Company Name
Ferrellgas
Search Job Title
Director of Supply Chain
Client Profile
Ferrellgas is a publicly traded energy company providing propane distribution and related energy services throughout the United States. Its operations include residential and commercial propane delivery, the Blue Rhino propane exchange business, and a gas sourcing and distribution operation supporting multiple business units across the organization. Managing a complex supplier network, transportation infrastructure, and thousands of SKUs, the company maintains a highly integrated procurement organization supporting enterprise-wide operations.
Role Objectives & Challenges
The Director of Supply Chain search was conducted confidentially to replace the incumbent while strengthening procurement leadership across the organization.
Although titled Director of Supply Chain, the position was primarily responsible for leading the company's centralized procurement function. The role owned the entire procure-to-pay process, including strategic sourcing, supplier management, contracting, purchasing, and procurement operations supporting approximately $90 to $100 million in annual spend. The position also led a team of five direct reports and three indirect reports focused entirely on procurement activities.
The complexity of the business made the search highly specialized. The successful candidate needed experience managing procurement across multiple operating units while supporting a broad supplier network and an extensive inventory portfolio. Leadership sought someone capable of improving procurement strategy while maintaining the operational discipline required within an established, highly analytical supply chain organization.
Our Approach to Solve the Search
Because the position was fully remote, the search immediately expanded to a national talent pool.
Target companies included direct competitors as well as organizations within the chemical and energy sectors that operated procurement functions of comparable scale and complexity. Rather than broadly targeting supply chain executives, the search concentrated specifically on procurement leaders with demonstrated ownership of strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations, contract management, and enterprise-wide procure-to-pay operations.
Candidates were evaluated on both procurement expertise and their ability to lead cross-functional initiatives involving operations, finance, logistics, legal, and supplier management.
The Hire & Results
The search was completed in approximately two months while working directly with the Vice President of Operational Support throughout the engagement.
A national search produced a talent pool of 119 qualified procurement leaders. Following extensive screening, four candidates advanced to formal interviews, with all four coming from complex chemical manufacturing organizations. The search was ultimately narrowed to two finalists, both bringing procurement leadership experience from similarly sized industrial businesses with sophisticated sourcing and supplier management operations.
The successful hire brought the procurement leadership and enterprise sourcing experience needed to oversee the company's procure-to-pay function while supporting multiple operating units and a highly complex supply chain. The engagement demonstrates SCM Talent Group's ability to identify specialized procurement leaders for organizations operating at significant scale within technically demanding industries.
