Associate Sourcing Manager - Fresh Food

Associate Sourcing Manager - Fresh Food

With more than 13,000 stores in the U.S. and 84,000 stores globally, it is no wonder 7-Eleven, Inc. has been named an iconic brand. In addition to 7-Eleven stores, 7-Eleven, Inc. also operates and franchises Speedway, Stripes, Laredo Taco Company and Raise the Roost locations. Since inventing the convenience industry in 1927, 7-Eleven has built a rich 96-year history filled with beloved products like Slurpee, Big Gulp and Big Bite, and fan-favorite holidays like Slurpee Day and Bring Your Own Cup Day. Now, 7-Eleven is on a mission to contemporize the brand and redefine convenience and we need your help.

As the Associate Sourcing Manager, you will be responsible for all sourcing / procurement related activities and processes associated with the acquisition of products and services to support the Fresh Food business teams. This includes requirements gathering, creating and issuing Request for Proposal (RFP), proposal evaluation, contract negotiations, contract drafting and administration with the goal to improve spend and quality performance. This role supports Sourcing Managers or Directors and ensure compliance with 7-Eleven sourcing policies and processes. As an Associate Sourcing Manager you will partner with business stakeholders and suppliers to execute procurement / sourcing activities while building collaborative relationships to deliver improved cost and service levels.

Key Duties And Responsibilities :

Executes 7-Eleven sourcing processes which include data / spend analysis, strategic planning and market research, scoping, bidding, contract negotiations and execution, compliance, and supplier management activities for assigned categories.

Build and maintain collaborative relationships with cross functional stakeholders to develop and execute sourcing processes that support business goals

Build and execute various RFx / sourcing events, performing bid analysis and providing feedback to stakeholders and collaborate on negotiation strategies.

Manage suppliers / contractors based on specifications and contractual requirements to ensure effective execution, implementation and prompt resolution of any issues that may arise.

Negotiate contracts and contract renewals with suppliers to source / procure products or services needed for categories to optimize spend, reduce risk, achieve favorable terms and drive towards optimized total-cost-of-ownership.

Support onboarding of new suppliers and product setups, ensuring compliance and efficient integration through supplier and new item set-up processes. Troubleshoot and resolve operational and supply chain challenges to ensure timely product availability, consistency and performance.

As needed support forecasting and demand planning with suppliers and stakeholders to support day to day business as needed.

Identify / interview potential suppliers and evaluate supplier capabilities to determine if supplier is qualified to produce and / or supply products or services. Perform market research in applicable areas.

Ability to support legal in key contract negotiations such as pricing, performance measures, and breach of contract remedies and termination options.

Participate in cross-functional discussions with stakeholders. Provide clear and concise progress updates.

Demonstrate ability to build and analyze financial models to evaluate proposal scenarios and present recommendations in a clear and concise format.

Key Leadership Competencies :

Ability to work well with both business stakeholders and suppliers, in a fast-paced, self-directed environment.

Understand leaders' intent and strategic goals and how to translate that into actions that needs to be taken

Ability to provide suggestions and collaborate with team and stakeholders to solve problems by assessing the situation, leveraging and analyzing relevant data, identifying root cause and developing potential solutions.

Adapt to change, ability to quickly learn details of new business challenges and identify dependencies and impacts of other key initiatives.

Education And Experience :

EDUCATION : Bachelor's degree (or equivalent experience) strongly preferred.

YEARS OF RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE : Minimum of 3+ years required

SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Demonstrate ability to build and analyze financial models to evaluate proposal scenarios and present recommendations in a clear and concise format.

Strong organizational skills, understanding of legal aspects, negotiating skills, purchasing terminology, cost analysis, and legal compliance regulations

Retail or Food Service Operations experience is preferred

Experience in Fresh Food ingredient sourcing with knowledge of relevant Commodity indices for Dairy, Protein, Sugar, Cocoa, etc.

Ability to gather and analyze data from multiple reporting systems (internal and external supplier databases) and apply the data to business recommendations or solutions.

Proficient with MS Office suite including MS Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.

Verbal and written communication skills that can clearly communicate with various internal stakeholders, team members and suppliers