Director of Agricultural Procurement

Director of Agricultural Procurement

Mt. Olive Pickle Company, Inc.

2000 Agricultural Procurement

Reports to VP, Supply Chain

Offices in Mount Olive, North Carolina

Position Summary

The Director of Agricultural Procurement leads the strategy, execution, and continuous improvement of the agricultural procurement function for Mt. Olive Pickle Company, Inc., a world leader in pickles, peppers, and relishes. This position is accountable for the responsible, reliable, and on-budget sourcing of cucumbers (“cukes”), peppers, carrots, okra, mushrooms, and other agricultural products required to support production plans, quality standards, customer commitments, and long-term business objectives. The Director builds durable grower and supplier relationships, negotiates competitive agreements, manages crop and supply risk, and provides leadership across the full agricultural supply network.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive agricultural sourcing strategy for cucumbers, peppers, carrots, okra, mushrooms, and other key commodities, balancing cost, quality, availability, geography, seasonality, and risk.
• Lead annual and multi-year crop planning to align contracted acres, projected yields, harvest timing, varietal requirements, processing specifications, and delivery schedules with production forecasts and inventory needs.
• Own agricultural procurement budgets, commodity cost forecasts, and purchase commitments; monitor performance against plan and implement timely corrective actions when market, crop, freight, labor, or yield conditions change.
• Negotiate crop contracts, pricing structures, volume commitments, incentives, quality provisions, freight terms, and other commercial terms with growers, packers, processors, and agricultural suppliers.
• Build and maintain trusted, long-term relationships with growers and suppliers through consistent communication, fair dealing, field engagement, timely issue resolution, and a clear understanding of mutual business needs.
• Maintain a strong working knowledge of H-2A agricultural labor requirements, wage rates, housing, transportation, recruitment, timing, and compliance obligations, and evaluate how labor availability and changing H-2A costs affect grower economics, crop pricing, harvest capacity, and sourcing decisions.
• Analyze total delivered cost, including crop price, labor, yield, grading loss, freight, handling, storage, processing, and quality performance, to support fact-based negotiations and sourcing recommendations.
• Develop contingency plans and diversified supply options to mitigate weather, disease, pest, labor, transportation, geopolitical, regulatory, and supplier concentration risks.
• Partner with Operations, Quality, Food Safety, Planning, Finance, Research and Development, Legal, and Sales to ensure agricultural supply decisions support product specifications, plant requirements, food safety expectations, and customer demand.
• Establish and monitor supplier performance measures for cost, quality, service, delivery, food safety, sustainability, and contract compliance; lead business reviews and improvement plans as needed.
• Ensure growers and agricultural suppliers meet applicable company standards and legal requirements related to food safety, traceability, responsible labor practices, environmental stewardship, and ethical business conduct.
• Track crop conditions, planting progress, harvest forecasts, market trends, commodity benchmarks, labor developments, and regulatory changes; communicate risks, opportunities, and recommended actions to senior leadership.
• Lead, coach, and develop the agricultural procurement team; establish clear accountabilities, effective processes, succession plans, and a culture of integrity, collaboration, urgency, and continuous improvement.
• Represent Mt. Olive Pickle Company with growers, commodity associations, agricultural partners, government agencies, and industry groups as appropriate.
• Perform other duties and lead special projects as assigned.

Leadership and Decision-Making Scope

The Director serves as the senior leader for agricultural procurement and is expected to make timely, commercially sound decisions in a dynamic supply environment. The role provides recommendations to executive leadership on sourcing strategy, grower commitments, commodity exposure, capital or infrastructure needs, contract risk, and significant budget variances. The Director exercises sound judgment while protecting Mt. Olive Pickle Company’s reputation, supply continuity, product quality, and financial interests.

Benefits:

401(k)

401(k) matching

Profit Sharing

Dental Insurance

Employee Discount

Flexible spending account

Health Insurance

Life Insurance

Paid Time-Off

Referral Program

Vision Insurance

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in agriculture, agribusiness, supply chain management, business, economics, or a related field required; advanced degree preferred.
• Ten or more years of progressively responsible experience in agricultural procurement, produce sourcing, agribusiness, food manufacturing supply chain, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating grower or commodity agreements and managing significant procurement budgets.
• Experience leading teams and influencing cross-functional business partners at multiple organizational levels.
• Working knowledge of fresh vegetable production, crop planning, harvest operations, agricultural markets, and produce quality standards.
• Practical knowledge of the H-2A temporary agricultural worker program and its operational and financial implications strongly preferred.
• Experience in pickled, preserved, canned, or other vegetable processing environments preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Competencies

• Strategic sourcing, cost analysis, budget management, forecasting, and contract negotiation.
• Strong understanding of agricultural production cycles, commodity economics, grower cost drivers, and regional supply markets.
• Ability to translate H-2A wage, housing, transportation, compliance, and availability factors into informed pricing and sourcing decisions.
• Exceptional relationship-building, listening, communication, and conflict-resolution skills.
• High ethical standards and a commitment to responsible sourcing, supplier fairness, food safety, traceability, and sustainable business practices.
• Sound judgment under pressure and the ability to respond effectively to crop shortages, weather events, quality issues, and other supply disruptions.
• Strong analytical skills and proficiency with spreadsheets, procurement systems, forecasting tools, and business reporting.
• Ability to lead through influence, build alignment, and communicate complex agricultural and financial issues clearly to executive and operational audiences.

Working Conditions and Travel

This position operates in office, manufacturing, farm, field, and supplier environments. Regular travel is required to visit growers, inspect crops, support harvest activities, evaluate suppliers, and participate in industry meetings. Travel may be seasonal and may occasionally require extended hours, overnight stays, or work outside normal business hours during planting, harvest, weather events, or supply disruptions.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to perform extended periods of work at a computer and in meetings, including sitting, typing, viewing a screen, and communicating by telephone or virtual meeting.
• Ability to move throughout office, manufacturing, warehouse, farm, and field environments and to stand or walk for extended periods during site visits, crop inspections, and supplier evaluations.
• Ability to navigate uneven ground, fields, production areas, stairs, and other agricultural or industrial settings, with reasonable accommodation as appropriate.
• Ability to occasionally bend, stoop, reach, climb, or crouch while observing crops, equipment, storage areas, or operating conditions.
• Ability to occasionally lift, carry, push, or pull items weighing up to 25 pounds, such as produce samples, records, or customary business materials.
• Visual ability to review documents and data and to observe crop, product, packaging, and facility conditions; ability to communicate effectively in office, field, and production environments.
• Ability to travel by automobile and commercial transportation and to work in varying seasonal weather and environmental conditions, including heat, cold, humidity, dust, noise, and exposure to agricultural or manufacturing operations.
• Ability to use required personal protective equipment and comply with safety, food safety, and biosecurity practices when entering farms, production facilities, warehouses, or supplier locations.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mt. Olive Pickle Company, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to any status protected by applicable law.