Procurement - Supplier Engagement Specialist - Direct Materials

Build your career at Sazerac! With almost 400 years of rich history, Sazerac Company has thrived as an independent, American family-owned company with operations in the United States and around the world. Since the 2000s, Sazerac has averaged double digit growth every year! Sazerac Company produces and markets the most award-winning bourbons and whiskeys in the world, including Buffalo Trace, Pappy Van Winkle, Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, Traveller, and Sazerac Rye. Additionally, Sazerac owns many popular brands across a range of spirits, including Fireball, Svedka, Wheatley, BuzzBallz, Southern Comfort, Seagram’s V.O., Myers’s, Goldschläger, Parrot Bay, 99 Brand, and Platinum Vodka.

We’re proud of our award-winning culture and distilleries. Our Louisville office has been named one of the “Best Places to Work in Kentucky” four times, and our Buffalo Trace Distillery has earned the title of “world’s most award-winning distillery” through the dedication of our craftsmen for well over 200 years. Whether you’re a recent graduate or an experienced professional, Sazerac provides extraordinary opportunities for growth with competitive salaries and benefits in an exciting, entrepreneurial industry.

The Supplier Engagement Specialist partners closely with Procurement Category Managers to execute category strategies and manage supplier relationships for direct materials. This role focuses on supplier engagement, cost optimization, and cross-functional coordination to support New Business Development (NBD) initiatives and deliver a competitive advantage for Sazerac.

Key Responsibilities

• Support Procurement Category Managers with supplier selection, onboarding, performance management, and supplier development.
• Negotiate business terms with suppliers to drive total cost optimization and value creation.
• Serve as the primary supplier contact for NBD projects, ensuring timelines, deliverables, and launch readiness.
• Coordinate with Brand Managers, Marketing, Plant teams, Project Managers, and suppliers to ensure efficient and timely project execution.
• Leverage procurement systems (PPT, NBD GUI) to track milestones, communicate status updates, and escalate risks as needed.
• Ensure accurate development and maintenance of Bills of Materials in collaboration with Plant and Accounting teams to support data integrity.
• Prioritize workload based on urgency and business impact to maximize efficiency and output.
• Support achievement of department NBD goals, including on-time and error-free execution.
• Utilize procurement-focused KPIs to establish role-specific performance goals and measure effectiveness.
• Maintain high internal and external customer service standards, actively soliciting feedback to drive continuous improvement.
• Participate in career development planning, including PDS goal setting and ongoing skill development documentation.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum 1+ years of relevant experience
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Strong analytical, technical, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Detail-oriented with strong planning and organizational skills
• Self-motivated, innovative, and solutions-focused mindset
• Ability to quickly learn new systems and processes

Preferred Qualifications (highly desired)

• 2+ years of implementation or project management experience
• 2+ years of procurement or purchasing experience within food, beverage, or packaged goods manufacturing

Physical & Work Requirements

• Flexibility to work overtime as needed
• Hybrid work environment (Louisville office)

Placement within the salary range is calculated based upon years of directly relatable experience for the position.

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A career at Sazerac offers you the opportunity to reach your full potential as part of a creative, decisive, high-performance team. Sazerac values the needs and wants of our team members and offers inclusive benefits to attract and retain the best talent. Our culture is built upon the values of hard work, diligence and personal responsibility.

Sazerac Team Members enjoy:

• Competitive Pay
• Comprehensive Benefits from Day One including medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance.
• Family Coverage: Options to cover family members, including domestic partners.
• 401(k) Plan: Immediate access to a matching 401(k) plan.
• Flexible Time Away: Enjoy paid time off (PTO), holidays, and parental leave.
• Mental Health and Wellness: Access to mental health care and wellness incentive programs.
• Educational Support: Benefit from tuition reimbursement and our scholarship program for dependents of Sazerac team members.
• Fun Extras: Enjoy branded apparel, fun events, and a team member bottle purchase program.
• Training and Development: Opportunities for professional growth and development.

Benefits, salary range, and programs may vary by role or location. For roles within our commercial team - the Salary range refers to base salary only and does not include car allowance, annual bonus, fuel or cell phone reimbursement. Please ask your Talent Acquisition Partner for more information about our total rewards package. Sazerac is committed to equality of opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, veteran status, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, physical or mental disability or any other legally protected status.