Director of Culinary Operations & Strategic Procurement

Rethink Food; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Rethink Food seeks a Director of Culinary Operations and Procurement to lead the kitchen operations and end-to-end procurement. You will own category strategy, purveyor relationships, competitive bids, contracts, and negotiations while ensuring permits, HACCP programs, and inspection readiness are maintained.

This hands-on onsite role collaborates with Culinary, Operations, Finance, and Programs to drive impact.

Qualifications

• Professional kitchen leadership experience.
• 5+ years of procurement, purchasing, or operations leadership.
• 3+ years leading people, vendors, and budgets.
• Direct experience with USDA/FSMA, HACCP, and food-safety compliance.

Responsibilities

• Purveyor & vendor relations: manage local farms and culinary purveyors.
• Category strategy & sourcing for food, packaging, and equipment.
• Lead RFQs/RFPs, contracts, and service-level agreements.
• Maintain procurement records and grant compliance.
• Monitor supplier performance and implement scorecards and corrective actions.
• Plan inventory, forecast demand, and manage cold-chain requirements.
• Own HACCP programs and USDA/FSMA inspection readiness.
• Lead cross-functional teams and maintain SOPs for operations.

Skills

Kitchen leadership

Procurement leadership

Vendor relations

Contract negotiation

Budget management

Regulatory compliance

Inventory planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Food safety

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Procurement software

Excel

Job description

Rethink Food seeks a Director of Culinary Operations and Procurement to lead the kitchen operations and end-to-end procurement. You will own category strategy, purveyor relationships, competitive bids, contracts, and negotiations while ensuring permits, HACCP programs, and inspection readiness are maintained.

This hands-on onsite role collaborates with Culinary, Operations, Finance, and Programs to drive impact.