Dairy Procurement Director Job Description

This Dairy Procurement Director job description sets out the main duties, qualifications, skills and measures of success for the role, which is also known as Head of Procurement, Purchasing Director, Chief Procurement Officer or Sourcing Director. Download it free as a Word or PDF template and adapt it for your own vacancy.

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Job title	Dairy Procurement Director
Also known as	Head of Procurement, Purchasing Director, Chief Procurement Officer, Sourcing Director
Department	Dairy leadership and board
Reports to	Chief Financial Officer or Chief Executive Officer
Direct reports	Category managers, buyers and procurement operations staff

What does a Dairy Procurement Director do?

Leads the buying of all non-milk goods and services for a dairy business, including packaging, ingredients, energy and services. Secures supply at the best total cost, manages supplier risk and makes sure the business buys responsibly and ethically.

Dairy Procurement Director duties and responsibilities

Procurement strategy and policy

Set the procurement strategy and policy for all non-milk spend
Organise spend into categories and set a clear strategy for each
Make sure purchasing follows agreed approval limits and financial controls
Report savings, risks and supplier performance to the executive team and the Board

Category management

Lead sourcing of packaging, including cartons, bottles, films, closures and transit packaging
Lead sourcing of ingredients such as cultures, enzymes, fruit preparations, sugar and stabilisers
Buy energy, fuels and utilities, and manage energy price risk with finance
Source services including logistics, maintenance, cleaning chemicals and professional services
Negotiate contracts that balance cost, quality, security of supply and service

Supplier risk and performance

Assess suppliers for financial, operational and food safety risk before approval
Build contingency plans and alternative suppliers for critical items
Manage supplier performance through regular reviews and scorecards
Work with the technical team to approve suppliers and specifications

Ethical and sustainable sourcing

Set an ethical sourcing policy covering labour rights, human rights and anti-bribery
Check supplier compliance through questionnaires, audits and certification
Work with suppliers to cut emissions and environmental impact across the supply chain
Support the move to recyclable packaging and responsibly sourced ingredients

Team and systems

Lead, coach and develop the procurement team
Improve procurement systems, data and reporting
Work with operations, engineering, marketing and finance to understand future needs
Promote fair, transparent and lawful dealings with all suppliers

Dairy Procurement Director qualifications and experience

Essential

Degree or equivalent qualification in business, supply chain or a related field
Extensive senior procurement leadership experience in food, beverage or manufacturing
Proven record of delivering savings across several categories
Experience of buying packaging, ingredients or energy
Strong contract negotiation and supplier management skills
Knowledge of supplier risk management and ethical sourcing standards

Desirable

Professional procurement qualification
Experience of energy price risk management
Experience of sustainable packaging projects
Experience of procurement systems and spend analytics

Skills and attributes

Negotiation and influencing
Commercial and financial acumen
Risk assessment
Strategic planning
Leadership and team development
Data analysis
Building relationships with suppliers and internal teams

How success is measured

Savings delivered against target
Share of spend under contract and managed by procurement
Supplier on-time, in-full delivery and quality performance
Supply interruptions caused by supplier failure
Share of critical suppliers assessed for risk and ethical standards
Supply chain emissions reduction against target

Working conditions and safety

Office-based with regular travel to sites and suppliers, including some international travel for supplier visits and audits.

Lead by example on health, safety, food safety and animal welfare
Uphold the code of conduct and all legal and compliance requirements
Raise concerns and report incidents promptly

Dairy Procurement Director interview questions

Use these questions to assess candidates for a Dairy Procurement Director role. Each one includes what a good answer shows.

How would you build a category strategy for dairy packaging?
What a good answer shows: Analyses spend, market, suppliers and risks, and balances cost, security of supply, sustainability and food safety.
How do you manage energy price risk for a business with large heating and drying loads?
What a good answer shows: Uses forward buying under a clear risk policy agreed with finance, efficiency work and diverse supply options.
How do you measure savings so that the finance team trusts the figures?
What a good answer shows: Agrees baselines and methods with finance, separates cost avoidance from real savings and tracks delivery.
How do you decide when to dual-source a critical ingredient or packaging item?
What a good answer shows: Weighs supply risk, cost, quality and approval effort, and focuses on items whose failure would stop production.
The sole supplier of a key packaging material warns of a shortage. What do you do?
What a good answer shows: Checks stock, works with planning and sales, secures alternatives quickly and then removes the single-source risk.
A supplier audit reveals poor working conditions at a factory. How do you respond?
What a good answer shows: Acts on serious issues at once, agrees a remediation plan, monitors closely and exits if the supplier will not improve.
How do you prevent bribery and conflicts of interest in purchasing?
What a good answer shows: Uses clear policies, declarations of interest, separation of duties and competitive tendering, and acts firmly on breaches.
How do you make sure new suppliers do not create food safety risks?
What a good answer shows: Involves the technical team in approval, checks certification and specifications, and monitors ongoing performance.
How would you get operations and marketing to involve procurement earlier in their decisions?
What a good answer shows: Shows value through results, builds relationships, joins planning processes and makes procurement easy to work with.
How do you develop buyers into strategic category managers?
What a good answer shows: Coaches on market analysis and negotiation, gives ownership of categories and provides training and feedback.

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Frequently asked questions

What does a Dairy Procurement Director do?

What qualifications does a Dairy Procurement Director need?

Employers usually look for: degree or equivalent qualification in business, supply chain or a related field; extensive senior procurement leadership experience in food, beverage or manufacturing; proven record of delivering savings across several categories.

Who does a Dairy Procurement Director report to?

A Dairy Procurement Director usually reports to the Chief Financial Officer or Chief Executive Officer. Direct reports typically include category managers, buyers and procurement operations staff.

Can I use this Dairy Procurement Director job description for my own vacancy?

Yes. Download the free Word template, add your location, contract and salary details, and adapt the duties to your site. You can then advertise the role on Dairy Jobs.