JAY Shah
Global Supply Chain & Operations Executive
Irvine,CA
Summary
Corporate executive with robust experience in driving business transformations and operational improvements. Known for delivering strategic initiatives that foster growth and enhance profitability. Exceptional at fostering collaborative environments and adapting to dynamic business needs.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Vice President
HARRIS SPICE, A DIVISION OF HARRIS FREEMAN & CO
08.2019 - Current
- Co-led the private label business and served as board advisor for the bulk spice operations. Oversaw P&L and operations for with 9 direct reports and 21 indirect reports across pricing, commercialization, supply chain, production planning, and manufacturing operations.
- Supply Chain & Production Planning Responsibilities
- Managed annual spend of $30MM in spices, $2MM in packaging, and $5MM in finished goods inventory across 100 suppliers.
- Delivered 7% CAGR in gross margin by reducing spot buying by 50%, onboarding 30 product origin-based suppliers, diversifying sourcing of key commodities to include multiple origins, and approving long positions on commodities during market slumps.
- Consolidated supplier base by 35% vertically integrating our supply chain to utilize our own traceable sourcing programs and expanded storage capacity and packing capabilities overseas. Shifted $5MM in private label packing to overseas plant and increased the sourcing of raw materials & packaging from our own overseas facility from 55% of total spend to 65%.
- Maintained inventory-to-revenue ratio at 21% to combat pandemic-related supply chain disruptions and then reduced it to 16% by standardizing raw materials & packaging formats across customers, optimizing & tracking past stock levels at both facilities, establishing VM programs with 5 major suppliers, and conducting monthly reviews of out-of-stock, slow-moving, & aging inventory.
- Revamped raw material specifications to integrate product-specific quality attributes. Embed these attributes into the ERP master data, enabling advanced sourcing queries, better production scheduling & order fulfillment, and rapid NPD commercialization.
- Manufacturing Operations Responsibilities
- Directed & supervised $6MM in capital projects across both facilities to enhance food safety, automation, and packaging quality. Projects included a continuous steam sterilizer, 3 high-speed (rotary) retail packing lines (to pack spices & herbs into jars & pouches), a blending system for organic seasonings, integrated QA systems (optical sorter, X-ray machine, metal detector) & milling equipment.
- Presented post-project capability utilization & ROI analysis to the board & sales leadership.
- Oversaw capacity planning, site selection, and launch of 2 satellite warehouses - including tenant improvements, racking and video surveillance installation, forklift and truck procurement, and WMS integration to enhance distribution efficiency.
- Achieved BRC AA rating for 5 consecutive years and lost zero customers due to quality by recruiting food safety internal audit and supplier verification team, who was also responsible for investigating major quality complaints & near misses
- Divested low-margin soup-base and gravy-mix packet business to 2 co-packers, freeing up space for high-speed retail packing lines.
- Developed & implemented a data-driven pay model linking hourly wage rates to departmental skill tiers, seniority, and supervisor evaluations—enhancing transparency, retention, and workforce motivation. Tracked spending (including OT & temp agency fees) on labor against a budget of $2.5MM for 55 hourly plant FTEs and $1.5MM for 30 hourly temps.
- Commercialization & Pricing Responsibilities
- Achieved 5-year CAGR of 15% in revenue by supervising the launch of 245 SKUs across 7 retail private label customers, representing $15MM in annual sales. Expanded lineup to include glass & mini-PET jars, stand up pouches, seasoning packets, variety packs, & organic seasonings. Reduced commercialization time by 35% by establishing systems to rapidly develop product specifications.
- Built robust costing models for RFPs of 20+ prospective private label customers and presented pricing recommendations to SLT. Led cross-functional collaboration to obtain current & forecasted raw material prices, accurate bill of materials, estimated labor cost per SKU (determined by wage rates & historical line speeds of proxy products), shrink %ages, and customer acquisition costs.
- Conducted reviews of costing models for existing PL customers to highlight the top cost drivers for each SKU, identify cost-saving opportunities & quantify the savings, evaluate price increases, and measure the sensitivity of key assumptions.
- Developed presentations for customers explaining cost drivers, sustainable sourcing & packaging initiatives, market updates (e.g., commodity trends, tariffs), and cost-saving ideas. 100% customer retention, despite many weighted average price increases 10%+
- Bulk processor, private-label packer, and distributor of spices and seasonings with 2 manufacturing plants (Anaheim, CA & Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam) with $90MM in combined annual revenue, serving industrial, foodservice, and retail customers.
Growth Strategy Consultant
THE CAMBRIDGE GROUP, A DIVISION OF PA CONSULTING
08.2017 - 08.2019
- Developed a dynamic 10-year forecast model of avocado supply from Mexico to the US, factoring in historical yield per acre, arable land in each state, and maturity of trees. Presented risk assessment & mitigation plan to the US-Mexico Avocado Board.
- Assessed capability gaps across people, process, technology, performance management, and culture for Avocados for Mexico. Advised CEO on areas of investment, including an increase in headcount, based on budget scenarios & marketing spend.
- Modeled the margins of Kellogg’s 10 product lines across their top 30 retail accounts. Advised their CSO on how to allocate sales investment dollars across retailers & business units to reduce sales cannibalization and improve velocities.
- Conducted need-state segmentation & demand landscape for Kraft Heinz’s snacks, coffee, and refreshment beverages BUs. Identified the most attractive growth opportunities (white spaces) for each category, leading to strategic divestiture of Planter’s
- Boutique consulting firm specialized in marketing strategy, consumer demand segmentation, and pricing & promotion optimization.
Associate, Corporate and M&A Strategy
THE HERSHEY COMPANY
06.2016 - 08.2016
- Developed a real-time updateable dashboard powered by Nielsen IRI data that tracked the sales growth & market share growth of Hershey’s and its competitors by category, region, channel, and brand. Benchmarked performance with strategic plans.
- Evaluated acquisition targets for strategic fit with Hershey’s snacking portfolio. Projected the targets’ sales, share, distribution, and velocity growth. Presented analysis to senior leadership, resulting in the acquisition of SkinnyPop Popcorn.
Supply Chain & Operations Manager
HARRIS TEA, A DIVISION OF TREEHOUSE FOODS
04.2011 - 06.2015
- Managed $10MM annual spend across Indian and Vietnam black tea suppliers, improving gross margins through forward contracts and supply & demand modeling. Introduced a process to finance strategic suppliers that face local high local interest rates to buy tea during the harvest season, store for shipments, and pass on $1MM in savings from lower carrying costs through better pricing.
- Negotiated with a supplier to spend $100K to install bale press & vacuum pack equipment that enabled both parties to store raw material more efficiently, reduce risk of infestation, and reduce spend on cold storage warehousing by 30% annually.
- Identified root causes of customer quality complaints and BRC (food-safety audit) findings at India facility. Oversaw implementation of $1M in plant upgrades and corrective actions, which reduced annual complaints by 60%.
- Created a container pool management partnership with a major exporter, reducing annual trucking costs by $750K.
- Largest private label packer of tea with $150MM in revenue and 3 manufacturing facilities serving foodservice & retail customers.
Associate, IT Advisory
KPMG LLP
09.2009 - 03.2011
- Advised tech and retail clients on IT risk, security, and business continuity vulnerabilities by designing and testing controls.
Education
Master of Science -
COMPASS TRAININGS, EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
Anaheim, CA01.2025
Master of Business Administration - Operations, Finance
KELLOGG SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
Evanston, IL01.2017
Bachelor's degree - International Political Economy
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
Berkeley, CA01.2009
Skills
Strategic plans
Financial acumen
Operational excellence
Global operations
Negotiation
Operations oversight
Section name
- JAY SHAH
- 223 Carmine | Irvine, CA 92618 | 714-715-4864 | jayanilshah@gmail.com | LinkedIn
- A STRATEGIC & DATA DRIVEN SUPPLY CHAIN & OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE WITHIN THE FMCG/CPG INDUSTRY
Timeline
Senior Vice President
HARRIS SPICE, A DIVISION OF HARRIS FREEMAN & CO
08.2019 - Current
Growth Strategy Consultant
THE CAMBRIDGE GROUP, A DIVISION OF PA CONSULTING
08.2017 - 08.2019
Associate, Corporate and M&A Strategy
THE HERSHEY COMPANY
06.2016 - 08.2016
Supply Chain & Operations Manager
HARRIS TEA, A DIVISION OF TREEHOUSE FOODS
04.2011 - 06.2015
Associate, IT Advisory
KPMG LLP
09.2009 - 03.2011
Master of Business Administration - Operations, Finance
KELLOGG SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
Bachelor's degree - International Political Economy
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
Master of Science -
COMPASS TRAININGS, EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM