Sourcing Director

V-54310

Location
Bangkok
Salary
Competitive

Expertise and Skill Tags

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

More jobs
Customer Service & Logistics Officer (Export, Samutprakan)
Are you experienced in Air Export, freight forwarding, or logistics operations and looking for your next career opportunity?

We are seeking a proactive and detail-oriented Customer Service & Logistics professional to join an international organization in Samut Prakan Freezone. You will support export operations by coordinating shipments, managing customer requirements, preparing shipping documents, and working closely with freight forwarders and internal teams to ensure smooth and timely delivery.

Responsibilities:
  • Coordinate customer orders and export shipment requirements from booking through delivery completion
  • Handle airfreight export bookings, airline or co-loader coordination, and shipment scheduling
  • Prepare, review, and coordinate shipping documents and booking confirmations accurately
  • Monitor shipment movement, transportation schedules, and delivery status and provide timely updates to customers and stakeholders
  • Coordinate with customers, freight forwarders, warehouses, trucking teams, and internal departments to ensure smooth operations
  • Support order processing, ERP transactions, shipment records, and operational documentation in accordance with company procedures
  • Follow up on urgent shipments, delays, documentation discrepancies, customs concerns, and operational issues
  • Support inventory, warehouse, and shipment preparation activities to ensure on-time order fulfillment
  • Coordinate sales invoicing, billing information, and freight or logistics-related documentation when required
  • Prepare operational reports, maintain accurate records, and support process improvement and service quality initiatives
Qualifications:
  • Bachelor’s degree in Logistics, Supply Chain, Business Administration, or a related field
  • At least 2–5 years of experience in Air Export, freight forwarding, customer service, logistics operations, or order fulfillment
  • Good understanding of export shipment processes, shipping documentation, and logistics coordination
  • Experience coordinating with customers, freight forwarders, airlines or co-loaders, warehouses, and internal teams
  • Knowledge of INCOTERMS, export documentation, cross-trade operations, or customs processes is an advantage
  • Experience using ERP systems or logistics operational systems is preferred
  • Strong customer service, coordination, communication, and problem-solving skills
  • Able to manage multiple priorities, work under pressure, and maintain accuracy and attention to detail
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and operational reporting
  • Good command of both spoken and written English and Thai
Benefits:
  • Competitive salary based on experience and qualifications
  • Annual bonus
  • Provident Fund
  • Health and insurance coverage
  • Annual leave and public holidays
  • Additional allowances and employee benefits

Senior Continuous Improvement Engineer (Samutprakarn)
Our client is a leading international company in the aviation industry, seeking an experienced and driven Senior Continuous Improvement Engineer to join their team. This is an exciting opportunity for a Lean and Continuous Improvement professional who enjoys solving complex business problems, leading cross-functional projects, and turning improvement opportunities into measurable business results.
As a Senior Continuous Improvement Engineer, you will lead and facilitate improvement and strategic projects across the organization, applying Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen and digitalization methodologies to improve Cost, Quality, Delivery Performance, Cash, and Customer Satisfaction
You will work closely with stakeholders at all levels and collaborate with internal teams and external improvement partners to deliver high-impact initiatives from concept through to sustainable benefit realization.

Responsibilities:
  • Drive and facilitate the Idea Management and 5S programs, encouraging employees to identify, develop and implement improvement opportunities.
  • Facilitate Value Stream Mapping (VSM) and current-state versus future-state gap analysis.
  • Identify process constraints, bottlenecks and improvement opportunities at site level and translate them into actionable projects.
  • Lead change initiatives and drive sustainable 5S performance across production and administrative areas.
  • Support Green Belt, DMAIC and Kaizen projects, workshops and the overall Continuous Improvement roadmap.
  • Lead cross-functional improvement and strategic projects, coordinating stakeholders, milestones, risks and action plans through to successful completion and benefit realization.
  • Support the execution of strategic business priorities that span multiple departments.
  • Partner with operations to implement mistake-proofing, standardization and robust process controls.
  • Identify opportunities for automation, digitalization and Industry 4.0.
  • Design, develop, test and implement digital solutions using Microsoft 365, particularly Power Apps, Power Automate and Power BI.
  • Collaborate with business users on UX/UI, testing, troubleshooting and continuous improvement of digital tools.
  • Plan and execute digital development projects and participate in Smart Factory and digital transformation initiatives.
  • Use data analysis and structured problem-solving techniques to identify root causes and improve operational performance.
  • Promote a culture of continuous improvement, knowledge sharing and best-practice implementation across the organization.
  • Ensure improvement activities comply with relevant company, quality, environmental, health & safety and aviation requirements.
Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Industrial Engineering or a related field.
  • Minimum 5 years of experience in Continuous Improvement, Manufacturing Engineering, Lean Engineering or Industrial Engineering.
  • Strong practical experience with Continuous Improvement methodologies, including:
    • Lean, Kaizen, TQM, TPM, OEE, 5S,Six Sigma
  • Proven experience leading cross-functional projects and delivering measurable improvements in performance and productivity.
    • Strong analytical, problem-solving and project management skills.
    • Excellent presentation, facilitation and moderation skills.
    • Ability to understand business challenges and translate them into practical improvement solutions.
    • Strong leadership, communication and stakeholder-management skills.
    • Ability to manage multiple priorities, work under pressure and meet deadlines.
    • Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, Teams and Outlook.
    • Experience with statistical analysis tools/programs.
    • Practical experience applying Lean tools and methodologies.
    • Green Belt or Black Belt certification is an advantage.
    • Excellent command of English and Thai.
    💡 NICE TO HAVE
    • Experience developing solutions using Microsoft Power Apps, Power Automate and Power BI.
    • Experience with Smart Factory, Industry 4.0 or Digital Transformation initiatives.
    • Experience applying AI tools, including generative AI, AI-based automation or analytics, to support process improvement, digitalization or decision-making.
    • Experience working in an international or multicultural environment.
    • Previous experience in the aviation, aerospace or manufacturing industry.
    🌟 IDEAL CANDIDATE
    We are looking for a hands-on Continuous Improvement professional who can combine technical expertise, business understanding and strong stakeholder management.
    The ideal candidate is someone who can identify opportunities, engage people, lead change and ultimately deliver sustainable, measurable improvements.

    Benefits:

    • 5 working days: Monday - Friday
    • 1-month fixed bonus + variable bonus
    • Provident Fund
    • Group Life & Health Insurance, IPD, OPD & Dental Coverage
    • Annual health check-up
    • 15 days annual leave + 13 public holidays
    • Meal + transportation + diligence allowances
    Senior Design Engineer (Manufacturing, Samutprakarn)
    Our client is a leading manufacturing company in the aviation industry, specializing in the design, development, and production of aerospace-related products and solutions.
    They are seeking an experienced and technically strong Senior Design Engineer to join their team.

    Key Responsibilities
    • Lead and participate in new product design and product customization projects
    • Design and develop complete new or customized products and related manufacturing processes
    • Create, check, and approve engineering documentation, including:Product Design Documentation (PDD), drawings, and Bills of Materials (BOM)
    • Component Maintenance Manuals (CMM) and Illustrated Parts Lists (IPL)
    • Design and process specifications Work instructions, Test plans and reports
    • Execute qualification and certification tests in collaboration with the Certification Engineer
    • Perform engineering projects related to product and manufacturing process realization
    • Conduct design reviews and provide engineering solutions to production issues
    • Lead small projects in accordance with the company's Design & Certification Process
    • Communicate with international customers and engineers
    • Support Sales in defining quotations and during the RFQ process
    • Release engineering data to the Production Planning team
    • Train and coach Design Engineers
    • Monitor new technologies and developments relevant to the engineering field
    • Maintain engineering records and documentation in both electronic and paper-based systems
    • Support Product Development activities when assigned
    • Ensure compliance with company procedures, work instructions, environmental, health, and safety requirements

    Requirements:
    • Bachelor's degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering, Production Engineering, or a related field. A Master's degree is an advantage
    • Minimum 3 years of engineering experience
    • Demonstrated leadership capability and experience guiding engineering teams
    • Strong ability and willingness to perform basic mechanical calculations
    • Experience or knowledge of aluminum and composite structures
    • Experience with 2D and 3D CAD systems; and SolidWorks are preferred
    • Experience with PDM (SmarTeam) and ERP systems is preferred
    • Knowledge of airworthiness standards or safety standards is an advantage
    • Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
    • Strong English communication skills, both written and verbal
    • Accurate, responsible, and committed working style
    • Strong problem-solving, project management, and communication skills

    Benefits:
    • 1-month fixed bonus + variable bonus
    • Provident Fund
    • Group Life & Health Insurance, IPD, OPD & Dental
    • Annual health check-up
    • 15 days annual leave + 13 public holidays
    • Meal + transportation + diligence allowances