Career Path of a Sourcing Manager at Impossible Foods

I started college undeclared, unsure of my career path. The one thing I knew was that I enjoyed learning Mandarin Chinese in high school and wanted to continue it in college.

After my freshman year, I participated in a program called Tamid, which connects students with Israeli tech startups. I spent the summer working at a small tech startup and learned about the Tel Aviv tech scene.

Eventually, I had to declare a major. Since I enjoyed business, I decided to study economics. Economics felt like a safe choice, being a general field that didn't limit future opportunities.

I attended UC Berkeley in the Bay Area. As the next summer approached, I contemplated my career. I knew I didn't want to work for tiny startups in the wrong industries.

I wrote down what I enjoyed: sports and the outdoors. Combining this with my interest in languages and business, I thought about working in the sportswear industry. I listed outdoor companies like Patagonia and Black Diamond, wondering how I could work for them.

I also considered my desired role. With my language and business background, I thought about international business and supply chain, as many supply chains originate in Asia.

My next internship wasn't in my ideal industry. After many application rejections, I reached out to UC Berkeley's Supply Chain Management department. I secured an internship in their procurement team, where I learned about negotiating deals for goods like CO2 and toilet paper for UCSF and UC Berkeley. I enjoyed this experience.

I decided to pursue procurement and supply chain, but I wanted to work in an industry that resonated more with me. The following summer, I was fortunate to intern at Patagonia in Ventura, California.

In my role, I assisted with packaging cost targets within their sourcing team, using Excel models. I had a great summer there.

Entering my senior year, I focused on securing a job. Many business students at Berkeley pursued consulting or tech startups, which are Bay Area-centric. The sports industry was less common among my peers.

I found a Nike sourcing role on Handshake, Berkeley's job platform. This led to an entry-level position in Nike's procurement department after graduation.

At Nike, I participated in a rotational program, working in indirect and direct procurement, RFPs, and labor procurement. I eventually found my niche in the material sourcing team, taking a textile sourcing manager role. I helped manage their annual bid process for footwear materials, working with suppliers and negotiating prices.

However, I realized I wasn't passionate about shirts and shoes. It became clear that this wasn't something I wanted to do long-term.

I needed to re-evaluate my career goals, wanting to focus on sustainability within supply chain. Pivoting entirely can be challenging, but I aimed for a tangentially related field. After traveling for nine months, I landed a sourcing manager position at Impossible Foods, where I currently work.

I manage sourcing for food ingredients. I believe I will stop there, as the next question likely relates to my main responsibilities.