Principal, Strategic Sourcing

Salary: $176K - $197K Location: Onsite or Remote About Nordic Naturals At Nordic Naturals, we take pride in crafting foundational nutrients to help people all over the world live healthy lives. Our mission is to give people, pets, and families the highest-quality nutrients possible to be well and support optimal health. This seemingly simple mission of global health relies on a dedicated team of motivated employees who share our passion for nutrition and wellness. Join us and discover how rewarding it can be to make a living while contributing to a truly great cause. Department Overview The Operations team is responsible for managing global supply chain, refining operations, raw material procurement, and ensuring high-quality, continuous production across internal and external networks. Position Summary The Principal, Strategic Sourcing provides strategic leadership over our upstream crude marine and alternative lipid supply chains to secure Nordic Naturals' raw material options for the future. As the company scales to meet significant long-term demand growth, structural supply constraints and climate volatility require a dedicated focus on foundational raw materials. This role is exclusively dedicated to building and optimizing our global crude network, going as far upstream as possible to ensure control over our supply chain. By securing robust raw material streams, this position guarantees the necessary input for our internal concentration plant in Norway (Nordic Pharma) as well as our external refining and oil concentration partner network. In addition, the Director will execute tactical levers to gain upstream control (e.g., via JVs or acquisitions) and spearhead portfolio diversification—evaluating algae, tactical marine sources, and seafood by-products. The Director will partner closely with R&D, Marketing, and their Procurement counterpart to drive long-term business continuity while upholding our premium brand guardrails. The main purpose and key success metric for this position is successfully negotiating crude oil prices consistently below the current IFFO Index while maintaining all quality and sustainability guardrails.The primary success metric for this role is negotiating crude oil prices below the current IFFO Index. Essential Functions & Core Responsibilities Strategic Raw Material Network Development & Execution Gain Control of Strategic Marine Sources: Build and manage a resilient global crude oil sourcing network targeting premium marine sources (anchovy, sardine, mackerel, herring) to support high-concentrate products. Consolidate Global Crude Purchasing: Leverage Nordic Naturals' full market scale by sourcing crude oil not only for our internal plant (Nordic Pharma), but also directly securing and supplying crude to our third-party concentration and refining partners. Implement Directed-Buy/Tolling Models: Transition our external supply chain from buying finished concentrates to a model where we control the upstream crude, using our combined volume to feed our external partners and maximize global negotiating power. Diversify Sources & Build Flexibility: Reduce single-source dependence on Peruvian anchovy by expanding into new regions and tactical sources (e.g., seafood by-products, land-based sources) to mitigate climate disruptions like El Niño and biological volatility. Exploit Algae Opportunities: Scale up algae-based raw material sourcing to complement marine supply, driving the integration of algae into core product blends. Uphold Brand Guardrails: Ensure all sources meet non-negotiable brand standards, including pure marine-led positioning, non-GMO requirements, Friend of the Sea/MSC sustainability certifications, and strict purity/freshness thresholds. Sub-Index Negotiation & Crude Procurement: Actively leverage global market intelligence—specifically the IFFO Index—to establish strategic negotiation leverage, structure forward-buy contracts, and secure crude supply at prices below the prevailing IFFO Index for corresponding crude oil. Upstream Integration & Capacity Building Pursue Structural Participation: Lead upstream integration efforts, such as exploring JVs, acquisitions, or direct partnerships with fisheries and fermentation facilities to secure long-term supply. Expand Processing Capabilities: Collaborate with Nordic Pharma to align raw material inputs with capacity expansion, increased storage, and advanced blending capabilities to process a wider range of crudes. Cost Optimization & Market Intelligence Pool Group & Partner Volumes: Maximize purchasing power by combining the internal crude sourcing requirements of Nordic Pharma with the massive underlying crude demand of our external concentrate suppliers to drive down total landed costs. Navigate Market Volatility: Forecast and mitigate the impacts of quota reductions, warming sea temperatures, and increasing competition from aquaculture and pet nutrition sectors to optimize total landed cost. Financial Scope and Budget Responsibility Global Spend: Manage the total global purchasing budget for all crude (marine oils, alternative lipids, tactical sources). Capital Investments: Oversee investment budgets for strategic upstream participation (JVs, acquisitions) and capacity expansion projects. Operational Budget: Manage the department's operating expenses, including team resources and external partnerships. Cost Optimization: Drive cost-savings initiatives and protect company margins against raw material price volatility. Primary Success Criteria: Market-Beating Crude Procurement (Main Metric): Consistently negotiate and execute purchasing agreements for crude marine and alternative lipid oils at prices lower than the current IFFO Index for the corresponding crude oil grades. The capability to buy below market index serves as the primary success criteria and driver for this position.Cost Savings & Value Creation: Deliver measurable cost reductions against market benchmarks while guaranteeing raw material input requirements for both internal concentration operations (Nordic Pharma) and external refining partners. Position Qualifications Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Business or a related supply chain management field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Industry Expertise: Extensive senior-level procurement or sourcing experience (10+ years) with a deep, specialized focus on the global marine oil, omega-3, and alternative lipid (algae) industries. Strategic Vision: Proven track record of navigating complex global supply shocks (e.g., recent Peruvian anchovy shortages) and successfully building multi-tier upstream supply networks. Technical Acumen: Deep understanding of lipid refining, concentration processes, and the technical parameters required to produce high-grade EPA/DHA concentrates. Cross-Functional Leadership: Demonstrated ability to collaborate with R&D on raw material transformation and align with Marketing on brand impact and sustainability certifications. Global Reach & Upstream Integration: Extensive experience in international vendor negotiations, specifically within primary global fisheries, and driving upstream participation models (JVs, M&A). Competency Statements Behavioral competencies reflect the key workplace behaviors and job-related attributes necessary to perform successfully in this role. Create Vision & Strategic Intent - As a leader at Nordic Naturals, you translate your team’s vision into clear objectives and key results, aligning with long-term company goals. You ensure this vision is well-defined and understood by all stakeholders. By understanding external trends, you continually seek ways to enhance competitive advantage, drive efficiency, and improve processes. You align your team's strategy with the overall company strategy and create a compelling vision that inspires and motivates people. Foster Integrity and Trust - As a leader at Nordic Naturals, you earn and maintain your team's trust through honest communication, transparency, consistency, and fairness. You understand the importance of leading by example, prioritizing doing the right thing, even when it’s difficult, and following through with a commitment to ethical principles. You demonstrate accountability and owning your mistakes. You ensure transparency by openly communicating about successes and failures, creating a culture of learning rather than blame. Effective Communication - As a leader at Nordic Naturals, you actively listen with curiosity, show genuine interest in others' perspectives, and provide clear, concise feedback. You communicate with empathy, encourage diverse opinions, and foster inclusive dialogue. Your nonverbal cues, like positive body language and eye contact, reinforce your message. You balance assertiveness with respect, offering and receiving constructive feedback to maintain a supportive and collaborative environment. Demonstrate Business Acumen - As a leader at Nordic Naturals, you understand company operations and objectives, guiding your team on the steps to success. You analyze performance metrics and market trends to make informed decisions and adapt to changes. You optimize spending, manage costs, and develop strategies to enhance profitability. By fostering a results-oriented culture, you keep the team focused on key initiatives and deliver measurable outcomes.Build a Culture of Accountability - As a leader at Nordic Naturals, you take responsibility for your actions, foster trust, and ensure transparency by communicating openly about successes and failures. You set clear expectations, provide resources, and follow through on commitments, demonstrating reliability. You encourage team members to own their roles, give constructive feedback, and recognize contributions to motivate and empower them. Use Intellect & Critical Thinking - As a leader at Nordic Naturals, you grasp complex information, identify patterns, and balance research with swift decision-making. You distill data to uncover core issues, use systems thinking to understand organizational impacts, and make sound judgments even amid uncertainty. Collaboration - As a leader at Nordic Naturals, you collaborate across teams, departments, and levels to ensure alignment and smooth handoffs. You seek diverse perspectives, value all voices, and create a safe space for sharing ideas. You drive collective success by fostering open communication, joint problem-solving, and a team-first mindset. Takes Initiative - As a leader at Nordic Naturals, you proactively identify opportunities, innovate, and drive continuous improvement. You inspire a culture of proactive problem-solving, motivating your team to be self-driven and resourceful, ensuring the organization stays ahead in achieving its goals. Possess Self Awareness & Social Intelligence - As a leader at Nordic Naturals, you are self-aware and foster strong relationships by responding appropriately to social situations. You model humility and openness, creating a culture of trust and transparency. You motivate others, promote collaboration, and make team members feel valued through empathy, active listening, curiosity, clear communication, and recognition. Coach, Develop, Mentor and Provide Feedback - As a leader at Nordic Naturals, you invest in your team's growth through regular feedback, personalized guidance, and skill-building opportunities. You foster a supportive environment for learning, empower team members in their development, and build strong, mentoring relationships. Your commitment enhances skills, confidence, and team cohesion, contributing to a culture of continuous learning. Benefits Eligible employees may be offered a comprehensive benefits package, which may include medical, dental, vision, retirement benefits, paid time off, paid holidays, and other company-sponsored programs. Eligibility and offerings are subject to applicable plan documents and employment status. Physical Demands – Manufacturing This position operates on an active plant floor, requiring candidates to remain stationary or move throughout the facility for shifts up to 8–10 hours. Essential duties involve positioning self to operate tools, using fine motor dexterity to adjust components, and lifting or transferring materials weighing 10-50 pounds depending on the position. Work is performed in a manufacturing environment requiring strict compliance with mandatory safety protocols and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). California Applicants The compensation range above applies to work performed in California and represents the employer’s good-faith estimate of the expected salary or hourly wage range for the position. Equal Employment Opportunity We are an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. We consider qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics under applicable federal, state, or local law. Reasonable Accommodations Statement To accomplish this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation, each essential function satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to help enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.