Supply Chain Director

IRCA is a prominent international provider of semi-finished ingredients for the bakery, pastry, and gelato markets. They cater to independent producers as well as large food manufacturers, including consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies. The company's core product offerings consist of chocolate, chocolate decorations, creams, pastry mixes, gelato ingredients, and various other bakery and pastry ingredients.

Headquartered in Italy, IRCA was acquired by Advent International, a global private equity firm, in July 2022. The company has demonstrated a strong history of growth over the past decade. As part of its growth strategy, IRCA made two bolt-on acquisitions in 2022. They acquired Cesarin, a provider of candied fruits, and Anastasi, a supplier of pistachio ingredients. These acquisitions expanded IRCA's product portfolio and market reach.

More recently, IRCA acquired the leading manufacturer of sweet and cereal products in Europe and the US. The target company focuses on high-value specialty ingredients for the Food Manufacturers segment. Their product range includes sweet particulates, chocolate confections, baked inclusions, variegates, and fruit purées. This deal, successfully completed in March of 2023, is a transformative move for IRCA, establishing them as a global leader in the semi-finished ingredients industry.

With this acquisition, IRCA has a combined revenue of €1 billion in 2023 and a presence in 22 manufacturing facilities across Europe, the US, and Vietnam. This expanded manufacturing footprint and diversified product portfolio positions IRCA as a key player in the market, serving a wide range of customers in the bakery, pastry, and gelato sectors, as well as food manufacturers.

IRCA Group is seeking an experienced Supply Chain Director to lead the North American Supply Chain organization. This role is responsible for defining and executing the regional supply chain strategy while ensuring operational excellence across planning, inventory management, customer service, logistics, and third-party manufacturing.

The Supply Chain Director will partner closely with Commercial, Manufacturing, Finance, Procurement, Quality, and Corporate Supply Chain teams to optimize service levels, inventory performance, and cost efficiency while supporting the company's continued growth. This leader will drive the S&OP process, develop organizational capabilities, and foster a culture of continuous improvement across the North American network.

Essential Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the North American Supply Chain strategy, ensuring alignment with business objectives and global supply chain initiatives.
• Lead the regional Supply Chain organization, providing leadership, coaching, and development to managers and team members while fostering a high-performance culture.
• Own the end-to-end Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process, ensuring alignment between demand, supply, production capacity, inventory, and financial objectives.
• Establish inventory strategies that optimize working capital while maintaining customer service targets, including safety stock policies, replenishment models, production planning parameters, and inventory optimization.
• Lead capacity planning across internal manufacturing sites and third-party manufacturers (TPMs), balancing customer demand, operational constraints, and cost.
• Partner with Commercial, Operations, Procurement, Finance, and Corporate teams to proactively identify risks, resolve supply constraints, and support business growth initiatives.
• Direct logistics, warehousing, import/export, and distribution strategies to ensure efficient and compliant product movement throughout North America.
• Develop and monitor Supply Chain KPIs, including OTIF, forecast accuracy, inventory turns, service level, capacity utilization, and cost-to-serve, driving accountability and continuous improvement.
• Lead supply chain transformation initiatives, including process improvements, system enhancements, network optimization, and digitalization projects.
• Support new product launches, acquisitions, and integration projects by ensuring supply chain readiness and execution.
• Build strong relationships with suppliers, logistics providers, and third-party manufacturers to improve service, cost, and operational performance.
• Collaborate with Global Supply Chain leadership to standardize best practices and leverage global capabilities across the organization.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, regulatory requirements, and quality standards across all supply chain activities.

Requirements

• 12+ years of progressive Supply Chain leadership experience within a manufacturing environment, preferably food, ingredients, or consumer packaged goods.
• Proven experience leading end-to-end Supply Chain functions, including Planning, Customer Service, Logistics, Inventory Management, and S&OP.
• Demonstrated success developing and implementing Supply Chain strategies that improve service, reduce costs, and optimize inventory.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing operations, material planning, demand planning, procurement, warehousing, transportation, and distribution.
• Experience managing third-party manufacturers (TPMs) and external logistics providers.
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing budgets, working capital, and supply chain cost optimization.
• Proven experience leading organizational change, continuous improvement, and cross-functional transformation initiatives.
• Experience with ERP systems and advanced planning tools.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate data into business decisions.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Office proficiency.
• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or a related field; MBA or APICS/ASCM certification is preferred.
• Willingness to travel up to 20-25% across North America.