Head – Procurement-Organic Products

 

We are Margdarshak Consultants (Executive Search Firm), in business for over a decade and   now reckoned as one of the top Recruitment/Selection www.margdarshak.net     

Currently we are looking out Professionals for Our Prestigious Client for the position of,   

Position: Head – Procurement
Business: Organic Foods
Location: Bengaluru
Reporting to: Business Head

1. Role Purpose

The Procurement Manager will be responsible for developing and managing a reliable, cost-effective and certified-compliant procurement ecosystem for organic agricultural commodities and processed organic ingredients.

The role will involve farmer and FPO sourcing, supplier development, procurement planning, quality assurance, organic certification compliance, price negotiation, contracting, aggregation and supply continuity .

The incumbent will work closely with the Sales, Demand Planning, Quality, Certification, Finance, Warehousing, Processing and Supply Chain teams to ensure that the business has the right products, in the right quantity and quality, at the right cost and at the right time.

2. Key Responsibilities

A. Organic Commodity Sourcing

• Develop sourcing plans for key organic commodities based on business requirements and demand forecasts.
• Identify and develop reliable sources across major organic farming regions in India.
• Build sourcing relationships with farmers, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), cooperatives, aggregators, processors and certified organic suppliers .
• Develop direct-farmer procurement models wherever commercially viable.
• Establish long-term sourcing arrangements for strategic commodities.
• Ensure adequate availability of organic raw materials across seasons.
• Develop alternate sourcing regions and suppliers to mitigate supply risks.

B. Organic Certification & Traceability

• Ensure procurement is restricted to appropriately certified organic sources in accordance with applicable Indian organic standards.
• Maintain documentation relating to organic certification, scope certificates, transaction certificates and supplier approvals.
• Ensure complete farm-to-warehouse traceability of organic commodities.
• Work closely with the Quality and Certification teams during organic certification audits.
• Ensure segregation of organic and conventional products throughout the procurement and supply chain process.
• Monitor supplier compliance with organic integrity and certification requirements.
• Ensure that procurement documentation supports NPOP/Jaivik Bharat and applicable FSSAI requirements.

C. Supplier & Farmer Development

• Identify and onboard new farmers, FPOs, cooperatives and suppliers.
• Evaluate suppliers on quality, certification, capacity, reliability, pricing and traceability .
• Develop strategic supplier partnerships rather than relying solely on spot procurement.
• Work with field teams to improve farmer productivity, quality and post-harvest practices.
• Support development of contract farming / buy-back arrangements where appropriate.
• Build supplier loyalty through transparent pricing, timely payments and predictable procurement programmes.
• Maintain an approved supplier database and supplier performance scorecard.

D. Procurement Planning

• Translate sales forecasts and production requirements into commodity-wise procurement plans.
• Develop monthly, quarterly and annual procurement plans.
• Estimate commodity availability, seasonality and procurement requirements.
• Coordinate with Demand Planning and Operations to balance procurement with inventory requirements.
• Identify potential shortages and surpluses well in advance.
• Develop strategic inventory and buffer-stock plans for critical commodities.

E. Commercial Management

• Negotiate procurement prices, payment terms, freight arrangements and other commercial terms.
• Track commodity prices and market trends across major sourcing regions.
• Develop appropriate pricing mechanisms for seasonal and volatile commodities.
• Benchmark procurement prices against prevailing market prices.
• Drive procurement cost savings without compromising organic integrity or quality.
• Evaluate the total landed cost including farm-gate price, aggregation, transportation, cleaning, grading, storage, processing and wastage .
• Develop annual procurement budgets and monitor performance against budget.

F. Quality Management

• Work closely with Quality Assurance to define commodity specifications.
• Ensure incoming materials comply with agreed standards for:
  • Organic certification
  • Moisture
  • Purity
  • Foreign matter
  • Grain / seed size
  • Pesticide residue
  • Heavy metals
  • Microbiological parameters
  • Adulteration
  • Other commodity-specific parameters
• Monitor supplier quality performance and initiate corrective actions.
• Reduce rejection, quality loss and procurement-related wastage.

G. Aggregation, Storage & Logistics

• Develop efficient aggregation models at the farm/FPO/supplier level.
• Coordinate with logistics partners to ensure timely movement of materials.
• Plan procurement around harvest cycles and storage availability.
• Work with warehouses to optimise inventory levels and storage conditions.
• Ensure proper segregation and identification of organic inventory.
• Minimise transit losses, storage losses and inventory ageing.

H. Data, MIS & Analytics

• Maintain commodity-wise procurement databases.
• Track:
  • Procurement volumes
  • Procurement value
  • Average purchase price
  • Supplier performance
  • Farmer/FPO performance
  • Quality rejection
  • Inventory levels
  • Procurement cost
  • Seasonal availability
  • Price trends
• Prepare weekly and monthly procurement MIS.
• Develop commodity-level dashboards to support management decisions.

 

3. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The Procurement Manager will be evaluated on:

1. Procurement cost vs. budget
2. Availability of key organic commodities
3. Supplier fill rate / on-time delivery
4. Quality rejection percentage
5. Organic certification compliance
6. Traceability compliance
7. Supplier diversification
8. Direct farmer/FPO sourcing percentage
9. Procurement cost savings
10. Inventory turns
11. Procurement lead time
12. Post-harvest and storage losses
13. Forecast-to-procurement accuracy
14. Supplier payment and commercial compliance
15. Continuity of supply during off-season periods

 

4. Candidate Profile

Education

• Graduate/Postgraduate in:
  • Agriculture
  • Agribusiness
  • Food Technology
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Procurement
  • Business Administration
  • Rural Management
  • Related disciplines

Experience

• Experience in procurement/sourcing, preferably in:
  • Organic foods
  • FMCG
  • Agri commodities
  • Food processing
  • Agricultural supply chains
  • Food ingredients
• Experience in sourcing from farmers/FPOs/cooperatives will be strongly preferred.
• Experience in organic certification and traceability systems will be an advantage.
• Experience in procurement of cereals, pulses, spices, edible oils, dry fruits, fruits & vegetables or other organic commodities is desirable.

 

5. Required Competencies

Technical Competencies

• Organic commodity procurement
• Agricultural commodity markets
• Farmer/FPO engagement
• Supplier development
• Procurement negotiations
• Commodity price analysis
• Organic certification requirements
• Quality specifications
• Supply-chain management
• Inventory planning
• Contracting and commercial management
• Traceability systems
• Procurement analytics and MIS

Behavioural Competencies

• Strong negotiation skills
• Commercial orientation
• Relationship management
• High ownership and accountability
• Analytical thinking
• Strong execution capability
• Ability to work in rural/agricultural environments
• Problem-solving ability
• Integrity and transparency
• Ability to manage multiple stakeholders

 

6. Key Internal & External Stakeholders

Internal

• Business Head
• Sales & Marketing
• Demand Planning
• Supply Chain
• Quality Assurance
• Organic Certification Team
• Finance
• Manufacturing / Processing
• Warehousing
• Logistics
• R&D / Product Development

External

• Farmers
• FPOs
• Cooperatives
• Organic aggregators
• Certified organic processors
• Commodity traders
• Certification bodies
• Testing laboratories
• Logistics partners
• Warehousing partners

 

7. Role Expectations

The Procurement Manager is expected to build a scalable, farmer-linked and certification-compliant organic sourcing ecosystem , rather than merely execute purchase orders.

The successful candidate should be capable of progressing the organisation from transactional procurement → structured supplier sourcing → direct farmer/FPO relationships → strategic long-term sourcing partnerships .

The individual should ultimately help create a procurement platform that delivers quality, traceability, supply security and competitive landed cost , while protecting the integrity and credibility of the organic brand.