We’re a leader in the pet care industry, which means we’re not only ahead in volume, profit and market share, but our associates dare to Stand Taller. We innovate new products, impart new agilities into existing processes, constantly advance pet nutrition, and always pay it forward in the form of service for our communities and families. Are you up for the dare?

This position is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship.

Position Summary

For more than 30 years, our Management Development Associate (MDA) program has developed our future leaders. As a Management Development Associate, you’ll embark on a personal and professional development experience beyond what the classroom can offer.

Nestle Purina’s MDA program is a 22-month program focused on developing the future leaders of the company. As an MDA, you will receive hands-on leadership coaching and experience as well as functional coaching to set the foundation for your career with Purina. The first 6 months of the program are dedicated to spending time with all factory functions, including information systems, quality assurance, supply chain, engineering, human resources, production, R&D engineering, and operations performance teams to gain a deep understanding of how each of these areas impact procurement and inbound materials.

From there, your focus will shift to gaining first-hand experience managing raw and packaging materials at a factory for 4 months. Next, you will spend 6 months at our Headquarters in St. Louis to gain experience within corporate procurement. Finally, you will return to the factory procurement team for 6 months to apply and solidify the knowledge you’ve gained through the MDA program.

Upon completion of the program, you will have the foundation to be successful within the business and grown your career.

We view you as the future leader of our company. We will invest the time and energy necessary to give you the opportunities for a successful career. As you progress through the development program, you will have opportunities to move into new roles with increased responsibility in factories or corporate departments across our network. Here are a just a few of the benefits you’ll take away from this program:
• Gain experience with internal and external procurement operations, including physical material life cycle, end to end factory operations, fulfillment, production scheduling, finished goods forecasting process, and interpretation into material needs.
• Develop knowledge necessary to build and implement sourcing strategies.
• Lead a project focused on process-improvement within Procurement.
• Partner with other functional groups in developing strategy, material, or supplier needs for the project’s outlined scope of work.
• Ensure Business Continuity Plans are in place for key materials with respect to both current and future material requirements.
• Develop knowledge, awareness, and understanding of the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) and pet care industries, including understanding the consumer and or pet owner, knowing Purina brands, their competition, and the ability to identify and analyze segment trends.
• Expand leadership skills and experience.
• Develop a network that stretches across several disciplines in the organization.

Requirements
• Must be open to relocation to one or more of our 24 production facilities across the U.S. and our headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri.
• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Supply Chain, Logistics, Industrial Engineering, or related discipline attained or expected by June 2025.

Other
• Prior co-practicum, or internship experience; manufacturing experience; student organization or other leadership experience.