Director of Procurement - Beef & Pork

Position Overview

Julius Silvert, Inc. is seeking an experienced and strategic Director of Meat & Protein Procurement to lead the company's meat purchasing operations. This individual will be responsible for developing and executing purchasing strategies for beef, pork, and other protein products while ensuring competitive pricing, consistent product availability, high-quality standards, and strong supplier relationships.

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in the meat industry, particularly in beef and pork procurement, with established relationships with major meat packers, processors, and suppliers. This individual must have a thorough understanding of commodity markets, boxed beef pricing, meat specifications, and purchasing strategies that drive profitability.

This is a hands-on leadership role requiring someone who can combine strategic planning with day-to-day purchasing responsibilities, negotiate significant supplier agreements, identify market opportunities, and work closely with sales, operations, and finance to support the company's business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Meat & Protein Purchasing

• Develop and execute purchasing strategies for beef, pork, and other protein products to support Julius Silvert's business operations.

• Oversee the procurement of meat and protein products while ensuring competitive pricing, product quality, and consistent availability.

• Leverage purchasing volume to negotiate favorable pricing, supplier agreements, and long-term purchasing programs.

• Establish and maintain strong relationships with major beef and pork packers, processors, brokers, and suppliers.

• Monitor commodity markets, cattle and hog supply trends, processing capacity, and industry conditions to anticipate pricing and availability changes.

• Identify opportunities for forward purchasing, contracted pricing, and strategic inventory positioning.

• Evaluate new suppliers, alternative sourcing opportunities, and purchasing programs that provide a competitive advantage.

• Balance purchasing decisions based on cost, quality, customer demand, inventory investment, and profitability.

Beef & Pork Procurement

• Oversee the purchasing of boxed beef, pork, and other meat products required to support customer demand and company operations.

• Develop sourcing strategies across various beef grades, cuts, primals, subprimals, and pork products.

• Maintain strong relationships with major meat packers and branded product suppliers.

• Monitor boxed beef cutout values, primal and subprimal pricing, pork market trends, and commodity movements.

• Negotiate competitive pricing, volume commitments, freight terms, and supply agreements.

• Evaluate product specifications, yields, trim values, and alternative sourcing options to maximize purchasing value.

• Identify opportunities to improve product costs while maintaining the quality and specifications expected by customers.

• Ensure purchasing decisions align with sales demand, customer commitments, and inventory requirements.

Supplier Relationship Management

• Develop and maintain long-term relationships with key meat packers, processors, brokers, and protein suppliers.

• Negotiate pricing programs, supply agreements, volume commitments, and favorable purchasing terms.

• Evaluate supplier performance based on pricing, product quality, fill rates, service, and consistency.

• Identify and qualify new suppliers to improve sourcing flexibility and purchasing competitiveness.

• Develop contingency sourcing strategies to protect against supply disruptions and market volatility.

• Resolve supplier-related pricing, quality, and availability issues.

• Maintain an understanding of supplier capabilities, market positions, and available purchasing opportunities.

Market Analysis & Purchasing Strategy

• Maintain a thorough understanding of USDA market reports, boxed beef values, cattle and hog markets, and industry supply-and-demand trends.

• Analyze commodity pricing and market conditions to determine optimal purchasing strategies.

• Identify favorable buying opportunities and recommend purchasing strategies based on current and anticipated market conditions.

• Monitor industry developments, seasonal trends, and supply fluctuations that may impact product costs and availability.

• Provide regular market updates, purchasing forecasts, and recommendations to senior management.

• Evaluate opportunities for forward buying and contracted pricing to manage commodity exposure.

Inventory & Cost Management

• Oversee purchasing activity to ensure appropriate inventory levels and product availability.

• Work closely with sales and operations to forecast demand and align purchasing with customer requirements.

• Monitor inventory aging, product turnover, market exposure, and purchasing variances.

• Minimize shrink, obsolete inventory, and unnecessary carrying costs.

• Identify opportunities to improve purchasing efficiency, product utilization, and gross margins.

• Establish purchasing metrics and inventory targets in coordination with finance and operations.

• Ensure purchasing decisions support the company's overall financial and operational objectives.

Financial Performance & Profitability

• Take ownership of purchasing performance and its impact on company gross profit.

• Identify opportunities to improve margins through strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations, and favorable market purchases.

• Analyze product costs, pricing trends, and purchasing variances to identify areas for improvement.

• Work with sales and finance to ensure purchasing strategies support customer pricing and profitability goals.

• Provide senior management with regular reporting on purchasing performance, market conditions, cost savings, and sourcing opportunities.

• Maintain disciplined purchasing practices and ensure compliance with company policies and procedures.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with sales, operations, finance, and other departments to ensure purchasing strategies align with business needs.

• Coordinate with sales to understand customer demand, product specifications, and upcoming business opportunities.

• Partner with operations to ensure product availability and appropriate inventory levels.

• Collaborate with finance to monitor purchasing costs, inventory investment, and gross margin performance.

• Support new customer opportunities by identifying reliable and cost-effective sourcing solutions.

• Communicate market developments and purchasing recommendations to senior leadership.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in beef and/or pork purchasing, meat procurement, protein sourcing, or meat category management.

• Significant experience purchasing beef directly from or working closely with major meat packers.

• Strong understanding of beef primals, subprimals, grades, specifications, yields, and commodity pricing.

• Proven ability to negotiate large-volume purchasing agreements and establish strategic supplier relationships.

• Thorough understanding of meat commodity markets and the factors influencing pricing, supply, and availability.

• Strong financial and analytical skills, including gross margin management, inventory economics, and cost analysis.

• Experience working cross-functionally with sales, operations, and finance.

• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-management skills.

• Ability to balance strategic purchasing responsibilities with hands-on day-to-day procurement activities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working for a foodservice distributor, meat processor, meat packer, or meat supplier.

• Established relationships with major beef and pork packers.

• Experience purchasing boxed beef and other commodity meat products.

• Knowledge of USDA market reporting and commodity pricing trends.

• Experience managing inventory, forecasting demand, and developing purchasing strategies to improve profitability.