Senior Director, Protein Sourcing & Strategy

Cracker Barrel; Lebanon (TN); On-site; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Cracker Barrel is seeking a Director, Strategic Sourcing - Protein to lead the enterprise protein categories including beef, pork, poultry and processed protein. You will shape category strategy, manage supplier relationships, and drive cost, quality and food safety improvements.

The role partners with Culinary, QA, Demand Planning, Operations, Finance and Legal to align menu priorities, develop forecasts and contracting strategies, and lead risk management across core items and innovations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field; 10+ years in strategic sourcing/procurement.
• Experience in animal protein or complex commodity categories.
• Experience with supplier negotiations and contract terms.
• Ability to influence senior leaders and manage risk.
• Experience in multi-unit restaurant/foodservice preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for protein categories.
• Lead strategic supplier relationships and performance management.
• Negotiate complex supplier agreements and pricing.
• Monitor markets and mitigate supply disruption.
• Build diverse, resilient supplier network for core items.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to align priorities.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Category management

Supplier negotiations

Forecasting & analytics

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Cracker Barrel is seeking a Director, Strategic Sourcing - Protein to lead the enterprise protein categories including beef, pork, poultry and processed protein. You will shape category strategy, manage supplier relationships, and drive cost, quality and food safety improvements.

The role partners with Culinary, QA, Demand Planning, Operations, Finance and Legal to align menu priorities, develop forecasts and contracting strategies, and lead risk management across core items and innovations.