Vice President, Procurement

Role Overview

Swisher has a long-standing history of more than 162 years and is recognized for its well-known products and dedication to high standards. The company supports adult consumers across several business lines, including Swisher Sweets Cigar Company, Helme Tobacco Co., Hempire, Rogue Holdings, and Drew Estate: The Rebirth of Cigars. This role is built for a senior leader who can shape the future of procurement, strengthen business performance, and help drive the next phase of growth.

The Vice President, Procurement will provide enterprise-level leadership for the company’s procurement function. The position is accountable for setting procurement direction, improving supplier performance, supporting business resilience, and delivering long-term value across manufacturing and broader business operations.

What You Will Do

• Guide, develop, and keep a strong procurement team in place through leadership coaching, succession planning, and focused talent development.
• Set clear goals, expectations, and accountability measures for the procurement organization.
• Promote a workplace culture centered on teamwork, innovation, ongoing improvement, and operational excellence.
• Strengthen team capability by introducing leading procurement methods, systems, and best practices.
• Support employee engagement and leadership growth within the procurement group.
• Oversee sourcing work end to end, including supplier evaluation, negotiations, contract management, and supplier lifecycle management.
• Create strategic supplier relationships that improve quality, innovation, pricing, and service levels.
• Lead supplier performance programs using scorecards, business reviews, and continuous-improvement plans.
• Broaden the supplier base while lowering supply risk and improving business continuity.
• Manage enterprise contract strategy to secure strong commercial terms and maintain regulatory compliance.
• Work closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Finance, Marketing, Engineering, Human Resources, Quality, Legal, and executive leadership to align procurement with business goals.
• Contribute market intelligence, supplier insights, and sourcing recommendations to enterprise decision-making.
• Partner with Finance on budgeting, forecasting, cost control, and working capital initiatives.
• Support new product development, capital projects, and operational initiatives through supplier collaboration.
• Lead procurement transformation efforts focused on standardization, digital tools, automation, and technology optimization.
• Put governance structures in place that improve efficiency, transparency, and compliance.
• Drive improvements that simplify processes, remove waste, and increase procurement effectiveness.
• Embed sustainability, responsible sourcing, supplier diversity, and ESG principles into procurement practices where relevant.
• Position procurement as a strategic function that contributes to growth and innovation.
• Ensure all procurement activities follow company policy, legal requirements, contractual commitments, and labor agreements.
• Create supplier risk strategies that identify and reduce operational, financial, geopolitical, and supply-related exposure.
• Manage governance, delegation of authority, and contract compliance processes.
• Promote ethical sourcing and adherence to procurement regulations and corporate standards.
• Support business continuity planning through risk reviews and contingency planning with suppliers.
• Build KPIs and dashboards to track savings, supplier performance, service levels, inventory outcomes, and value creation.
• Use analytics and market data to inform executive-level decisions.
• Provide leadership updates on procurement performance, supplier risks, financial impact, and strategic programs.
• Measure procurement performance against industry benchmarks and implement improvement opportunities.
• Handle additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications

This role requires deep procurement leadership experience, strong commercial judgment, and the ability to influence at an executive level. Candidates should bring a manufacturing or industrial background, along with a track record of leading large-scale sourcing and transformation efforts.

Required Experience and Skills

• A bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Finance, Engineering, Operations Management, or a related discipline is required.
• At least 15 years of progressive experience in procurement, sourcing, or supply chain leadership is needed.
• At least 8 years of experience leading multi-level procurement teams in a manufacturing or industrial setting is required.
• Proven ability to build enterprise procurement strategies and lead organizational change.
• Strong background in negotiating complex supplier agreements and managing strategic supplier partnerships.
• Experience managing large operating budgets, capital spending, and enterprise sourcing programs.
• Advanced knowledge of strategic sourcing, category management, supplier relationship management, and procurement operations.
• Solid understanding of manufacturing operations, supply chain processes, inventory management, and enterprise planning.
• Strong financial capability, including cost modeling, budgeting, forecasting, and value analysis.
• Excellent executive presence with strong communication, negotiation, and influencing abilities.
• Ability to lead change, build cross-functional relationships, and deliver enterprise-wide initiatives.
• Experience with procurement technology, ERP systems, eProcurement platforms, and analytics tools.
• Strong strategic thinking, analytical ability, and problem-solving skills.
• Willingness to travel 20% to 30%.

Preferred Qualifications

• A master’s degree, such as an MBA or a related graduate degree, is preferred.
• Professional certifications like CPSM, CPM, CSCP, or APICS are considered an advantage.

Compensation and Benefits

• Base pay is offered along with a bonus program.
• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance are available from the first day of employment.
• A generous 401(k) plan is included.
• A defined contribution plan is offered.
• Paid vacation and paid holidays are provided.
• Tuition reimbursement is available.

Important Hiring Information

Official communication will come only from an @Swisher.com email address. Job postings and contact details should be verified through the company careers website. The company does not use Teams, Zoom, or Google Meet for initial contact; if an interview is appropriate, the meeting method will be shared in advance. Any confidential information should be shared only through secure methods outside of email.