Rhodes Wolfe

Compensation

Full Description

Senior Buyer (Food Manufacturing / Protein) Location: Chicago, IL (On-site) Salary: $80,000 - $85,000 per year + discretionary bonus Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401k w/ 25% match, PTO, Life, Free parking Job Type: Full-Time Typical Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM CT (On-site) Travel: None Start Date: ASAP Sponsorship: Not available Relocation assistance: Not available Senior Buyer (Food Manufacturing / Protein) Description Our client in the food manufacturing industry is seeking a Senior Buyer to join their team in Chicago, IL. In this role you will own purchasing for raw materials, ingredients, and packaging in a fast-paced, audit-heavy environment. You’ll manage spend and availability by balancing inventory levels, lead times, MOQs, and safety stock; ensuring production never waits on materials while avoiding costly overbuys. This role partners closely with the Purchasing Manager, warehouse/receiving, quality, and accounting to keep supplier documentation fully “audit ready”, purchase orders accurate, and issues resolved quickly. Ideal candidates bring proven food manufacturing purchasing experience, strong negotiation skills, and a detail-first mindset. This is an exciting opportunity to join a well-established and growing company that prides itself on collaboration, culture, and career development. Senior Buyer (Food Manufacturing / Protein) Responsibilities • Purchase raw materials, ingredients, and packaging to support production needs • Balance inventory to prevent overbuying, shortages, and production delays • Partner with warehouse on storage capacity, timing, and receiving constraints • Negotiate pricing, terms, and service levels with suppliers • Source competitive bids and award purchases based on cost, quality, and risk • Vet and onboard suppliers through a structured qualification process • Maintain vendor files and track expirations to keep audits “ready” • Ensure supplier compliance with food safety and certification requirements • Create and manage POs, approvals, and correct account coding in ERP • Coordinate with Quality, Receiving, and AP to resolve issues and pay on time Senior Buyer (Food Manufacturing / Protein) Qualifications • 4+ years of progressive purchasing experience required • Food Manufacturing experience required • People leadership experience required • Knowledge of food safety compliance and supplier documentation required • Experience supporting audit environments (FSMA/GFSI-style) required Job Type: Full-time Pay: $80,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year Benefits: • 401(k) matching • Dental insurance • Health insurance • Life insurance • Paid time off • Vision insurance Application Question(s): • Are you willing to commute to the office daily for this opportunity? • The salary range for this role is $75-$85k. Does that align with your salary expectations? Experience: • progressive purchasing: 4 years (Required) • meat or protein purchasing (not req): 1 year (Preferred) • managing/leading a team of 3 or more people: 1 year (Required) • food safety compliance and supplier documentation : 2 years (Required) • supporting audit environments (FSMA/GFSI-style): 2 years (Required) • Food Manufacturing: 2 years (Required) Work Location: On the road