Senior Procurement Category Manager

Sweetgreen, Inc.; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 111,000 - 159,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading company as a Senior Manager for Sourcing Category focused on produce and perishables, where you will optimize sourcing strategies and lead a high-performing team. This role emphasizes supplier relationship management, sustainability, and continuous improvement while driving key business metrics.

Benefits

Highly competitive pay + bonus plan

Flexible PTO plan

401k program

Dental and Vision insurance

Complimentary greens

Career development opportunities

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years in category management or sourcing in food industry.
• Proven expertise in supplier negotiations and contract management.
• Knowledge of sustainable farming and food safety regulations.

Responsibilities

• Lead sourcing for produce and perishables across supply chains.
• Manage and develop a high-performing team of sourcing professionals.
• Oversee supplier relationships and ensure compliance with quality standards.

Skills

Team leadership

Supplier negotiations

Data analytics

Contract management

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business or related field

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

Supply Chain Management tools

Job description

The Opportunity

As Senior Manager, Sourcing Category – Produce & Perishables, you will lead Sweetgreen’s strategic sourcing initiatives for all produce and perishable categories across national and regional supply chains. In addition to acting as the business owner for these categories and optimizing sourcing strategy, you will directly manage a team of sourcing professionals. You’ll leverage the strengths of both the Supply Chain organization and key suppliers to drive Sweetgreen’s competitive advantage in Safety, Service, Cost, Quality, and Growth, fully aligned with our values and Food Ethos.

Key Responsibilities

Category and Team Leadership

• Directly manage, develop, and inspire a high-performing team of sourcing/category managers and specialists for produce and perishables and categories as assigned.
• Set clear priorities and expectations, guide professional development, and foster a collaborative, mission-driven team culture.
• Leverage the expertise, capacity, and resources of Sweetgreen’s broader Supply Chain team to enable excellence across category planning, process optimization, and execution.
• Cultivate a strong network of supplier partners, using their capabilities and innovation as extensions of the Sweetgreen team to drive results in safety, service, cost, quality, and growth.

Strategic Category Leadership

• Serve as the “business owner” for produce and perishables, leading the complete sourcing lifecycle for food safety, continuity, total cost ownership, quality, and innovation.
• Apply Sweetgreen’s Six Steps of Sourcing process—including analysis, strategy development, implementation, supplier qualification + selection, negotiation + contracting, and SRM—to all category initiatives.
• Lead comprehensive spend and market analysis, risk assessment, and multi-year strategy development to optimize supplier portfolios and achieve business goals.

Supplier Relationship Management

• Build and nurture robust supplier partnerships, classifying suppliers by strategic importance and risk profile.
• Lead joint business planning, Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs), and performance management to ensure all key suppliers contribute to and are engaged in advancing Sweetgreen’s competitive priorities in safety, service, cost, quality, and growth.
• Relentlessly pursue supplier program improvement through data-driven SRM and continuous improvement.

Quality, Compliance & Food Ethos

• Ensure all ingredient specifications, food safety protocols, sustainability, and regulatory requirements are documented, commercialized, and enforced.
• Oversee compliance with Sweetgreen’s FSQA Expectations Manual, HACCP plans, and GFSI food safety audits.
• Champion Sweetgreen’s Food Ethos, driving sustainability, regenerative practices, and animal welfare objectives across the supply chain.

Supply Chain Resiliency & Risk Management

• Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate supply, quality, cost, and regulatory risks through robust risk analysis, risk registers, and contingency planning.
• Drive the development of secondary supply strategies and optimize product flows to minimize inefficiency and inventory risk.

Project & Change Management

• Lead the scoping, design, and delivery of ingredient projects (e.g., innovation, quality upgrades, food ethos improvements) aligned with Sweetgreen’s priorities.
• Oversee project management systems to ensure timelines, milestones, and deliverables are clear and consistently met.

Performance Management & Data Analytics

• Deliver accurate period-end reporting (credits, substitutions, KPIs, COGS).
• Harness analytics and forecasting tools, and utilize both internal and supplier data, to drive continuous improvement and strategic decision-making.
• Surface actionable insights and business trends to inform future strategy.

Cross-Functional & Organizational Leadership

• Collaborate with cross-functional partners (Marketing, Culinary, Quality, Finance, Operations) to support menu innovation, communications, and sustainability messaging.
• Mentor, coach, and develop the next generation of sourcing leaders and contribute to the ongoing expansion of sourcing excellence at Sweetgreen.

What You’ll Bring

• Minimum 5 years of progressive management experience in restaurant or foodservice category management, supply chain, or sourcing within the food industry, preferably supporting high-volume, multi-site, retail/distribution, or meat/produce perishable categories.
• Demonstrated success in team leadership and people development in a fast-paced environment.
• Proven expertise in supplier negotiations, contract management, and end-to-end category ownership.
• Proficient with data analytics and supply chain management tools: Source to Contract, SRM, ArrowStream, FoodLogiq, CrunchTime, ERP/MRP, etc.
• Deep knowledge of sustainable farming, regenerative agriculture (e.g., soil health, cover crops, carbon sequestration), and food/animal welfare/certification requirements.
• Experience efficiently and reliably moving perishable products through distribution channels.
• Continuous improvement mindset, strong business case development and execution skills.
• Excellent communicator and relationship builder with cross-functional partners, suppliers, farmers, and growers.
• Willingness to travel for supplier and partner engagement.

Key Performance Metrics

• Identify areas of annual cost savings, and execute strategic initiatives for capturing savings on assigned categories.
• Deliver ≥98% supplier on-time delivery and order accuracy.
• Implement and track strategic sourcing plans and risk mitigation strategies for all categories.
• Consistently meet or exceed 100% compliance with food safety and sustainability standards.
• Foster top-tier team performance, engagement, and professional growth.
• Enhance Sweetgreen’s competitive advantage through superior use of Supply Chain and supplier resources across Safety, Service, Cost, Quality, and Growth.

What you'll get:

• Highly competitive pay + bonus plan
• Three different medical plans to suit your and your family's needs
• Dental and Vision insurance
• Flexible PTO plan
• 401k program
• Employee HSA and FSA
• Complimentary greens
• An opportunity to make a real impact on the people around you, both by growing them and by connecting them to real food
• To live the sweetlife and celebrate your passion + purpose
• A collaborative team of people who live our core values and have your back
• A clear career path with opportunities for development, both personally and professionally
• Free sweetgreen swag

Come join thesweetlife!

About sweetgreen

sweetgreen is on a mission to build healthier communities by connecting people to real food. We passionately believe that real food should be convenient and accessible to everyone. Every day in each sweetgreen, our 3,500 team members make food from scratch, using fresh ingredients and produce delivered that morning. And in our local communities, we’re committed to leaving people better than we found them. We’re in the business of feeding people, and we’re out to change what that means.

sweetgreen provides equal opportunities for everyone that works for us and everyone that applies to join our team, without regard to sex or gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, any service, past, present, or future, in the uniformed services of the United States (military or veteran status), or any other consideration protected by federal, state, or local law.

sweetgreen participates in the federal government's E-Verify program to determine employment eligibility. To learn more about the E-Verify program, pleaseclick here.

Salary range for this role:

Starting salary range based on experience

$111,000—$159,000 USD

sweetgreen provides equal opportunities for everyone that works for us and everyone that applies to join our team, without regard to sex or gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, any service, past, present, or future, in the uniformed services of the United States (military or veteran status), or any other consideration protected by federal, state, or local law.

California residents: Review our applicant privacy noticeHERE.

sweetgreen participates in the federal government'sE-Verifyprogram to determine employment eligibility. To learn more about theE-Verifyprogram, pleaseclick here.