Strategic Procurement Director – Foodservice & Margins

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

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.