Packaging Senior Buyer

We’re Tovala, a food-tech company reinventing home cooking to save consumers time. Through an innovative combination of hardware, software, and fresh food delivery, we make it incredibly simple for anyone to prepare and enjoy delicious, home-cooked meals without sacrificing time to do whatever matters to them. Through our superior technology, product experience and food quality, we have separated Tovala from the busy pack of other meal delivery businesses. In the process, we’ve amassed a loyal, rapidly growing following and our retention, product engagement and customer NPS are all best-in-class. We’ve raised over $100mm from great investors like Left Lane Capital, Origin Ventures, Y Combinator and Comcast Ventures and have invested strongly in building a unique culture that fosters growth, personal development and camaraderie.

How you’ll spend your time at Tovala:

• Manage day to day and long term packaging purchases and releases from vendors and work with our inventory team to keep our facilities stocked at an appropriate level.
• Maintain status for delivery items - verify delivery schedules and coordinate resolution of logistic issues with receiving staff.
• Work closely with Inventory, FSQA & Production teams to ensure good quality materials are received on schedule for production, and strategize recovery plans to expedite or fill-in elsewhere.
• Manage 3rd Party Logistics coordination to and from production facilities, warehouses and vendors.
• Provide forecasts to vendors to stay ahead of any potential shortages and service or quality volatility within the supply chain.
• Identify opportunities for continued improvement, managing and owning large scale and technical packaging projects across all facilities. 
• Implement and maintain a vendor performance rating system - monitor and evaluate vendor performance using key attributes (on-time/complete delivery, adherence to specifications, etc).
• Real time communication of quality issues to vendors, ensuring timely follow up and solutions.
• Partner with our finance and inventory teams to review and approve invoices, track packaging usage, and ensure packaging costs are accurately captured.
• Follow market trends and innovation on packaging technologies and help improve packaging sustainability and customer experience through packaging updates.
• Identify challenges and provide solutions to mitigate interruptions in product acquisition.
• Work with the Director of Procurement to secure secondary or even tertiary suppliers for high risk, essential packaging items.
• Develop and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders, working with the Director of Procurement and other Supply Chain team members to identify and develop processes for efficiency and value improvements.
• Integrate within the Tovala Supply Chain team and provide support and coverage to the food purchasing team. 

About you:

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, or related field preferred8+ years in a procurement role, packaging industry experience and technical knowledge preferred
• Excellent time management skills and strong follow-through and follow-up skills, supported by professional references
• Ability to think and act critically about processes and supply chain systems with a focus on continuous improvement and staying ahead of market trends
• Strong project management, problem solving and planning skills
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to use MSOffice, Google Suites (Drive, Sheets, Docs, etc.) to create useful and transparent electronic tools for demand planning on materials and packaging
• You love food, whether that means cooking it, eating it, frequently pressing your nose against deli windows, or lusting after soft-serve on Instagram. All fair game.

Compensation & Benefits

• Tovala uses market data, geography, and placement of internal employees to determine appropriate salary. Additionally, we offer all employees real ownership in the company in the form of a competitive equity package.
• Flexible paid time off (with a minimum of 15 days off you HAVE to take)
• Comprehensive healthcare coverage we really invest in 401k with match
• Free Tovala Smart Oven and discounted Tovala meals 
• Paid holidays and our winter holiday office shutdown where the offices and facilities close for a week around Christmas and New Years
• Various other perks - recognition programs, continued learning stipend, casual dress code, in-office coffee, snacks and drinks, and Tovala swag

The values we hold dear

Put the team first

We put what is best for the broader team ahead of what is best for ourselves or our immediate department.

Get s#!t done (well)

We celebrate people at all levels for delivering high impact work that expands the bounds of what we’re able to do.

Connect the dots

We engage with curiosity to learn how our work impacts others so that we can problem-solve holistically and work collaboratively.

Be Direct

We share our perspective openly and directly, even when it feels difficult to do so.

Embrace the obstacles

We rise to meet challenges with a sense of urgency, resolve, and optimism.

Champion the customer

We consider and prioritize our customer in all of our decisions 

At Tovala we‘re committed to building a workplace that represents a variety of backgrounds, skills, and perspectives and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Everyone is welcome here!