Commodity Manager (Rice Sourcing)

Job Title

Commodity Manager Rice / Grains, Rice Procurement Manager / Lead Rice Procurement, Rice Sourcing Manager / Head of Rice Sourcing, Rice Sourcing Manager / Head of Rice Sourcing, Rice Trader (Thailand)

Department: Procurement

Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Reporting To: Global Supply Chain Head

Job Objective

Lead procurement for specialty rice (Jasmine Rice in particular) in Thailand/region by driving short-term and long-term sourcing strategies to ensure uninterrupted supply at optimum cost and quality, aligned with business plans and market demand.

Key Responsibilities

1) Rice sourcing strategy & buying decisions

Deliver required quality and quantity of rice at the most competitive price to maintain business competitiveness.

Track agricultural/paddy & rice market scenario and price/quality fluctuations; translate market data into procurement positioning and actions.

Build and share strategic sourcing guidelines and buying plans (what, when, where, and at what cost to buy).

Review and execute buying decisions in alignment with Global Supply Chain Head based on price and quantity.

2) Market intelligence & value chain insight

Monitor the end-to-end rice value chain to support decision-making and business planning with insights and analysis.

Gather market intelligence and track competitors procurement activity for benchmarking.

Identify and develop new sources/regions to ensure continuity in emergencies and optimize costs.

3) Planning, savings & risk management

Develop and maintain AOP, latest estimates, and forecasts, and drive savings projects.

Own commodity risk and vendor risk assessments and implement mitigation actions to reduce supply chain risk.

4) Supplier quality, SRM & compliance

Partner with Quality & Food Safety to ensure supplier quality standards are met and continuously improved; drive supplier improvement programs.

Lead supplier relationship management and vendor scorecarding with a 360-degree supplier evaluation approach.

Ensure adherence to SOPs; drive process improvements in rice procurement.

Ensure compliance with organizational and statutory procurement policies.

5) Ocean freight coordination (as applicable)

Supervise and support ocean freight booking management, ensuring effective coordination between carriers and shippers and adherence to sailing norms.

Participate in ocean freight rate strategies and contract negotiations.

Key Stakeholders / Interfaces

Internal: Regional Supply Chain Leads, Operations Teams, Quality Team, Logistics Teams

External: Suppliers, Farmers, Government Bodies, Logistics Vendors

Core Competencies (Behavioral)

Strategic orientation, analytical thinking

Stakeholder focus, adaptability/agility

Process orientation & continuous improvement

Quality focus, performance orientation

Effective communication, team collaboration, developing others

Candidate Profile (Hiring Preference)

Must have:

Strong experience in rice procurement / agri-commodities sourcing, ideally Jasmine/Hom Mali exposure.

Thailand supplier ecosystem understanding (mills/traders/farmers) and market intelligence capability.

Track record of procurement strategy, cost optimization, forecasting, and supplier management.

Preferred

Candidates from Agriculture / Agri-commodity / Rice industry (highest priority).

If not available: FMCG (food staples/ingredients) with provable rice category ownership (second priority).

Thai nationality not mandatoryThailand rice procurement knowledge is mandatory.