What are the responsibilities and job description for the 2026 Leadership Development Program - Procurement position at Kerry?
About Kerry
Kerry is the world’s leading taste and nutrition partner for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. We innovate with our customers to create great tasting products, with improved nutrition and functionality, while ensuring better impact for the planet. Our leading and proprietary consumer insights, global RD&A team of 1,000 food scientists and local manufacturing footprint in 31 countries enable us to co-create with our customers across over 150 countries. At Kerry, we are driven to be our customers’ most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition, and will reach over 2 billion consumers with sustainable nutrition solutions by 2030.
Procurement Overview
Within Kerry, the Procurement Team has the responsibility for managing and overseeing all third party spend for both direct and indirect materials and services. They are experts in their respective categories of packaging, meats, dairy, ingredients and indirect materials and services such as energy, engineering and facilities management. Just like Kerry, our suppliers are based in locations right around the world, and while a career in Kerry will afford you the opportunity to work abroad, a career in procurement will also involve travel to supply locations
Your role will involve working with category buyers in all aspects of the sourcing process, working closely with Kerry’s manufacturing sites and supply partners.
Key Responsibilities
What you'll do
- Provide category and market insight by analyzing both category and market data which will lead to development of sourcing and supply plans, presentations, and market summaries for our business.
- Monitor usage/demand by coordinating with site supply chains. Working with R&D to introduce new materials and to identify potential new sources. Networking with stakeholders in other functions such as supply chain, finance, etc
- Leverage AI‑enabled procurement and analytics tools to gather insights, assess supplier options, and support data‑driven decision making.
- Work closely with category buyers to source the highest quality materials and services at the best price using a range of tools including tendering.
- Jointly working with category buyers to develop and execute a cost savings pipeline.
- Working with the category buyers to negotiate contracts and manage supplier performance to ensure quality and service requirements are met.
- Support buyers on the achievement of our “Beyond the Horizon” sustainability goals and specifically our commitments on responsible sourcing, waste reduction, circular economy, and recyclable packaging
- Actively live the Kerry values of Courage, Ownership, Inclusiveness, Open-mindedness, & Enterprising Spirit
Qualifications and Skills
What you'll need to be successful
- A Bachelor’s degree from a four-year accredited college or university in Supply Chain, Data Science, Business, Engineering, Economics
- GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Problem-solving and analytical skills
- Ability to learn and utilize AI‑based tools and digital platforms to analyze data, evaluate sourcing scenarios, and enhance procurement efficiency. Experience utilizing AI tools, in internship experiences, a plus.
- Ability to comply with existing/quickly adapt to new processes within the organization
- Advanced analytics skills, with the ability to manage complex spreadsheets and similar data
- Strong interpersonal skills with the proven ability to communicate effectively to all levels of an organization
- Excellent IT skills, particularly in MS Excel, PowerPoint and Word
- A curious mindset
- Must be able to travel up to 10% of the time
Compensation Data
The typical hiring range for this role is $65,000 to $70,000 annually and is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, location, etc. In addition to your pay, Kerry offers benefits such as a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase and retirement contribution (all benefits and incentives are subject to eligibility requirements). Accepting applications on a continuous basis until 2026 cohort is full. Estimated expiration date 3/1/26.
Kerry is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. Kerry will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States for this opening. Any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a background investigation and drug screen. Additional information can be found at: Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal (dol.gov).
Salary : $65,000 - $70,000