Area Wood Procurement Manager
The Opportunity:
We have an opportunity for an Area Manager responsible for leading a team within our fiber purchase program at our Covington, Virginia mill. This position will support the overall region objectives to maintain the lowest cost, highest quality fiber sourcing in support of mill s forecasted needs while maintaining the highest compliance with safety and environmental requirements. This Area Manager role will lead and develop a team procuring fiber from landowners and /or external fiber supply sources to secure targeted delivered volumes of pulpwood, chips, and fuel to the Covington system to defined annual targets. The position will be relied on to develop specific strategies focused on achieving strategic targets, developing team members, leading and developing support team initiatives, and ensuring the team provides strong customer service to our mill customer, all while maintaining the highest compliance with safety and environmental requirements.
Job Objectives:
1. Lead, promote, enhance, and model WestRock s safety and environmentally-conscious culture.
2. Assist the Regional Manager in developing and executing the annual strategic purchase and inventory plan to provide the highest value fiber to the digester across the annual cycle by ensuring the open market procurement team identifies and develops fiber sources to ensure a consistent supply of targeted levels of delivered fiber through external purchases.
3. Assist in the development of the tactical plans supporting the annual strategy to deliver on mill requirements. Lead the ground level execution of the tactical plans which will include open market delivered purchases as well as direct stumpage purchases to the mill and satellite purchase locations. Preferred candidates will be able to demonstrate leadership related to the teams robust understanding of market data including the preparation of business strategy recommendations by proactively capturing pertinent market data, evaluating relevance to region strategy, identifying cost savings opportunities, and providing feedback and options to the Region Manager for decision making.
4. Lead members of the regional team in the execution of the fiber supply plan with precision and a high sense of urgency, remaining flexible to adjust strategy and tactics given changes in market conditions and/or mill operations to sustain the highest value fiber to the digester across the annual cycle.
5. Effectively evaluate fiber opportunities and successfully lead team in negotiating pricing based on true market demands that provide high quality fiber to the digester at lowest possible costs.
6. Communicate effectively with all stakeholders including peers, direct reports, the fiber procurement team, management, landowners, and suppliers in verbal and written form related to relevant operations, strategies, and status of execution. Ensure direct reports understand current inventory and market positions.
7. Assist the Regional Manager in the development and reporting of timely and accurate financial information including budgets, forecasts, and projected spending.
8. Develop talent through providing ongoing professional development opportunities for individuals to improve skills, help realize their greatest potential as team members and leaders within WestRock.
9. Represent WestRock in the community by participation in Associations, workshops, and civic and government affairs.
What You Need:
Must have 5+ years of Forestry experience specifically related to leading teams to purchase raw material supply from open market fiber supply sources and purchasing raw material from landowners (non-industrial and industrial). The successful candidate must also have experience managing relationships with multiple contract and /or external logging / fiber supply operations to maintain targeted and consistent delivered fiber.
Bachelor s degree in Forestry or related field.