About the Role
As the Manager, Manufacturing Sourcing you will play a critical role in identifying, evaluating, and onboarding new manufacturing partners to support our rapidly growing portfolio of innovative food products. You will act as a strategic bridge between product development and production execution—ensuring that the right partners are in place to deliver high-quality, scalable, and cost-effective manufacturing solutions.
You’ll be responsible for building and managing a robust network of external manufacturers that align with our product needs, technical specifications, and innovation roadmap. This role is highly cross-functional, working closely with R&D, FSQA, Supply Chain, and Operations to bring new products to market quickly and efficiently.
What You’ll Do
- Source a robust pipeline and vet new external manufacturing partners based on product type, production capabilities, regulatory compliance, capacity, scalability, and cost.
- Develop and deliver clear, compelling business cases to internal stakeholders to support partner selection, resource allocation, and scale-up investments.
- Lead the project management process for potential manufacturing partners, including cross functional capability assessments, site visits, trial runs, and qualification reviews.
- Collaborate closely with R&D to align manufacturing capabilities with formulation, process, and packaging requirements for new product launches.
- Develop and maintain a database of manufacturing partners by capability, certifications, production formats, and geographic reach to support rapid scaling and diversification.
- Partner with FSQA and Regulatory teams during the vetting process to ensure all partners meet food safety, quality, and compliance standards
- Oversee the onboarding of new co-manufacturers, acting as the main point of contact and collaborating internally to manage contract execution, timelines, technical setup, and production readiness
- Collaborate with Supply Chain and Operations teams to ensure that new partners are integrated seamlessly into the broader supply network and internal operating systems.
- Monitor manufacturer performance during early trials and production runs to ensure smooth scale-up and alignment with commercial expectations.
- Maintain detailed documentation and reporting on all sourcing activities, and onboarding milestones to inform strategic decision-making.
- Stay ahead of industry trends in various ways including attending trade shows and identify new technologies or partner capabilities that can unlock innovation, improve efficiency, or reduce costs.
Who You Are
- 6–10 years of experience in contract manufacturing sourcing and evaluation, technical procurement, or external manufacturing in the food, beverage, or CPG industry.
- Strong understanding of food production processes, product commercialization, and manufacturing partner capabilities.
- Strong background in in partnering with external manufactures to bring new innovation to market
- Experience working cross-functionally with R&D, FSQA, and Operations teams to scale new product innovations.
- Familiarity with FDA, USDA, FSMA, and HACCP requirements
- Excellent project management, communication, and organizational skills with a detail-oriented and process-driven mindset.
- Strong negotiation and vendor management skills with the ability to build collaborative, long-term relationships.
- Comfortable navigating ambiguity and working in a fast-paced, innovation-driven environment.
- Proficient in data analysis, sourcing tools, and procurement or ERP systems.
Additional Info
- Based in NYC or remote
- Up to 25% Travel
- Flexible PTO policy
- Competitive compensation including equity and 401k
- 12 weeks paid leave at 100% salary for all parents
- Comprehensive health benefits including medical, vision and dental
About Little Spoon:
Little Spoon is the fastest growing baby and kids food brand in the United States. On a mission to make parents’ lives easier and kids healthier, we are bringing the future of kids’ food to the modern parent through a first-of-its-kind platform of products delivered straight to your door. Little Spoon sets your child up for a lifetime of health, from a baby’s very first bites through to their big kid years, with a portfolio of freshly-made baby food, early finger foods, toddler, big kid meals and snacks. Since launch, the company has delivered more than 50 million meals and is responsible for feeding more than 2.9% of US babies, helping to simplify the lives of hundreds of thousands of parents. Learn more at LittleSpoon.com or find us on Instagram at @LittleSpoon.
Recent accolades include:
🏆 Inc. Best Workplaces
🚀 Inc. 100 Fastest Growing Companies
🫶 Fast Company Brands That Matter
🤩 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist
If you have a disability and require accommodation during our interview process, please let us know how we can help make the interview process fair to your needs.