Director of Procurement - Foodservice ONLY

Judge Direct Placement; Orlando (FL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Judge Direct Placement is seeking a Director of Procurement for our Orlando-area foodservice distribution center. You will lead day-to-day purchasing, manage vendor partnerships, and drive inventory performance across perishable and non-perishable categories.

The role demands a transformational, hands-on leader who can mentor the purchasing team, shift from transactional buying to data-driven category management, and protect margins through strategic sourcing and demand planning.

Qualifications

• 5–8+ years of progressive procurement or purchasing leadership within a broadline, specialty, or regional foodservice distributor.
• Proven track record of directly managing, coaching, and developing a purchasing or category management team.
• Experience on-site in a facility-based distribution environment with high inventory turnover and short-shelf-life perishable items.
• Negotiation & commercial acumen demonstrated in vendor contracts, rebate programs, and commodity market analysis to drive COGS savings.
• Bachelor’s degree in related field or equivalent operational experience.

Responsibilities

• Directly manage, coach, and develop a team of buyers, purchasing agents, and category specialists.
• Oversee procurement execution across center-of-the-plate proteins, produce, dairy, frozen, dry grocery, and disposables.
• Lead supplier negotiations with manufacturers, regional brokers, and local growers; secure favorable terms and discounts.
• Manage landed cost structures and pricing with sales and finance to protect margins.
• Partner with warehouse operations to align purchasing with demand forecasting and minimize shrink and spoilage.
• Monitor market trends and supply chain bottlenecks to adjust purchasing and safeguard stock.
• Modernize procurement workflows by leveraging ERP systems and purchasing metrics.

Skills

Foodservice procurement leadership

Team leadership

Negotiation & commercial acumen

ERP systems

Inventory planning tools

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management or related field

Tools

ERP systems

Inventory planning tools

Job description

Foodservice distributor in the Orlando, FL area is seeking a Director of Procurement who will be a key departmental leader responsible for guiding day-to-day purchasing operations, managing vendor partnerships, and driving inventory performance for our single-site foodservice distribution center. This role requires a transformational, hands-on leader who will mentor, coach, and elevate our purchasing team from transactional buying to proactive, data-driven category management.

By combining deep foodservice industry insights with strategic vendor management, the Director of Procurement will optimize cost of goods sold (COGS), expand gross margins, and ensure reliable supply across perishable, non-perishable, and broadline product categories.

Responsibilities

• Team Leadership & Development: Directly manage, coach, and develop a team of buyers, purchasing agents, and category specialists; foster a culture of accountability, skill-building, and operational excellence.
• Category Management & Sourcing: Oversee procurement execution across center-of-the-plate proteins, produce, dairy, frozen, dry grocery, and disposables to secure competitive pricing while maintaining strict quality standards.
• Vendor Management & Negotiation: Lead supplier negotiations with manufacturers, regional brokers, and local growers; secure favorable contract terms, volume rebate structures, and prompt-pay discounts.
• Margin Expansion & Pricing Integrity: Manage landed cost structures and pricing mechanics in collaboration with sales and finance to protect and improve gross profit margins.
• Inventory Control & Health: Partner with warehouse operations to align purchasing with demand forecasting, maintaining high fill rates while actively minimizing product shrink, spoilage, and slow-moving stock.
• Market Tracking & Risk Management: Monitor market trends, commodity fluctuations, and supply chain bottlenecks to make timely purchasing adjustments and safeguard stock availability.
• Process & System Optimization: Modernize procurement workflows by leveraging ERP systems, demand planning software, and purchasing metrics to improve purchasing accuracy and efficiency.

Qualifications

• Foodservice Distribution Background (Required): 5–8+ years of progressive procurement or purchasing leadership within a broadline, specialty, or regional foodservice distributor.
• Team Leadership: Proven track record of directly managing, coaching, and developing a purchasing or category management team.
• Single-Site Operational Agility: Experience working on-site in a facility-based distribution environment with high inventory turnover and short-shelf-life perishable items.
• Negotiation & Commercial Acumen: Demonstrated success negotiating vendor contracts, managing rebate programs, and analyzing commodity markets to drive COGS savings.
• Technical Proficiency: Hands‑on experience with foodservice enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, inventory planning tools, and reporting dashboards.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Food Systems, or a related field (or equivalent operational experience).