Fiber Supply Manager

Position Title:

Fiber Supply Manager

Pay Rate:

$118,400 - $157,400

Multiple factors, including individual experience, skills and abilities, will determine where an employee is ultimately placed in the pay range.

Category/Shift:

Salaried Full-Time

Physical Location:

401 Ave U, Bogalusa, LA 70427

The Job You Will Perform:

The Fiber Supply Manager is responsible for the sourcing, procurement, and management of approximately 2.7 million tons annually of roundwood and chips, along with an additional 600,000 tons of fiber fuel, and an offsite contract chip mill to support Bogalusa Mill and regional business objectives. The position is accountable for approximately $100 million in annual fiber procurement, transportation, chip production, and fiber fuel expenditures and leads a seven-member Fiber Supply organization, including three direct reports.

The Fiber Supply Manager is accountable for delivering the lowest-cost sustainable supply of high-quality fiber while maintaining inventory security, operational reliability, certification compliance, and industry-leading standards for chip and fiber fuel quality. Success requires balancing trusted partnerships, exceptional fiber quality, inventory security, and maximum value from strategic assets such as the Columbia chip mill.

Key Performance Areas

• Provide visible leadership to ensure employees, suppliers, contractors, transportation providers, and visitors perform their work safely.
• Develop and execute strategic sourcing plans that provide the lowest-cost sustainable fiber supply while supporting safety, quality, inventory, reliability, and mill performance objectives.
• Serve as the principal Fiber Supply advisor to company leadership regarding fiber markets, supply risk, procurement strategy, supplier capability, and long-term fiber competitiveness.
• Develop, coach, and lead a high-performing Fiber Supply organization through effective performance management, succession planning, employee development, accountability, and engagement.
• Lead effective communication and coordination among Fiber Supply, woodyard operations, mill leadership, suppliers, and contractors.
• Lead annual budgeting, forecasting, cost management, and variance analysis for fiber procurement, transportation, chip production, fiber fuel, and related supply-chain activities.
• Ensure fiber sourcing activities meet sustainability, certification, environmental, contractual, and regulatory requirements.
• Identify and mitigate risks associated with weather, timber availability, supplier capacity, transportation constraints, market volatility, inventory levels, fiber quality, and operating requirements.
• Partner with mill operations, suppliers, contractors, and transportation providers to establish specifications, monitor performance, identify improvement opportunities, and continuously enhance fiber quality.
• Provide strategic leadership, commercial oversight, safe operations and optimization for the Columbia chip mill while developing and executing chip supply and commercial strategies that support hardwood chip demand for Vicksburg and Central Region mills and Bogalusa pine chip requirements.
• Champion continuous improvement, process standardization, analytical decision-making, and digital tools that improve safety, cost, quality, reliability, visibility, and efficiency across the fiber supply chain.

The Qualifications, Skills and Knowledge You Will Bring:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Forestry, Forest Management, Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Natural Resources, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Progressively responsible experience in forestry, fiber supply, procurement, supply chain management, logistics, manufacturing support, or related fields.
• Strong understanding of timber procurement, delivered wood cost, chip procurement, chip production, fiber fuel procurement, transportation, inventory management, and supplier economics.
• Working knowledge of budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, financial performance management, and supply chain optimization.
• Ability to utilize forecasting, optimization, GIS, market intelligence, quality data, and analytical tools to improve sourcing and operating decisions.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office, SAP, and applicable procurement, planning, and business intelligence systems.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Competencies:

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Business Insight

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Strategic Mindset

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Customer Focus

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Balances Stakeholders(if supplier/stakeholder focus needs to remain explicit)

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Builds Effective Teams

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Develops Talent

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Drives Results

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Decision Quality

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Manages Ambiguity

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Instills Trust

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Values Differences

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Drives Engagement