Category Procurement Manager

About Kerry

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

The Procurement Manager – TPM is responsible for developing, contracting, and managing external manufacturing partners to support business growth, redundancy, cost optimization, and supply continuity. This role ensures that all TPM relationships operate under strong commercial governance, competitive cost structures, robust agreements, and clear performance expectations. The TPM Manager acts as the commercial owner of the TPM network, driving total value creation—cost, quality, service, risk mitigation, and innovation—through strategic procurement leadership.

• Develop, refine, and execute the procurement strategy for Third‑Party Manufacturing, aligned to Kerry N. America business and growth priorities.
• Lead sourcing activities for new TPM partners when internal capacity, technology, or capability gaps exist.
• Conduct market assessments, capability benchmarking, and cost analyses to ensure the TPM network provides competitive advantage.
• Through internal and external resources and tools, including AI, build capability library, robust supplier mapping and pipeline, to provide commercial transparency.
• Lead negotiations of supply agreements, commercial terms, pricing structures, SLAs, and renewal strategies with TPM partners.
• Build long‑term contracting frameworks that drive value engineering, continuous improvement, and cost reduction opportunities.
• Drive structured QBRs (Quarterly Business Reviews) with TPMs focused on performance and opportunities.
• Ensure TPMs meet all necessary certifications, food safety standards, environmental standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Serve as the central commercial liaison between TPM partners and internal stakeholders, ensuring aligned expectations and effective escalation management.
• Identify and implement cost reduction initiatives across the TPM network.
• In partnership with TPMs, drive innovation in manufacturing capability, packaging formats, and commercialization speed that support customer and category strategies.

• Bachelor’s degree in Procurement, Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or related field.
• Proven experience managing contract manufacturing or outsourced supply models.
• Strong commercial acumen—cost modeling, negotiation, contracting.
• Understanding of food manufacturing, GMP, USDA/FDA, and regulatory compliance preferred.
• Project management experience.

• Excellent negotiation, influencing, and stakeholder communication ability.
• Able to operate strategically and tactically—balancing long‑term network design with day‑to‑day management.
• Skilled at building supplier partnerships while maintaining performance accountability.

The typical hiring range for this role is $102,400 - $190,200 annually and is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, location, etc. In addition to your pay, Kerry offers benefits such as a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase and retirement contribution (all benefits and incentives are subject to eligibility requirements).

Kerry is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. Kerry will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States for this opening. Any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a background investigation and drug screen.

Additional information can…