Vice President Supply Chain

About Newman’s Own

Newman’s Own® is a brand known for delicious food products crafted with quality ingredients, dedicated to supporting children in need. The company’s diverse portfolio includes salad dressings, frozen pizzas, cookies, pasta sauces, salsas, refrigerated lemonades, popcorn, olive oil, and dog treats. Profits and royalties from product sales are entirely donated by Newman’s Own Foundation to aid children.

Role Summary

The Vice President of Supply Chain is the senior leader overseeing manufacturing and supply chain operations, ensuring dependable, efficient, and safe production and delivery of premium products. This role manages the supply chain across nine categories encompassing ambient, frozen, and refrigerated goods, in a complex network of co-manufacturers, suppliers, and distribution partners. The VP will focus on elevating manufacturing capabilities, enhancing service levels while controlling costs, safeguarding supply continuity, and fostering supplier responsibility.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead strategic direction, operational excellence, and performance management of the co-manufacturing network, ensuring partners possess adequate capacity, capabilities, quality control, and cost efficiency for present and future demands.
• Oversee supply chain functions across multiple product categories, addressing unique challenges such as logistics, shelf-life, forecasting, quality, and regulations, while maintaining overall service, cost, and inventory effectiveness.
• Identify, qualify, govern, and manage co-manufacturers and critical suppliers using performance scorecards, operating reviews, and escalation processes to drive accountability for service quality, costs, responsiveness, and supply continuity.
• Direct procurement strategies for finished goods, ingredients, packaging, and essential materials; lead cost planning, supplier negotiations, productivity improvements, margin enhancements, and mitigate supplier risk in collaboration with Finance.
• Manage supply planning and inventory to meet customer demand efficiently, controlling stock levels, aged inventory, service standards, and capital usage.
• Supervise transportation and distribution logistics, including oversight of third-party logistics centers, freight operations, network optimization, cost control, contract adherence, and service delivery.
• Ensure precise and timely order processing, invoicing, customer communication, broker coordination, and issue resolution, enhancing service accuracy and cross-department collaboration.
• Enforce rigorous food safety, quality, and regulatory standards throughout manufacturing, supply, distribution, and internal processes, working closely with dedicated leadership to maintain compliance and readiness.
• Identify and mitigate operational risks related to capacity, supplier dependencies, raw materials, packaging, quality, logistics, inventory, and business continuity; develop contingency plans and escalation procedures to protect customer service and brand integrity.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the Supply Chain team while establishing key performance indicators, regular reporting, and management reviews covering service, cost, quality, inventory, productivity, supplier and logistics performance, and regulatory risks.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree is mandatory; advanced degrees are preferred.
• A minimum of 15 years in progressive supply chain, co-manufacturing, manufacturing, procurement, or operations leadership roles in the food and beverage CPG sector.
• Extensive hands-on experience with food manufacturing, including plant operations, contract manufacturing, production scheduling, continuous improvement methods, quality management, cost control, and supplier accountability.
• Proven expertise managing outsourced manufacturing networks, co-manufacturing partners, suppliers, and third-party logistics providers.
• Strong procurement experience involving RFP management, supplier qualification, contract negotiation, productivity programs, and supplier performance measurement.
• Demonstrated capability leading supply chain and manufacturing over diverse, multi-category food and beverage portfolios with frozen, refrigerated, and ambient products requiring varied technologies and distribution models.
• Comprehensive knowledge of food safety regulations, GMP, FDA/USDA standards, FSMA, HACCP/PCQI, recalls, traceability, and supplier verification.
• In-depth understanding of supply planning, sales and operations planning (S&OP), inventory and service level management, transportation, distribution, customer fulfillment, and logistics cost frameworks.
• Experience managing budgets, supplier costs, productivity initiatives, inventory levels, and overall supply chain financials.
• Excellent cross-functional leadership and communication skills, with the ability to influence various departments including Commercial, Finance, Marketing, R&D, Technical Services, Legal, and external partners.
• Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving ability, negotiation expertise, and executive presence.
• Pragmatic, detail-focused leadership style capable of swiftly translating strategy into operational results.
• High personal accountability for achieving business goals.
• Values-oriented leadership focused on building strong teams, developing talent, and aligning with the mission and culture of Newman’s Own.

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive base salary complemented with an annual performance incentive; no long-term incentives.
• Comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, life insurance, long-term disability, vision coverage, wellness reimbursement, 401(k) matching, and tuition reimbursement.
• Engaging work that directly contributes to supporting children in need through the company’s foundation.
• A collaborative, entrepreneurial, and mission-focused workplace environment.

Additional Information

This role requires frequent travel to manufacturing sites, suppliers, distribution centers, customers, and business partners, including overnight trips. The position is based in Westport, CT, with an expectation to work onsite four days a week when not traveling.

Newman’s Own is committed to fostering an inclusive environment and welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds dedicated to making a positive impact on children’s lives.