Food Services Procurement Manager

About the role

The Food Services Procurement Manager is responsible for leading procurement, forecasting, inventory control, supplier coordination, and replenishment planning for food service operations across assigned dining facilities. This position establishes and oversees supply chain processes that ensure food products, ingredients, beverages, consumables, and dining facility supplies are available to support routine operations, surge population requirements, emergency response missions, and disaster deployments.

Key Responsibilities

• Supply Chain Planning & Forecasting

• Develop and maintain inventory forecasting processes for all food, beverage, ingredient, and dining facility supply categories.
• Analyze meal counts, historical consumption trends, occupancy projections, seasonal patterns, menu requirements, and operational requirements to forecast future demand.
• Establish, review, and adjust inventory par levels for each dining facility in coordination with the Executive Chef and Food Service Managers.
• Oversee replenishment planning to prevent avoidable stockouts, excess inventory, spoilage, and waste.
• Evaluate changing operational requirements and translate those requirements into procurement and inventory action plans.
• Identify supply chain risks and implement mitigation strategies in coordination with Operations, Logistics, and leadership.

• Procurement Oversight & Purchasing Controls

• Oversee procurement of food products, ingredients, beverages, paper products, cleaning supplies, chemicals, and other dining facility consumables.
• Review purchasing requirements and ensure purchase orders are created, approved, and managed in accordance with approved procurement procedures.
• Ensure sourcing activities utilize approved suppliers, contracted vendors, and compliant procurement channels.
• Review quotations, pricing information, product substitutions, and availability constraints to support cost-effective purchasing decisions.
• Lead or support competitive sourcing initiatives, supplier evaluations, and procurement improvement activities.
• Monitor market conditions, pricing trends, supply availability, and product quality concerns that may affect dining facility operations.
• Authorize or coordinate urgent procurement actions when operational requirements demand immediate support.
• Ensure all purchasing activities comply with organizational procurement policies, contract requirements, budget expectations, and documentation standards.

• Inventory Management & Control

• Oversee inventory management practices for assigned food service operations.
• Establish cycle count schedules, physical inventory requirements, and inventory reconciliation procedures.
• Review inventory accuracy, usage trends, shrinkage, spoilage, loss, waste, and corrective action needs.
• Ensure inventory control measures are implemented to minimize spoilage, shrinkage, loss, and unnecessary cost.
• Ensure proper stock rotation utilizing First-In, First-Out (FIFO) inventory practices.
• Monitor shelf-life requirements, expiration dates, and aging inventory trends.
• Approve or direct inventory transfers between facilities when operationally necessary.
• Ensure readiness inventories are maintained to support rapid operational expansion.

• Vendor & Supplier Management

• Develop and maintain professional relationships with suppliers, distributors, and contracted vendors.
• Monitor supplier performance related to product quality, delivery reliability, fill rates, responsiveness, documentation, and pricing compliance.
• Resolve escalated supplier performance issues, delivery discrepancies, product substitutions, and service failures.
• Cook up supplier delivery schedules and service expectations to support uninterrupted dining facility operations.
• Aid in supplier onboarding, contract implementation, pricing reviews, and vendor compliance activities.
• Recommend supplier changes, corrective actions, or sourcing alternatives when performance or pricing issues affect operations.

• Operational Coordination & Mobilization

• Coordinate with Food Service Managers, Executive Chef, Operations, Logistics, and Finance to align procurement activity with operational requirements.
• Oversee receipt, delivery coordination, storage planning, and inventory placement processes for incoming products and supplies.
• Ensure delivery issues, shortages, damaged shipments, substitutions, and invoice discrepancies are documented and resolved timely.
• Maintain visibility of daily meal production requirements, population changes, menu plans, and anticipated consumption levels.
• Participate in operational planning meetings and provide supply chain input regarding food service readiness.
• Lead procurement and inventory planning support for mobilizations, emergency response missions, disaster relief operations, and rapid operational expansion.
• Ensure procurement and inventory support remains coordinated across Operations, Logistics, Food Services, Finance, and Supply Chain and Procurement.

• Leadership, Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Supervise assigned Food Services Procurement Specialist personnel and provide direction, training, task prioritization, and performance feedback.
• Establish reporting requirements for inventory, procurement, supplier performance, cost trends, stockouts, waste, spoilage, and operational readiness.
• Produce or review daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly inventory and procurement reports.
• Develop procurement and supply chain performance dashboards or reporting tools as required.
• Monitor key performance indicators including inventory accuracy, inventory turns, forecast accuracy, stockout frequency, food cost percentages, supplier performance, and waste and spoilage rates.
• Identify opportunities for operational efficiencies, cost reductions, process improvements, and improved inventory control.
• Present findings, risks, and recommendations to management and leadership as required.
• Maintain procurement documentation, audit readiness, and compliance with applicable internal procedures.

Qualifications

• Five (5) years of experience in supply chain management, procurement, inventory management, food service operations, hospitality operations, institutional dining, military dining facilities, camp operations, logistics, or related fields.
• Two (2) years of supervisory, lead, or functional management experience.
• Experience developing or managing inventory forecasts, par levels, purchasing controls, and replenishment plans.
• Experience working with suppliers, distributors, procurement systems, and inventory management tools.
• Strong analytical, quantitative, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, operational urgency, and cross-functional coordination in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to interpret and apply procurement policies, contract requirements, budget expectations, and documentation standards.

Preferred

• Seven (7) or more years of relevant experience.
• Experience supporting workforce housing operations, remote camps, emergency response programs, military installations, disaster relief operations, or large-scale food service environments.
• Experience with ERP, procurement, inventory control, warehouse management, or food service management systems.
• Professional certifications in Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Logistics, Inventory Management, Operations Management, or related disciplines.
• Knowledge of food safety, food storage, inventory handling requirements, and food service cost control practices.
• Experience developing dashboards, procurement reports, or operational performance metrics.