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A great job-and a great future-awaits you at Smithfield Foods. We are an American food company with a leading position in packaged meats and fresh pork products. We’re looking for motivated people who want to join our team and grow lasting and meaningful careers with us. Apply Now!
THE VALUE YOU’LL BRING:
The position summary states the general nature and purpose of the job. Overall accountabilities are defined in this section.
As the Director, Strategic Sourcing, you will lead enterprise-wide sourcing strategies for high-impact direct materials. You will manage approximately $1 billion in spend across 300+ vendors, guiding supplier selection, contract negotiations, and relationship development. You’ll oversee a team of direct and indirect reports, driving cost efficiencies, supply assurance, and quality through strategic partnerships and cross-functional collaboration. Your leadership will ensure procurement strategies are fully integrated with company goals while continuously improving cost management, sourcing processes, and vendor performance.
WHAT YOU’LL DO:
The below statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. May perform other duties as assigned.
Lead Strategic Procurement Initiatives: Develop and oversee procurement programs including purchasing, contract negotiation, vendor selection, and RFP processes with structured evaluation frameworks.
Drive High-Stakes Negotiations: Apply expert negotiation strategies to secure favorable outcomes, maximize leverage, and manage complex, high-value agreements.
Execute Cost Reduction Strategies: Establish and manage overall cost reduction goals and drive the execution of initiatives across direct material categories.
Rick Management: Actively manage supply risks while ensuring procurement and regulatory policy compliance.
Enhance Supplier Performance: Lead continuous improvement efforts in vendor service levels, adoption of new technologies, and overall alignment with business goals.
Strengthen Cross-Functional Partnerships: Collaborate with key business leaders to understand needs, uncover cost-saving opportunities, and leverage purchasing power across the enterprise.
Optimize Supply Chain Costs: Partner with production schedulers, plant teams, and purchasing leads to reduce costs while maintaining supply continuity and material quality.
Standardize Vendor Relationships: Review and optimize purchasing arrangements to consolidate SKUs and improve cost and service performance with the vendor community.
Leadership: Drives a positive employee experience through leadership by way of employee development and coaching.
WHAT WE’RE SEEKING:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to perform the essential functions.
Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university in business, food science, packaging, agri-business, economics, engineering, supply chain or related discipline and 10+ years’ relevant experience in a multiple facility organization; or equivalent combination of education and experience, required.
Leadership Experience: 5+ years of demonstrated experience in team management/development is required.
Strategic Sourcing Expertise: Progressive experience utilizing strategic sourcing methodology and techniques such as value stream management, lean concepts, and contractual alternatives.
Contract Management: Proven ability in contract reading, writing, negotiation, and execution with a track record of delivering results.
Technical Proficiency: Strong PC skills with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint); knowledge of Workday or other procurement tools is a plus.
Project Management & Analysis: Strong project management skills to support cross-functional initiatives. Excellent analytical, reasoning, and problem-solving abilities.
Communication & Collaboration: High-level written and verbal communication skills with a collaborative and team-oriented approach.
Business & Supply Chain Acumen: Ability to navigate complex, unstructured problems. Must understand production planning and materials requirement planning (MRP).
Work Environment & Travel: Must be comfortable in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. Up to 25% travel to manufacturing plants and vendor locations required.
Cultural Fit: Demonstrated ability to be respectful, approachable, and supportive while fostering strong relationships and a positive work environment.
OTHER SKILLS THAT MAKE YOU STAND OUT:
SAP experience is strongly preferred.
EEO Information
Smithfield is an equal opportunity employer committed to workplace diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, gender identity, protected veterans status, status as a disabled individual or any other protected group status or non-job characteristic as directed by law.
If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment selection process, please call us at 757-357-1595.
Smithfield Foods Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Smithfield Foods and has not been reviewed or approved by Smithfield Foods.
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Retirement Support — Retirement support stands out as a strong component of the package, with a 401(k) match repeatedly characterized as competitive. This element is portrayed as a meaningful contributor to overall total rewards beyond base pay.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare offerings are described as comprehensive, including medical, dental, vision, prescription, disability, and life coverage. Insurance quality is often positioned as a notable strength relative to other parts of the employment experience.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Compensation is frequently framed as competitive for the industry, particularly for skilled trades and certain salaried roles. Overtime availability is depicted as a major lever that can materially increase take-home pay in many settings.
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What We Do
Headquartered in Smithfield, Va. since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. With more than 60,000 jobs globally, we are dedicated to producing "Good food. Responsibly®" and serve as one of the world's leading vertically integrated protein companies. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including our industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30 percent across our entire U.S. value chain by 2030. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to our communities. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield®, Eckrich® and Nathan's Famous®, among many others.
