Procurement Strategy & Market Insights Manager – Food Division

Procurement Strategy & Market Insights Manager – Food Division

Join to apply for the Procurement Strategy & Market Insights Manager – Food Division role at Conexus Food Solutions

Salary Range: 80K - 120K (Based on Experience)

Schedule:

5 Day Work Week (Onsite)

Site Address: 6500 W. 51st Street, Chicago, IL 60638

Conexus Food Solutions is a leader in the Asian food service industry, bringing a diverse range of ethnic cuisines, such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Thai, to the table. Our corporate headquarters in Chicago is where we house our fully integrated food processing, manufacturing, logistics, and worldwide supply chain services all under one roof. With distribution centers spanning the US, over 2 million square feet of warehousing space, and a fleet of more than 1,000 trucks, we're the go-to when it comes to reliable delivery services.

At Conexus Food Solutions, we believe that teamwork and collaboration are the keys to success. We pride ourselves on maintaining the highest standards of integrity and honesty in everything we do and building strong relationships with our clients. We're looking for individuals who share our values and are committed to excellence. Join our team and contribute to our culture of collaboration and integrity while growing your own skills and expertise.

Together, we'll deliver high-quality products and exceptional service to our clients and achieve great things.

Position Summary:

The Procurement Strategy & Market Insights Manager – Food Division plays a pivotal role within the Strategic Sourcing organization, overseeing procurement strategy, market analytics, and supplier performance across key food categories. This role combines analytical depth with sourcing expertise to ensure supply continuity, cost efficiency, and competitive advantage in a volatile commodities environment. The ideal candidate is both data-driven and market-savvy, possessing a trading mentality that balances proactive risk management with opportunistic purchasing.

This leader will interpret global and domestic market signals to drive sourcing decisions, strengthen supplier partnerships, and deliver sustainable value to the business.

• Develop and lead category and procurement strategies across multiple food divisions (including proteins, produce, and frozen) to meet cost, quality, and supply objectives.
• Continuously monitor and analyze commodity markets, pricing indices, and supply chain trends to provide actionable insights that guide sourcing decisions.
• Translate market data into strategic recommendations for leadership, identifying opportunities for forward buys, risk hedging, and cost optimization.
• Execute day-to-day sourcing activities, including supplier outreach and negotiations, obtaining and analyzing RFQs, placing purchase orders, and ensuring accurate and timely P.O. creation and processing within company system.
• Oversee the full sourcing lifecycle—from supplier identification and qualification through contract negotiation and ongoing performance management.
• Build and sustain strong partnerships with growers, processors, distributors, and manufacturers to ensure consistent quality and reliability.
• Lead negotiations that balance cost efficiency with sustainability, quality, and ethical sourcing commitments.
• Develop and monitor supplier performance metrics (KPIs) to drive continuous improvement in service, quality, and innovation.
• Identify and implement cost-reduction initiatives while safeguarding product integrity and supply continuity.
• Anticipate and mitigate supply risks driven by market volatility, weather events, or geopolitical conditions through proactive strategy and contingency planning.
• Manage category spend forecasting, providing leadership with accurate reporting on cost performance, savings, and exposure.
• Apply a trading mindset to identify and capitalize on market opportunities for strategic procurement timing.
• Partner with cross-functional teams including Quality Assurance, Operations, Finance, and R&D to align sourcing strategies with business and product needs.
• Support innovation and new product development by sourcing new ingredients and evaluating emerging…