Job Description

Ready for more than just a job? Build a career with purpose.

At Lactalis in the USA, we’re committed to providing meaningful opportunities for our people to learn, grow, and thrive—whether you’re just starting your journey with us or looking to take the next step in your career. From day one, we offer the tools and support to help you succeed.

As the world leader in dairy, Lactalis is a family-owned company with over 85,000 pragmatic and ambitious professionals across the globe. Each day, we’re proud to produce award-winning dairy products that bring people together.

In the US, we proudly offer an unrivaled house of beloved brands, including Galbani® Italian cheeses and ricotta, Président® specialty cheeses and butters, Kraft® natural and grated cheeses, Breakstone’s® cottage cheese, Cracker Barrel®, Black Diamond® cheddar, and Parmalat® milk. Our yogurt portfolio includes siggi’s®, Stonyfield Organic®, Brown Cow™, Oui®, Yoplait®, Go-Gurt®, :ratio®, Green Mountain Creamery®, and Mountain High®, along with a growing family of ethnic favorites like Karoun®, Gopi®, and Arz®.

At Lactalis, we live by our core values—Ambition, Engagement, and Simplicity. We foster a workplace where innovation thrives, diverse perspectives are celebrated, and everyone’s unique background and ideas are valued.

Even if you don’t meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply. We want to hear about your PASSION, your STORY, and how your EXPERTISE can help us shape the future of dairy.

From your PASSION to ours

Lactalis USA, part of the Lactalis family of companies, is currently hiring a Strategic Sourcing Manager based in Chicago, IL.

The Strategic Sourcing Manager is a key member of the North American Strategic Procurement team. You are responsible for developing, leading, and implementing short- and medium-term purchasing strategies that deliver best-in-class results in the areas of people, processes and costs for industrial categories. You work in strong collaboration with internal stakeholders, and you ensure that overall focus in accordance with established budget objectives, policies and guidelines under the direction of the Senior Procurement Manager, Indirect, North America.

Requirements

From your EXPERTISE to ours

Key responsibilities for this position include:

We are looking for an adaptive, dynamic leader with a proven track record of service excellence, continuous improvement, and cost efficiency in a fast-paced environment. The ideal candidate is known for his/her strong experience of the supply chain market in the North American market with key successes. This role will be managing complex procurement projects in a multisite, multi division and multi countries (USA and Canada) environment, rapidly growing network across cost, service, efficiency, agility, and quality pillars to achieve long-term cross-functional business plan objectives.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Achieve budget objectives by identifying, developing, and supporting North American sourcing strategy initiatives for MRO category in North America.
• Prepare, organize, and lead industrial projects and bids with current and potential suppliers for maintain best-in-class service, cost, and contract compliance in collaboration of our Industrial stakeholders to ensure a data driven approach to category management.
• Identify cost savings opportunities across industrial spend based on network analysis, industry trends, and market pricing.
• Continually assess Suppliers to ensure that our company receives competitive cost, quality, and service
• Structure the procurement industrial collaboration with methodology, process, and expertise.
• Participate as an active cross-functional team member, along with Industrial, Logistic/Supply Chain, Operations, Finance, Quality, Safety, and other key functional department.
• Support global negotiation initiatives led by corporate office global procurement by providing pricing specifications and vendor listings and negotiating at the local level.
• Perform administrative duties as identified by procurement leadership supporting overall North American strategy: SRM, reporting, savings tracker, budget, projects presentation etc.
• Assist the Senior Manager with the development of an Annual Saving targets
• Perform administrative duties such as tracking cost savings initiatives and providing monthly status reports, and reviewing and approving of pricelist for upload to SAP, validate PPV and LPS data
• Demonstrate commitment to a safe working environment that promotes the health and wellbeing of all employees and that will further contribute to the Company’s overall performance and success.
• Travel and / or extended or off work hours may be required.

From your STORY to ours

Qualified applicants will contribute the following:

• University degree or equivalent work experience
• Minimum 5 to 7 years’ experience in a procurement function in related field category, preferably at a food company
• Prior CPG industry experience preferred.
• Experience in Manufacturing and/or MRO Purchasing
• High level of initiative and strong interpersonal skills.
• Strong leadership and ability to interact with wide variety of management level and business situation
• Strong level organizational skills (handling workload and complexity)
• Strong planning, project management, and execution skills
• In depth knowledge and analysis of key cost drivers
• High level of contract management
• Skilled negotiator with a strong understanding of contract lifecycle management and sourcing procedures.
• Ability to travel within the United States and Canada and internationally, approximately 20% of the time
• Bilingual English/French is an asset

At Lactalis, we offer a comprehensive Total Rewards Program with a variety of affordable benefits and coverage options. We support insurance costs significantly, contribute generously to retirement plans, and offer Paid Time Off from day one. We are committed to your professional growth, providing training and development opportunities, including Education Reimbursement. Join us and grow your career.

Lactalis is an equal employment opportunity employer. We will not discriminate against applicants with regard to any legally-recognized basis including, but not limited to: veteran status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, and physical or mental disabilities. Further, any division of the Company that is an Affirmative Action Employer will comply with all related legal obligations.