Procurement Manager

The Good Acre (TGA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to unlock economic opportunity for farmers in our region through a unique combination of personalized support and market development. Our programs are designed to help improve market opportunities for small, local farmers, giving more consumers greater access to healthy produce and strengthening our local food economy. 

Under the direct supervision of the Director of Market Access Programs (MAPs), the Procurement Manager is responsible for providing leadership around and execution of procurement from vendor partners. This position also manages the systems used by various TGA teams to forecast demand and available supply. TGA currently sources from 100 farms and value-added producers to ensure a consistent supply of seasonal, locally sourced products to our customers and partners.

Responsibilities

• With support from the MAPs team, build internal supply/demand information-sharing systems that allow for appropriate visibility across teams. 
• Supervise the Demand Specialist, providing leadership and expertise around demand planning and data management.
• Place all product orders with vendors.
• Manage all food product inventory and communicate with appropriate teams about changes. 
• Regularly communicate with vendor partners (phone, email, text) to maintain log of product availability. 
• Accountable for synthesizing and analyzing annual sales data and providing input to Grower Support during the annual contracting period. 
• Track contract fulfillment and report to Grower Support.
• Gather actionable insights for technical assistance and share with Grower Support team; (examples: product quality, fulfillment rate data, and farm partner communication).
• Manage procurement databases and tracking tools, including maintaining accurate farmer contact information in coordination with the Grower Support Specialist.
• Inform vendor data collection processes to capture meaningful vendor data. 
• Lead process and reporting improvement to improve demand forecasting and overall contracting cycle processes
• Leadership of demand planning system and other tools/dashboards relevant to the role.

Qualifications

• Commitment to The Good Acre’s mission
• Excellent attention to detail  
• Experience in a buying, inventory, or similar role
• Familiarity with most produce, including specialty crops grown for specific cultural communities in the Midwest.
• Highly proficient with robust data management and ability to gain expertise in Netsuite 
• Strong communication skills 
• Comfortable working with people from different cultures
• Familiarity with Google suite of applications 
• Ability to work independently as well as being a supportive team player
• Must have a valid driver’s license