Strategic Food & Packaging Procurement Lead

papajohns; Louisville (KY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Papa John’s is seeking a strategic Manager, Food & Packaging Procurement to lead sourcing and category management across food ingredients, packaging, and related supply categories. You will develop and execute procurement strategies to optimize spend, ensure continuity, strengthen supplier partnerships, and support operational excellence.

You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver sustainable cost savings, manage supplier performance, and identify market opportunities while

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field required.
• MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of procurement, strategic sourcing, or category management experience.
• Experience in the foodservice, restaurant, manufacturing, consumer products, or related industries preferred.
• Proven track record of delivering cost savings, negotiating contracts, and managing supplier relationships.
• Experience leading RFI/RFP processes and cross-functional sourcing initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement sourcing strategies across food and packaging categories.
• Manage supplier portfolios to ensure quality, service, innovation, and cost competitiveness.
• Conduct market and industry analyses to identify trends, risks, opportunities, and suppliers.
• Utilize should-cost modeling and market intelligence to support strategic sourcing decisions and negotiations.
• Lead sourcing projects from strategy development through implementation and supplier onboarding.
• Build and maintain strong, collaborative supplier relationships and negotiate contracts and terms.
• Collaborate with Operations, Finance, Marketing, and Product Innovation to align procurement with business goals.
• Establish supplier performance metrics and conduct reviews for continuous improvement.
• Identify and mitigate supply chain risks and drive cost savings and supply continuity.

Skills

Negotiation

Contract management

Analytical skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Spend analysis

Food industry knowledge

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Supply Chain Management

MBA or advanced degree

Job description

Papa John’s is seeking a strategic Manager, Food & Packaging Procurement to lead sourcing and category management across food ingredients, packaging, and related supply categories. You will develop and execute procurement strategies to optimize spend, ensure continuity, strengthen supplier partnerships, and support operational excellence.

You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver sustainable cost savings, manage supplier performance, and identify market opportunities while