Engineering Success

SOURCING DIRECTOR

A fast-growing international food company with decades of heritage in processed meat and plant-based food products, now establishing its APAC headquarters in Thailand. The company is in plant-based food manufacturing facility in the region and is building a founding leadership team to drive regional sourcing, quality, and operational strategy.

Bangkok, Thailand (with frequent travel across APAC) | Reports to CEO / Owner

ROLE PURPOSE
The Sourcing Director will independently identify, evaluate, and qualify new suppliers of raw food ingredients and packaging materials across APAC, delivering meaningful cost savings against the company's current European and US supply base. This is a sourcing role not procurement, focused on supplier discovery through to first purchase, after which ongoing relationships are handed off to procurement teams. The role is a founding hire building the function from scratch as a one-person department, with potential to grow the team as the business scales.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Supplier Identification & Development

• Scout and identify alternative suppliers for raw food ingredients (soy protein isolates, flavors, oils, starches) and packaging materials across China, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and broader APAC
• Attend industry trade shows and exhibitions to discover new supplier opportunities
• Conduct factory visits and initial supplier assessments before escalating to QA for formal audit
• Build and maintain a pipeline of qualified, cost-competitive suppliers

Qualification & Negotiation

• Coordinate with QA to understand specifications, food safety requirements, and quality standards before initiating supplier engagement
• Manage the sample procurement and lab testing process for new ingredients
• Negotiate pricing, MOQs, and initial commercial terms with prospective suppliers
• Execute the full sourcing cycle through to first purchase, then hand off to procurement

Cost Savings & Reporting

• Benchmark APAC-sourced alternatives against current European/US pricing to quantify savings opportunities
• Report directly to CEO on sourcing pipeline, savings delivered, and supplier quality status
• Provide transparent, detailed documentation on all supplier interactions, pricing, and commercial terms
• Deliver quantifiable cost savings targets on priority ingredient categories within the first 12 months

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with QA teams across the group to ensure all sourced European, and company-specific food safety standards
• Coordinate with plant operations on material requirements, lead times, and logistics
• Provide APAC market intelligence and supplier alternatives to support the group's existing procurement needs
• Support the broader business with supplier landscape mapping across core ingredient and packaging categories

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Education: Bachelor's degree in food science, supply chain, business, or related field
• Experience: 8–10+ years in food ingredient sourcing, procurement, or supply chain within food manufacturing; demonstrated experience sourcing raw materials from China including factory assessment and negotiation
• Technical: Strong understanding of food ingredient specifications (proteins, flavors, functional ingredients, packaging materials); ability to read and interpret food specification documents; familiarity with food safety certification frameworks (BRC, IFS, FSSC 22000 or equivalent)
• Leadership: Individual contributor initially with scope to build and lead a sourcing team; strong cross-functional collaboration with QA, operations, and procurement stakeholders; impeccable integrity managing supplier relationships where commercial ethics are paramount
• Certifications: Food safety or supply chain certifications preferred but not required
• Industry: Food manufacturing (processed meat, plant-based food, alternative protein, RTE/RTC categories preferred); experience in OEM/contract manufacturing environments a plus
• Language: Fluent English (written and spoken); Mandarin Chinese proficiency (conversational to business level) strongly preferred

JacksonGrant is a specialist recruitment firm connecting top talent with leading multinational companies. We are Recruitment Engineers!!!
We’re hiring a Recruitment Consultant who’s more than just a recruiter — we want a Game Changer who sees new possibilities, challenges the status quo, and reimagines how recruitment can deliver strategic value.
We also value the Polisher mindset — someone who builds scalable systems, perfects processes, and raises the bar with every placement.
No experience is necessary and we urge candidates from a Business Development background to apply!

What You’ll Do:

• Disrupt the traditional search model by delivering smarter, sharper hiring solutions
• Headhunt high-impact talent and manage the full recruitment lifecycle
• Build long-term, trusted client partnerships — not transactional deals
• Identify untapped markets, trends, and opportunities before others do
• Collaborate with the team to refine tools, processes, and candidate experiences

You Might Be a Fit If You:

• Think big, move fast, and challenge convention
• Have a sharp eye for detail and take pride in raising the quality bar
• Want to build your own desk with real ownership and entrepreneurial freedom
• Thrive in fast-paced, outcome-driven environments
• Have recruitment or sales experience and a commercial, client-first mindset

Why JacksonGrant:

• Competitive base + uncapped commission — reward for real impact
• Autonomy, influence, and a seat at the table from day one
• A high-trust culture that backs bold ideas and continuous improvement
• Access to top-tier tools, senior mentorship, and full transparency on growth

Join JacksonGrant as a Recruitment Consultant with Business Development Focus and play a key role in shaping the recruitment success of our clients. Apply today and be part of an exciting and rewarding career journey!