Director of Procurement

POSITION SUMMARY: 

The Director of Procurement (DP) engages with Northwest Harvest’s goal of cutting hunger rates in half by 2028 by being a forward-looking systems thinker, a creative and adaptive leader focused on measurable, cost-effective results, and a strategic partner to leaders in the Supply Chain (SC) department and across the organization who starts with “yes” to help create innovative values- and strategy-aligned programs and initiatives by providing the strategic vision for the Procurement team, and builds healthy, dynamic teams that work well together and expands relationships across the state to increase our effectiveness in procuring donated and purchased food in distributing healthy, nutritious food.

In addition, the successful incumbent in this role will be passionate about the mission of Northwest Harvest, be able to ignite and empower the professional lives of the Procurement team to be challenging and fulfilling, reduce hunger, actively and collaboratively serves on the Supply Chain management team while putting into practice our Six Agreements and championing our Purpose-Driven, Anti-Racist, Connected, and Interwoven (PACI) framework.

As a member of the Leadership Team (LT), the Director of Procurement is responsible for contributing to the overall health of the LT by working to build trust, engaging in constructive conflict, demonstrating commitment to team decisions, holding oneself and others accountable, and focusing on results. As an LT member, the Director of Procurement holds these key responsibilities in support of our strategy work: know and be able to communicate the Four Strategies; appreciate that our strategy work is central to the achievement of Northwest Harvest’s vision to achieve equitable access to nutritious food for all in Washington State; communicate to their team (and, when applicable, to external audiences) about the strategies; and encourage their team to pursue engagement in the strategies directly or as a support function.

Schedule: This position may be required to work occasional off-shift hours as necessary for special events or other duties assigned.

Travel: Be responsive and adaptive to opportunities throughout Washington (WA). This can include but is not limited to local travel and occasional travel to Eastern and Western WA.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Leadership:

• Provide the strategic vision for the Procurement Team, and for how the team will work well across the organization
• Practice adaptive leadership, demonstrating:
• Purpose-driven; Anti-racist; Connected; Interwoven to ensure alignment of Procurement team’s activities and goals with NWH’s mission. Lead with influence by modeling our PACI values and empowering others with their individual Operating Plans (IOP) and shared goals
• Team Leadership: lead and develop a diverse, multi‐dimensional, and cohesive team
• Flexibility: thrive on managing variety and complexity
• Leadership: a visionary, able to lead by example; a strong listener, decision-maker, and effective communicator supporting the agreed upon organization agenda; leads through influence
• Motivation: supports and inspires leaders and staff to accomplish the mission of the organization while holding true to its stated values
• Innovation: forward-thinking; listens for emerging trends from staff and communities; imaginative and able to translate new ideas into action
• Represent the organization on external committees where strategic insight is needed
• Develop and maintain strategic working relationships in Washington State and nationally
• Champion race equity and inclusion by fostering a culture of inclusion and belonging

People Management & Team Building

• Build healthy, dynamic teams that work well together, with team members who understand their role and impact within and beyond the organization
• Act as a servant leader to directly supervise, support, professionally develop, hold accountable, and coach four (4) direct reports: Agriculture Procurement Representative, Food Donations Program Specialist, Procurement Administrator, and Supply Chain Administrator
• Work collaboratively across the department to foster and encourage a people-management culture that prioritizes unlocking the potential of all Sourcing & Procurement employees, and where every person feels connected to our mission and strategies, and is supported by adaptive, servant leaders

External Relationship Management:

• Develop and manage a portfolio of external partners within various types of food organizations operating statewide and beyond; prioritize the mission of Northwest Harvest, working with the community philanthropy team on strategies for donations, including donated transportation
• Create a robust strategy to significantly increase in-kind donations of food in collaboration with internal and external partners
• Collaborate with the Senior Director of Supply Chain (SDSC) to understand the landscape of food organizations, their needs, seasonality, and given history to build relationships, maintain an ongoing awareness of current and relevant market trends that affect availability of food and future sources of food, performs regular cost and scenario analysis and benchmarking
• Oversee and manage all aspects of procurement for the organization, including tracking and reporting
• Work closely with the Food Access Network (FAN), Transportation, Community Markets, and all Supply Chain teams to ensure the timeliness and coordination with all internal departments regarding food procurement
• Ensure food safety in all facets of procurement, receiving, storage and distribution, and organization’s compliance with all governmental and nongovernmental regulations and requirements for food handling and processing
• Maintain and practice strict quality control standards in procurement to verify product specifications and quality. Identify root causes for variances, such as delinquent arrivals and quality issues. Provide resolution of incoming quality issues
• Develop and support sourcing strategies for Three Squares and Harvest Pantry, and other third-party partners
• Maintain close relationships with producers, manufacturers, and vendors to be aware of and capture all donation opportunities

Agricultural Procurement Oversight (Fresh and Frozen)

• Support the cultivation of working relationships with fresh/frozen food processors and cold storage companies as a source of donated or purchased produce
• Emphasize the development of Washington state outlets of purchased or donated produce, keeping a keen eye for in state opportunities while still supporting out of state opportunities
• Support the level of engagement required to develop the needed relationships for increased product availability

Perform other duties as assigned by the Senior Director of Supply Chain.

EQUITY AND INCLUSION 

Demonstrate the initiative to learn and enhance skills that promote anti-racism, cultural competency and an understanding of oppression and its impact.

Participate in intentional learning efforts, including events relating to understanding and dismantling institutional racism and building cultural competency

RELATIONSHIPS: 

• Internal: Conduct regular discussions and collaboration with the Procurement Team, Leadership Team, Supply Chain management team, FAN, and the Community Markets. Support of and participate in organization

wide teams developed to meet organizational goals. Focus on the removal of roadblocks for all staff, including removal of silos that hinder productivity and effectiveness.

External: Collaborative conversations with external stakeholders to promote alignment with strategy work

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 

A combination of the real-life experience, education, and training listed below, which provides an equivalent background to perform the work of this position.  

Successful completion of a background check is required. 

Knowledge of: 

• Insight into the root causes of hunger
• Appreciation for the experiences of people living in poverty and with food insecurity
• Deep understanding of and commitment to Northwest Harvest’s mission, vision, and values
• Strong management and organizational skills, managing conflicting priorities and deadlines, and an ability to work well within teams
• Experience and success in servant leadership: managing, inspiring, engaging, professional developing, and holding accountable supply chain team members within a collaborative work environment
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, particularly Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Teams
• Proficiency with other organizational platforms such as ADP, SharePoint, and Microsoft Dynamics NAV systems, as well as other common video conference platforms, such as Zoom
• Supply chain and sourcing & procurement management principles, practices, and strategies
• Familiarity with relevant laws and regulations, including environmental, safety, and import/export guidelines
• Knowledge of the latest industry trends and emerging technologies that can drive efficiency and reduce distribution costs
• Knowledge of food budget projections and Profit & Loss (P&L) management
• Knowledge of business functions and systems such as strategic development, planning, financial budgeting and forecasting.

Ability To: 

• Understand individuals who have experienced poverty or food insecurity
• Demonstrate interest and commitment to supporting equity and inclusion for members of historically marginalized groups including racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQIA+ populations, and people living with disabilities

Leadership:

• As an adaptive, servant leader, practice collaborative, persuasive, and transformative leadership styles, and lead through influence rather than relying solely on direct-line authority
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff and leadership to ensure a high degree of mutual accountability
• Navigate and lead through ambiguity while keeping team members engaged and encouraged
• Ask questions to understand the merits of different approaches and shift strategies in response to the demands of a situation
• Possess integrity, maturity, and ethical awareness
• Handle sensitive information with strict confidentiality
• Problem-solve in a collaborative, efficient, and effective manner
• Analyze issues, synthesize information, make evidence-based decisions, and learn from mistakes
• Cultivate and steward professional relationships with diverse constituencies

Procurement Management:

• Create and implement the vision and strategy of the Procurement team
• Lead all Procurement management activities and initiatives, including procuring food stocks, creating and managing budgets, and build external relationships statewide
• Support and maintain food safety programs and adherence to all organizational standard operating procedures and ensure compliance with government regulations and third-party certification agencies.
• Engage in the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) system

Equity and Connectedness:

• Adopt the PACI (purpose-driven, anti-racist, connected, and interwoven) framework and practice the Six Agreements
• Support equity and inclusion for members of historically marginalized groups including racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQIA+ populations, and people living with disabilities
• Communication:
• Communicate effectively, verbally and in writing
• Listen and ask questions to understand
• Communicate complex supply chain concepts and issues and applicable legal requirements, policies and procedures to staff and leaders

EDUCATION AND TRAINING: 

Bachelor of Arts or Sciences degree in business, supply chain management, procurement, or a related field or an equal combination of education and relevant work experience with a personal orientation as a life-long learner.

EXPERIENCE:  

Minimum of seven (7)+ years’ experience in procurement, sourcing, or food manufacturing, with three (3) + years of people management experience.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:  

• Non- Profit experience is desired but not required
• Prior experience with managing food safety programs is a plus.
• The ability to speak additional language(s) is desired but not required

DISCLAIMER: 

The information presented indicates the general nature and level of work expected of employees in this classification. It is not designed to contain, or to be interpreted as, a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and objectives required of employees assigned to this job. As an adaptive organization, responsibilities can and will change in alignment with greater efficiencies and mission metrics. 

BENEFITS AND OTHER COMPENSATION: 

Northwest Harvest offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package this includes but is not limited to; medical/dental/ vision/ insurance, long term disability insurance, Life/AD&D insurance, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), 401(k) retirement plan, Vacation and Sick leave, 8 paid holidays; New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day, Floating holidays for you to use should you observe a holiday not outlined in Northwest Harvests current observed holidays or at your discretion, and birthday holiday. Employees are eligible to participate in payroll deducted supplemental benefits i.e., Flexible Spending account-HRA and DCE, various AFLAC and New York Life plans.

HOW TO APPLY: 

Please visit “Current Openings” page on the Northwest Harvest website and select the “Director of Procurement” position.