Trident Seafoods is the largest vertically integrated seafood harvesting and processing company in North America. Trident is a privately held, 100 percent USA-owned company with primary seafood processing operations and fleet support in twelve Alaska communities. Trident’s global operations produce finished wild Alaska seafood products in 6 countries and its sales teams serve customers in over 50 countries. Trident employs approximately 9,000 people worldwide each year and partners with over 5,400 independent fishermen and crewmembers. Species harvested and processed by Trident include virtually every commercial species of salmon, whitefish, and crab harvested in the North Pacific and Alaska. The global supply chain also includes cultured and wild species from a network of trusted sources worldwide. 

Procurement at Trident is far more than purchasing—it’s a strategic function that drives cost efficiency, quality, risk management, and business success. Whether sourcing materials for our engineering teams in Alaska or securing critical parts for our fleet, Procurement plays a vital role in operational performance and risk management. 

Today, the Procurement Department is at a pivotal moment in Trident’s journey. We are transforming from a transactional function into a strategic, innovative partner contributing more value to the business. This evolution requires individuals who are curious, proactive, driving value and best practice in process, and comfortable navigating ambiguity—leaders ready to shape the future of Procurement at Trident and grow their own career path. 

Summary: The Direct Procurement Manager for Ingredients is responsible for all strategic planning and sourcing activities in the ingredients space. You will use your experience and knowledge to build comprehensive strategies and implement that strategy through the sourcing process. You will drive a sustainable strategy that actively seeks to reduce and control costs while growing efficiencies that is cost effective, innovative and meets the quality standard that Trident has set. You will also collaborate closely with and partner with our suppliers and the various Business Units, including Operations, R&D, Legal, Finance, Quality, and Procurement teams to provide innovative solutions to meet our business objectives.  

Essential functions (responsibilities, tasks, supervisory needs) 

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions. 

Lead mid to executive-level client and supplier relationships on an ongoing basis to ensure the satisfaction of our support teams. Lead sourcing and category management in our ingredients space, including identifying and assessing potential new supplier partners for business viability, including financial and quality. Collaborate cross-functionally with R&D, Regulatory, Marketing, and Trident’s other Business Units to align procurement decisions with product development timelines, regulatory constraints, and brand objectives.  Establish and deliver performance goals for a portfolio of categories in the ingredients space to represent significant amount of spend. Lead discussions with critical suppliers around long-term objectives and strategies, ongoing market trends, innovation and technology advances, and potential investment decisions. Lead strategic sourcing projects for supplier selection/optimization within the ingredients space in alignment with Procurement’s vision and strategies. Manage supplier relationships and conduct supplier business reviews, including being the primary point of contact for performance and risk issues. Understands the commodity movements, conducting risk assessments on commodities and suppliers with the development of mitigation plans.  Provides oversights to the organization in the cost changes and the budget experience as it relates to the commodity market.  Support major supplier issues and work with team members to identify and drive solutions, including contingency planning and dual sourcing with business-critical ingredients.  Identify business needs at the sourcing and category project level in the following areas: Assurance of Supply, Quality, Service, Cost, and Innovation (AQSCI). Develop a multi-year category vision and strategy based on the data, insights, and business requirements. Build and maintain strong business relationships to increase influence over total category spend. Identify and evaluate potential value-generating projects based on complexity, resources, risk, implementation time, and estimated financial impact. Facilitate supplier collaboration with the assigned set of strategic suppliers to use their capabilities to achieve continuous improvement and bring innovation to the business. Manage a prioritized portfolio of projects for the category in the near and long term. Lead the supplier selection and RFP award process and subsequent negotiations in partnership with department leadership. Perform highly sophisticated contracts following Trident’s Procurement policies and processes. Actively understand category dynamics (current market, pricing, cost drivers, industry, and supplier variables) through trade groups, publications, etc., and communicate changes to applicable business partners. Ensure the strategic sourcing process is robustly applied to all sourcing projects. 

This is a an exempt position with an annualized salary range of $120,000 to $140,000. 

Trident Seafoods offers a comprehensive and quality benefits package. Full time employees may be eligible for discretionary/performance-based incentives, medical, dental and vision insurance plans, optional HRA/HSA, telemedicine, employee assistance and wellness programs, long-term disability, basic life and AD&D, and 401(k) with a company match, paid time off, 10 paid holidays each year, and paid parental leave.  For full-time employees, the initial paid time off benefit starts at 20 days per year, adjusted commensurate with relevant experience.  Commuter and transit programs are also available.