Manager, Strategic Sourcing and Planning -Proteins

The Manager, Strategic Sourcing & Planning leads the development and execution of sourcing strategies for high value, high risk protein categories across North America and Europe. This role serves as a trusted advisor to business partners, recommending sourcing approaches that balance cost, quality, supply continuity, and service ultimately enhancing the guest experience across all brands.

Reporting to the Senior Director, Strategic Sourcing and Supply Chain – Food & Beverage, this leader manages a team of 2–5 category managers, providing direction, coaching, and oversight to ensure consistent application of best-in-class procurement practices.

The role is responsible for driving enterprise value by ensuring uninterrupted supply, managing category performance, and leading complex, high impact strategic sourcing initiatives. Success requires strong cross functional collaboration with stakeholders across all North America brands and disciplined engagement with global operating units to capture synergies, cultivate competitive supplier landscapes, and meet value creation and innovation targets.

Essential Functions:

• Development of an effective long-term strategic sourcing plan for highly complex categories and projects that create long term value while meeting brand objectives, including value creation, supply continuity, risk mitigation, and innovation. Effective collaboration on strategic sourcing categories and projects within the organization and stakeholders; Developing relationships to become a trusted sourcing partner.   Ensuring cross-functional engagement and support of category projects and initiatives. Remains connected to key stakeholders and solicits input from them at appropriate times to stay aligned with the needs of the business, as well as run meetings providing key supplier and product updates and/or address specific needs of key stakeholders.

• Apply spend category management best practices, tools and techniques in the development and implementation of an integrated strategic sourcing strategy to assesses the overall opportunity within the categories for projects. Serving as a subject matter expert on strategic sourcing categories with the stakeholders and fostering effective relationships.

• Maintain focus on project timelines and deliverables to ensure business goals and objectives are met. Strong partnership with Finance team to accurately forecast impacts of category strategy, including scenario modelling. Manages annual initiative plan by creating realistic timelines and meeting contracting deadlines, communicates initiative status

• Provide oversight, performance manage, coach, and develop highly skilled team of 2-5 category leaders able to drive strategic approaches and cultivate their own strong business relationships with both internal stakeholders and external partners.

• Researching best practices and conducting baseline due diligence to best understand opportunities for savings, reducing TCO, improve efficiencies, quality improvement and service of the sourcing teams. Lead supplier qualification, segmentation and certification programs. Well informed about commodity markets and uses information to report trends, pricing fluctuations, provides forecast detail and product cost shifts to brands

• Effective supplier relationship management; leveraging data, metrics, and internal feedback. Providing and reviewing score cards to improve supplier results. Developing early supplier involvement to ensure suppliers are utilized to their full capabilities and proactively providing input to provide low cost, efficient, and quality goods and services. Effectively influencing change and buy-in across the stakeholder group and leadership. Oversees portfolio of contracts, builds and maintains supplier relationships, holds suppliers accountable to deliver contractual requirements

• Implement gold-standard contracts across strategic supplier base. Negotiate strategic supplier contracts, develop innovative pricing models and agreements to deliver value to brands.   Leads supplier negotiations, manages RFP/RFQs, utilizes 7-step sourcing process where applicable, and development and execution of category strategy

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Scope:  Leads the strategy, planning, and execution of high‑value, high‑risk protein sourcing categories across North America and Europe, with direct impact on multiple brands and global operating units.  Owns complex, enterprise‑wide category strategies encompassing value creation, supply continuity, innovation, risk mitigation, and service performance.  Accountable for a portfolio of strategic supplier contracts, negotiation outcomes, and supplier performance across a diverse, global supplier base. Manages and develops a team of 2–5 category managers, ensuring consistent application of best‑in‑class sourcing and procurement practices. Serves as a trusted advisory partner to senior stakeholders across Supply Chain, Finance, Food & Beverage, and brand leadership.

• Problem solving:  Addresses high‑complexity sourcing challenges involving volatile commodity markets, supply risk, and competing brand objectives through data‑driven analysis and scenario modeling. Anticipates and mitigates supply and cost risks by leveraging market intelligence, forecasting price fluctuations, and developing contingency strategies.  Solves ambiguous, enterprise‑level problems by applying structured sourcing methodologies (e.g., 7‑step sourcing process) while adapting approaches to business realities.  Balances short‑term business pressures with long‑term strategic outcomes, making informed trade‑offs to protect supply continuity and value creation. Drives continuous improvement by identifying inefficiencies, introducing best practices, and challenging traditional sourcing approaches to achieve better outcomes.

• Impact:  Drives enterprise value creation through strategic sourcing initiatives that improve total cost of ownership, secure uninterrupted supply, and support brand‑specific objectives. Directly influences guest experience and brand performance by balancing cost, quality, service levels, and innovation within protein categories critical to operations. Delivers measurable financial outcomes via strategic negotiations, innovative pricing models, and disciplined forecasting in partnership with Finance.  Enhances organizational capability by building a competitive, resilient supplier landscape, leveraging supplier segmentation, certification, and performance scorecards.  Enables cross‑brand and global synergies, aligning regional and global sourcing efforts to maximize scale, reduce risk, and standardize contract frameworks.

• Leadership:  Provides people leadership and coaching to a high‑performing team of category leaders, building depth in strategic thinking, business acumen, and stakeholder influence. Establishes clear expectations, performance standards, and development plans, ensuring accountability for results and professional growth.  Leads through cross‑functional influence rather than authority, aligning diverse stakeholder interests and securing buy‑in for complex sourcing initiatives. Models disciplined execution, effective communication, and proactive stakeholder engagement, reinforcing trust and credibility across the business.  Acts as a change leader, guiding teams and partners through evolving market conditions, supplier dynamics, and operational priorities.

Qualifications:

• BS/BA in relevant field or equivalent years’ experience with education in supply chain, business, economics, or related field highly desired / MBA is a plus

• CPSM or CPM, Six Sigma, Lean or equivalent Master of specific categories and/or ability to develop knowledge of new categories

• Master negotiation skills and solid business judgement

• Master leadership and organization management skills

• Courage and conviction to hold suppliers and distributors accountable during challenging times, events, or periods of change

• Master technical sourcing process knowledge

• Ability to conduct analysis required during a sourcing initiative

• Ability to build strong relationships with suppliers

• Ability to perform analysis and interpret results into actional steps

• Ability to manage multiple initiatives and priorities at once

• Strong attention to detail and process orientation

• Excellent written/verbal communication and presentation skills

• Strong people management skills: clear expectations/feedback, consistent coaching, and development. Ability to effectively lead in a cross-functional team environment and manage multiple priorities. Identify and resolve problems efficiently and effectively

• Well-developed influencing skills and stakeholder management. Experience with supplier relationship management.

• 7-10 years of experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, contracting, supply chain, and/or category management

• Strong Microsoft Office skills (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook)

• Experience with sourcing tools (Ariba, Coupa, CrunchTime, MXP)

• Category level commodity sourcing experience

Travel:  Less than 25% with shipboard travel likely

Work Conditions:  Work primarily in a climate-controlled environment with minimal safety/health hazard potential.

Physical Demands: Must be able to remain in a stationary position at a desk and/or computer for extended periods of time.

This position is classified as “in-office.”  As an in-office role, it requires employees to work from a designated Carnival office in South Florida Tuesday through Thursday each week. Employees may work from their homes on Mondays and Fridays.  Candidates must be located in (or willing to relocate to) the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area. 

Offers to selected candidates will be made on a fair and equitable basis, taking into account specific job-related skills and experience.   

At Carnival, your total rewards package is much more than your base salary. All non-sales roles participate in an annual cash bonus program, while sales roles have an incentive plan. Director and above roles may also be eligible to participate in Carnival’s discretionary equity incentive plan. Plus, Carnival provides comprehensive and innovative benefits to meet your needs, including: 

• Health Benefits: 
  • Cost-effective medical, dental and vision plans 
  • Employee Assistance Program and other mental health resources 
  • Additional programs include company paid term life insurance and disability coverage  
• Financial Benefits: 
  • 401(k) plan that includes a company match 
  • Employee Stock Purchase plan 
• Paid Time Off 
  • Holidays – All full-time and part-time with benefits employees receive days off for 8 company-wide holidays, plus 2 additional floating holidays to be taken at the employee’s discretion.  
  • Vacation Time – All full-time employees at the manager and below level start with 14 days/year; director and above level start with 19 days/year.  Part-time with benefits employees receive time off based on the number of hours they work, with a minimum of 84 hours/year.  All employees gain additional vacation time with further tenure. 
  • Sick Time – All full-time employees receive 80 hours of sick time each year.  Part-time with benefits employees receive time off based on the number of hours they work, with a minimum of 60 hours each year.   
• Other Benefits 
  • Complementary stand-by cruises, employee discounts on confirmed cruises, plus special rates for family and friends 
  • Personal and professional learning and development resources including tuition reimbursement  
  • On-site Fitness center at our Miami campus 

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