Director of Purchasing

  • Full-time

Company Description

True Food Kitchen is a restaurant inspired by a philosophy that food should make you feel better, not worse.  We're a passionate collective of accomplished chefs, visionary restauranteurs and a renowned doctor of integrative medicine, who believe delicious dining and conscious nutrition can go hand in hand, without sacrificing flavor, creativity or indulgence.  At True Food Kitchen, we invite our guests to become part of a world where great tasting food and thoughtfully crafted beverages - shared in an environment of infectious, accepting positivity - can be the foundation for a life well lived.  

Job Description

Position Summary:

The Director of Purchasing leads the effective, efficient and timely selection, procurement, distribution and monitoring of all food, beverage and restaurant supply products.  This position oversees, manages and directs sourcing, contracting, cost controls and inventory management for all products. Responsible for managing relationships with all external suppliers and distributors, ensuring compliance with service, quality and price specifications. The Director of Purchasing has primary responsibility for overall food, beverage and restaurant supply costs, along with the implementation and ongoing management of inventory and cost management systems to fully achieve financial and operational benefits.

Principal Accountabilities:

Sourcing

  • Develops and manages strategic sourcing strategy and procurement activities, including optimal pricing and supplier negotiations across all product categories
  • Facilitates ongoing communication between Company and third-party consultants and suppliers regarding brand objectives, ingredient integrity, supply chain food safety and all operational matters
  • Leads product selection process including managing samples/approvals and product optimization through frequent collaboration with culinary leadership
  • Partners with culinary team on the identification, sourcing, development, testing and roll-out of profitable and cost-effective new menu items and ingredients
  • Assesses, manages and mitigates food-related risks through routine oversight of proper supply chain channels
  • Identifies multiple sources for high-risk, single-sourced products
  • Ensures specifications for quality, portions and sanitation are established and met
  • Executes opening orders, vendor setup and smallwares coordination for new store openings

 

Cost Control

  • Primary responsibility for managing overall food, beverage and restaurant supply costs, along with implementation and ongoing oversight of inventory/cost management systems to ensure targets are met or exceeded
  • Establishes strategies, monitors effectiveness and provides direction on restaurant-level purchasing & inventory management optimization
  • Develops, monitors, reports and tracks key metrics related to product costs, inventory levels and savings initiatives
  • Analyzes and addresses store-level cost trends/outliers regarding product usage, waste and pricing
  • Identifies factors contributing to theoretical vs. actual food & beverage cost variances and directs resolution through ongoing analysis, reporting and training
  • Performs food and beverage cost and menu optimization analysis; recommends product enhancements
  • Forecasts commodity price trends and provides communication to leadership team
  • Monitors contract compliance including pricing, product rebates and available marketing funds

Qualifications

  • 10+ years of national supply chain experience, including oversight responsibilities at high-volume, high-growth, multi-unit restaurant concepts.  Progressive responsibility in purchasing and culinary roles and international supply chain oversight experience preferred
  • Demonstrated experience in strategic sourcing and procurement, including excellent negotiation skills and strong knowledge of commodity markets
  • Experience having primary oversight of inventory & cost management and optimization
  • Proven ability to lead quantitative and qualitative analyses supporting critical decisions on vendor selection and product specifications
  • Expertise in successfully managing major supply agreements including systematic quality and compliance monitoring
  • Strong understanding of financial metrics with established track record of driving cost improvement through supply chain initiatives
  • Ability to collaborate cross-functionally (culinary, operations, finance, IT, marketing) to design and implement operating improvements
  • Ability to combine strategic vision with tactical detail to enable execution
  • Highly organized and detail oriented with the ability to set priorities and meet deadlines
  • Strong interpersonal and motivational skills with ability to generate respect and trust from senior team, restaurants and external constituencies

Additional Information

 

  • Competitive Pay + Bonus Incentive
  • Medical, Dental, Vision and Life Insurance
  • Retirement Savings Plan with Company Match
  • 5 Day Work Week
  • Paid Time Off
  • Dining Allowance 
  • Relocation Assistance
  • Professional Career Development and Growth Opportunities
  • Fun Work Vibe