Director of Procurement-Strategic Sourcing

Job Summary

Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company (HE&R) is seeking a Director of Procurement & Strategic Sourcing to join our dynamic team. Reporting to the Chief Procurement Officer, this role will drive value creation across various categories including food, beverage, retail, operating supplies, and professional services. The ideal candidate will leverage strategic sourcing leadership with a focus on cost optimization, quality assurance, risk mitigation, and supply chain continuity.

About the Role

The Director of Procurement & Strategic Sourcing will be responsible for integrating comprehensive strategic sourcing leadership with a significant technological transformation, specifically the enterprise-wide implementation of Workday for the procurement function. This role will serve as a strategic advisor to senior leadership and a collaborative partner across departments, focusing on supply resilience, operational efficiency, and excellence in guest-focused solutions.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead comprehensive category strategies that optimize total cost of ownership, innovation, risk, and supplier value across a diverse portfolio of goods and services.
• Oversee the end-to-end procurement process, including contract negotiation and finalization, to drive cost savings and operational efficiency.
• Conduct market and supplier analysis to identify trends, opportunities, and risks, translating insights into long-term category plans and sourcing roadmaps.
• Build and maintain strong, strategic supplier partnerships to ensure resilient supply, enhance quality, and drive continuous performance improvement.
• Partner with Legal to develop supplier contracts, revise purchase order terms and conditions, and mitigate financial and brand risk.
• Ensure compliance with contracts, corporate policies, and governance.
• Lead the design and optimization of "Source-to-Pay" (S2P) workflows within Workday, ensuring business processes are streamlined, compliant, and scalable prior to system go-live.
• Develop a roadmap for continuous improvement, leveraging Workday’s real-time analytics to drive cost savings, mitigate supplier risk, and enhance spend tracking.
• Serve as the primary functional lead during the Workday implementation, collaborating with IT and Finance to establish governance structures, approval hierarchies, and user permission frameworks.
• Partner with cross-functional department heads to translate complex business requirements into functional system specifications, minimizing custom configurations in favor of Workday best practices.
• Collaborate effectively with corporate and operational leaders (e.g., Entertainment, Resorts, Finance, F&B, IT, Maintenance, Marketing) to integrate procurement strategies with business needs and support new product or service development initiatives.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on strategic spend, market dynamics, and risk management.
• Partner with Finance to define, implement, and govern procurement reporting and analytics, translating complex data into clear, actionable insights for decision-making.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives, optimizing procurement workflows and best practices tailored to the entertainment and hospitality sector.
• Establish and track KPIs to align team execution with strategic, operational, and financial goals.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• 18 years of age or older.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive growth in strategic sourcing and/or procurement experience in a complex organization.
• Minimum of 5 years of supervisory experience.
• Experience in the hospitality, leisure, retail, food service, or entertainment industry is highly valued.
• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Finance, Business Administration, or a related discipline required.
• MBA or Master’s degree preferred.
• Must have a valid Driver's License.
• Exceptional contract negotiation and supplier relationship management skills, with deep expertise in RFP development, evaluation, and execution.
• Advanced analytical and critical thinking abilities, adept at data interpretation, business planning, and developing "should-cost" models to drive informed sourcing decisions.
• Skilled communicator, adept at engaging and influencing executive and C-level stakeholders through clear, strategic, and results-driven communication.
• Proven ability to lead complex, cross-functional projects and manage multiple competing deadlines simultaneously.
• Strong knowledge of sourcing category strategy, commodity markets, risk management, and procurement legal requirements.
• Proven track record managing multiple categories of direct and indirect spend.
• Demonstrated ability as a leader and team developer.
• Able to forge strong working relationships across functions.
• Detail-oriented and organized.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including written and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and effectively manage multiple priorities with competing deadlines.

Physical Demands & Working Conditions

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to: Reaching Forward Frequent (34-66%), Climbing Stairs Frequent (34-66%), Lifting Occasional (67%) Hand/Eye Coordination Constant (>67%), Stooping Occasional (Bending Occasional (Sitting Frequent (34-66%), Standing Frequent (34-66%), Walking Frequent (34-66%).