouse.

· Manual dexterity required for data entry, reviewing physical documents, and handling product samples or packaging materials.

· Ability to occasionally bend, twist, reach, pushing/pulling or stoop when accessing inventory samples, conducting plant walk-throughs, or handling packaging components.

· Must be able to lift and carry items up to 35 pounds, such as supplier samples, packaging materials, or documentation.

· May require walking through production areas, warehouses, or supplier facilities, with possible exposure to noise, humidity, odors, or varying temperatures.

· Must have adequate visual acuity to review detailed specifications, packaging designs, and digital documents.

· Effective verbal and written communication skills are essential for supplier interaction, internal collaboration, and documentation.

· Ability to hear and communicate clearly during meetings, both in person and via phone or video conferencing.

· Occasional travel may be required to visit suppliers, attend audits, or support sourcing initiatives.

The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and levels of the work performed by employees, but are not a complete list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. Furthermore, the job description does not constitute a written or implied contract for employment. Harris Spice reserves the right to revise or change job duties and responsibilities as the need arises.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Harris Spice is a certified Minority-owned business. Our business is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), age, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, parental status, ancestry, disability, gender identity, veteran status, genetic information, other distinguishing characteristics of diversity and inclusion, or any other protected status.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $75,000.00 - $95,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person