Director of Supply Chain (Rail car logistics exp. reqd) Position Available In St. Louis City, Missouri

About Ostara
Ostara is passionate about changing the way the Ag and T&O industry thinks about crop nutrition. Our mission is, “Feeding the World While Protecting It.” We believe that passionate people can make a real difference and we are building a culture around serving customers while protecting the environment through innovation, efficiency, nimbleness, honesty, compliance, and a sense of urgency to make a positive difference and create real value. Ostara’s Crystal Green® fertilizers are the first granular phosphate fertilizers to release nutrients in response to plant demand. Using Crop Driven Release™, Crystal Green is proven to increase yields, enhance soil health and significantly reduce phosphate tie-up and runoff, thereby improving food security while protecting local waterways from nutrient pollution. Position summary
The Director of Supply Chain and Procurement is responsible for leading and executing all aspects of Ostara’s supply chain and procurement policies, objectives, and initiatives. This includes but is not limited to developing, directing, and executing all activities involved in the identification, acquisition, production flow, and distribution of Ostara’s goods. This position will analyze logistics data to refine supply chain, negotiate business relationships, and communicate with suppliers and distributors with continuous emphasis on improving and streamlining processes and improving efficiency for the organization. This is a hands-on, roll-up-your sleeves position actively engaging in day-to-day operations, along with providing strategic leadership. The individual will work with Ostara’s Executive Leadership Team to develop strategies, gather required information, perform analyses, make decisions, and ensure we are exceeding customer expectations and reducing costs. Essential functions
General Overview
Lead, direct, and plan all aspects of the company’s supply chain initiatives, policies, and objectives
Responsible for developing and maintaining supply chain and procurement budget
Lead and accountable for establishing and improving internal and external logistics, supply chain planning, control processes, domestic and global sourcing of material and services, and transportation including working with accounting functions to enhance ERP efficiencies
Initiate, collaborate, and lead strategies with other departments and stakeholders to identify and maintain resources needed to establish and provide an effective supply chain and procurement process
Maintain current knowledge of logistics and technology developments and trends; recommend and implement improvements based on this knowledge to provide more efficient services to clients
Actively participate as an advisory member of the product development team, providing information and guidance on availability and cost of supplies and materials
Act as part of the team coordinating product line extension, or new product launches to ensure timely and orderly material and production flow transitions
Build strong working relationships across organizations and geographies both internally and externally
Logistics Operations
Responsible for short-and long-term logistics planning and execution to safely and cost-effectively deliver products
Manage logistics performance to ensure on-time delivery and customer satisfaction
Ensure all necessary certifications are complied with and maintained
Ensure compliance with all country, regional, and local laws and regulations for the transport and shipment of products
Ensure reliable supply chains for rail, truck and warehouses are in place and adhered to at all times
Ensure the impact of demurrage is minimized and recovery from 3rd parties is achieved wherever possible
Customer Services
o Responsible for ensuring, through designed processes and strong leadership, that deliveries are on time and risks are mitigated
o Ensure, through designed processes and leadership, that all invoicing is accurate, 100% of the time to customers
o To ensure, through individual/team development and leadership, that a customer focused and responsive supply chain and customer service team is in place
Manufacturing Coordination
o Responsible for the daily working relationship with the sales and operations teams
o Coordinate inventory movements in conjunction with operations team’s needs
o Schedule, set agendas, and coordinate key operations/commercial meetings
o Leverage expertise within company to problem solve or identify improvements
o Coordinate with Nutrient Recovery Systems operations for municipal site offtake
Logistics Procurement
o Manage and direct the procurement of logistics services for Ostara
o Ensure competitive bids and manage contracts for truck, rail, rail car leases, and warehouse
Evaluates and makes recommendations on the need for material-handling equipment and staffing; makes recommendations to ensure efficient loading, unloading, movement, and storage of materials
Logistics & Inventory Optimization
o Ensures maximum logistics asset utilization, by ensuring assets are available in the right location and at the right time
o Determine the optimal customer sourcing from production and inventory locations to minimize logistics costs and to meet or exceed on-time delivery performance expectations
o Optimize the distribution network by adding new warehouse locations or closing existing warehouse locations
o Determine optimal rail fleet size and rail car lease expirations to minimize overall rail fleet costs
Analyzes current inventories, warehousing, distribution, and procedures; drive improvements to increase efficiency of supply chain and profitability for the company
budgets
Gathers needed information on and understanding of customer demands; meets specific needs for inventory management, distribution, and fulfillment
Business integration
o Responsible for integrating the logistics activities into Ostara and network with stakeholders
o Benchmark logistics costs and identify opportunities to consolidate spend
o Lead the team and give insights to the business through a deep understanding of the costs and market trends, which ensure accurate costs are in the business margin models
Collaborate with the IT team and external vendors to ensure smooth technology rollouts and address operational challenges
Procurement
Develops, leads, and executes strategies for continuous improvement in cost reduction, material planning and control, and integration of supply chain elements including large scale capital projects
Directs the S and OP process
Monitors the performance of suppliers, assessing their ability to meet quality and delivery requirements; identifies and qualifies new suppliers in collaboration with other departments
Establishes performance metrics for measurement, comparison, evaluation, and improvement of factors affecting procurement activities
Other duties as assigned Supervisory responsibilities
Proactively evaluates and adjusts the day-to-day processes within the department with a goal of improved efficiencies
Conducts performance feedback and evaluations that are timely and constructive with a focus on growth and development of the team
Handles discipline and termination of employees as needed and in accordance with company policy Required skills/abilities
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills with a proven ability to create and maintain positive working relationships with vendors, suppliers, shippers, and customers
Strong strategic development and leadership skills
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
Gain and maintain thorough understanding of company products and logistics
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to establish processes, procedures, and execute flow of goods for the organization
Self-confident and self-motivated person able to prioritize and focus on the completion of key targets, and comfortable in a fast paced, growth oriented, results driven organization
Ability to work efficiently in cross-functional teams and lead the supply chain while building rapport
Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software
Strategic oversight of the entire logistics network, including all modes of transport needed
Ability to travel to US and Canadian locations, and manufacturing sites as needed or requested Education/experience
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Logistics, Supply Chain, Procurement, or related field
At least 10+ years as a director, or similar senior level/relevant position required
Proven experience in innovating full cycle Supply Chain/Procurement by vetting, establishing, and deploying supply chain operations on a global operations company including allocation of resources, building internal processes, and streamlining supply chain with internal controls
Experience in a fertilizer manufacturing company or a similar industry required, such as bulk commodities
Extensive experience is required in overseeing the movement, utilization, and maintenance of railcars. Experience in trucking is highly desired. Experience in barge and cargo ship preferred Physical requirements and work environment
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk on the phone, speak with the public, hear on the phone, hear in person, and use hands and fingers. This job requires the employee to sit for prolonged periods with minimal exposure to hot and cold temperature extremes that could be encountered at Ostara’s job sites. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. This job requires close vision and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the office environment is usually low. Location and travel
This position is located in St. Louis, MO. Up to 30% travel is expected as needed. EEO statement
Ostara is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion or belief, age, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, parental status, gender identity or national origin. Apply for this Position