Summary

The Lead Associate, Food Vendor Management supports US Programs by managing procurement strategies for Head Start Programs’ food ordering platforms, ensuring effective vendor management, procedures, systems, and customer service. This role focuses on setting up and maintaining food ordering platforms, managing food orders in the SpendBridge system, and onboarding new vendors. Responsibilities include identifying alternate suppliers, working with Group Purchasing Organizations, contributing to RFPs and RFQs, contract negotiations, and ensuring vendors provide quality food items. The position requires understanding Head Start Programs’ food purchasing needs, building relationships with nutrition colleagues, facilitating the procurement process, and providing excellent customer service.

What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

US Foods Ordering Platform (50%)

Lead Head Start US Foods ordering processes in SpendBridge. Oversee US Foods purchase requests, orders, and invoices. Develop US Foods- SpendBridge training materials; schedule and lead reoccurring training sessions for Head Start staff. Ensure completion of goods receipt documentation, resolve invoice discrepancies, modify PO’s and monitor timely payment of US Foods invoices. Complete all documentation for new Head Start sites placing US Foods orders and coordinate set up in SpendBridge with US Foods and SpendBridge staff Schedule and lead biweekly meetings with US Foods management for account set ups, stock issues, food quality, discounts and invoicing. Resolve technical issues with SpendBridge and US Foods. Monitor US Foods catalog for discounts and US Foods submission of required rebates. Maintain US Foods rebate, discount and spend reports.

Vendor Support and Accountability (40%)

Lead reoccurring meetings with food vendors for ordering and payment issues. Meet with Health and Nutrition Managers to ensure food quality from all vendors. Identify alternate food suppliers by geographic regions as needed and negotiate contracts. Resolve food ordering and stock issues and report to Procurement Director. Analyze vendor spend to negotiate better prices and rebates. Provide procurement training and technical support. Liaise with Accounts Payable for accurate and timely payments.

Projects (10%)

Participate in procurement projects and initiatives. Expand vendor base in automated systems.

Required Qualifications

Minimum of a High School Diploma or equivalent, plus at least 3 years of relevant experience Experience with Vendor Management A customer service background, with experience delivering both timely, friendly one-on-one ad hoc support to stakeholders and facilitation of wider-audience trainings. Familiarity with procure-to-pay procurement systems and/or financial or business systems. Professional proficiency in MS Office suite Professional proficiency in spoken and written English

Preferred Qualifications

Background in system maintenance and management. Familiarity with and cxml invoicing.

Compensation

Save the Children is offering the following salary ranges for this position, dependent on candidate location:

Geo 3 - Locations significantly below the US National Labor Cost Average: Target Salary for this position is $54,400 – $60,800 base salary

The salary ranges listed above are for US based candidates. For candidates located outside of the US, salary ranges will be based on the salary scales of the local employer of record.

Actual base salary may vary based upon, but not limited to, relevant experience, base salary of internal peers, business sector, and geographic location (more information on job structure is available here). Employee may be eligible for an incentive program. Save the Children US also offers outstanding benefits that include health, dental, vision and life insurances, short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program, a retirement savings plan with employer contribution, paid vacation leave, safety & wellness leave, family leave, parental/adoption leave, caregiver leave, and much more.

About Save the Children

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.

Our work for children and their families requires that we commit—at every opportunity—to work together to identify and dismantle persistent systemic and structural racism, inequality, and any other forms of discrimination in this country and beyond.  As an anti-racist organization, Save the Children will not tolerate discrimination in any form—in our employment practices, amongst our staff, in our leadership or toward the people we serve. We stand in solidarity with all people to fight for equal rights, justice, inclusion, and belonging.

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.