Chief Supply Chain Officer

Dakota, Illinois

Position Summary

The Chief Supply Chain Officer (CSCO) is a newly established executive leadership role that will report directly to the CEO. This individual will oversee the client’s full supply chain ecosystem, spanning procurement, materials planning, logistics, warehousing, inventory oversight, and customer delivery. The mandate is to pull these functions together into a modern, integrated, and future-ready operating model.

This leader will be responsible for reinforcing the organization’s operational infrastructure to support rapid expansion in its ready-to-drink beverage and food categories. The CSCO will design scalable processes, deploy enabling systems, and cultivate strong teams to drive efficiency, service excellence, and responsiveness, ensuring the organization continues to serve major brand partners at a best-in-class level.

Key Deliverables and Objectives

Unify the End-to-End Supply Chain

Bring all supply chain disciplines under a single operational umbrella to improve visibility, alignment, and performance across both manufacturing and distribution operations.

Transform Procurement and Strategic Sourcing

Standardize purchasing activities, build category strategies, and leverage enterprise-wide buying power to strengthen supplier relationships and optimize cost structures for raw materials, packaging, and transportation.

Optimize Logistics and Network Design

Assess and refine logistics processes, including outbound freight, shuttle transportation, and 3PL execution. Evaluate insourcing options for distribution and shuttle operations currently handled by external partners in Rockford.

Enhance Planning, S and OP, and Inventory Control

Build stronger demand and supply planning capabilities, reinforce S and OP routines, improve inventory discipline, and ensure production aligns effectively with customer needs and product shelf-life considerations.

Advance Systems, Data, and Digital Capabilities

Elevate the performance of ERP, MRP, and planning platforms to support better forecasting, real-time visibility, and consistent KPI tracking. Create a unified measurement framework across cost, service, and inventory metrics.

Strengthen Customer Fulfillment and Contract Manufacturing Excellence

Improve order-to-ship processes and customer communication for both turnkey and tolling programs, ensuring accurate material usage, demand alignment, and adherence to negotiated service commitments.

Develop Talent and Build a High-Performance Team

Recruit, motivate, and mentor strong supply chain leaders while creating a collaborative, accountability-driven culture centered on continuous improvement and servant leadership.

Essential Job Functions

Strategic Leadership

• Shape and execute a comprehensive supply chain vision that supports the client’s growth trajectory and customer expectations.
• Partner with the CEO and senior team on long-range capacity planning and capital allocation.
• Drive initiatives focused on risk reduction, diversification, and continuity planning across the supply base.

Operational Excellence

• Direct planning, scheduling, and inventory processes to achieve a balance of efficiency, agility, and service.
• Deploy Lean, Six Sigma, and structured problem-solving to streamline workflows and remove operational waste.
• Measure and improve key performance indicators such as on-time delivery, inventory turns, and overall cost-to-serve.

Procurement and Supplier Management

• Lead sourcing strategies to reduce total cost and strengthen supplier engagement.
• Implement category management across packaging, raw materials, and indirect expenses.
• Monitor supplier compliance related to safety, quality, reliability, and sustainability expectations.

Logistics and Distribution

• Oversee the transportation and distribution footprint in both Dakota and the Rockford warehouse environment.
• Improve 3PL performance and examine internal alternatives to enhance control and service levels.
• Build a forward-looking logistics strategy that supports production expansion and customer demands.

Technology and Data

• Guide digital upgrades across ERP, WMS, and planning platforms to enhance transparency and decision support.
• Establish dashboards and analytics tools that enable faster and more reliable operational insights.

Team Leadership and Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Develop a strong bench of supply chain professionals through coaching and structured development.
• Work collaboratively with Operations, Finance, Quality, R and D, and Commercial teams.
• Align supply chain capabilities with product launches, customer programs, and long-term strategic initiatives.

Qualifications and Experience

• At least 15 years of increasing responsibility across supply chain disciplines within food, beverage, or CPG manufacturing environments.
• Experience leading multi-facility operations or large-scale manufacturing-to-distribution networks.
• Demonstrated capability in procurement, logistics, warehousing, planning, and S and OP leadership.
• Experience managing external logistics providers and delivering successful ERP or technology transformation projects.
• Strong business and financial literacy, with the ability to translate operational metrics into business results.
• Background in high-growth settings, especially private equity–backed or contract manufacturing organizations, is preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, or a related field required; MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred.
• Prior exposure to aseptic processing, ready-to-drink beverages, or dairy-based manufacturing is a significant advantage.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Provides direct leadership for procurement, logistics, planning, inventory management, and warehousing functions, including oversight of 3PL-managed activities.

Reports to the Chief Executive Officer and participates as a member of the Executive Leadership Team.

Location

This is an on-site leadership role based at the Dakota, Illinois manufacturing facility, with ongoing presence required at the distribution center located approximately 40 miles away in Rockford, Illinois.

Due to the hands-on expectations and the need for close coordination with operations teams, remote work is not available for this role.