Director of Purchasing and Supply Chain

Swensons Drive-In Restaurants, LLC was founded in 1934 by Wesley T. “Pop” Swensons in Akron, Ohio. Swensons is a drive-in restaurant providing high quality burgers and milk shakes. We have grown into 20+ drive-in restaurants throughout Ohio. Swensons is looking to grow and strives to be Best in Brand in all we do. 

Do you want to control your own destiny?

The Director of Supply Chain will contribute to the profitability and growth of the organization through effective, efficient and timely procurement of all Food, Beverage, Restaurant Supplies (paper and chemical), equipment and small wares products. 

Oversee, manage and direct the master distributor, vendors, sourcing, contracting, cost controls and inventory management for all products. Oversee the purchasing processes in the stands, ensuring high compliance in all managed commodities and always seeking improved methods of inventory control at the stand level. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

· SOURCING

o Develop and manage the sourcing strategy and procurement activities including negotiations for all product categories

o Lead the sourcing selection process including managing samples/approvals, value engineering of products and communicating changes

o Identify secondary sources for high-risk products

o Work with Culinary, Operations, and Suppliers to develop specifications for new and existing products

o Manage 3rd party auditors to ensure total quality

o Work closely with Culinary, Operations, and Marketing to create an efficient pipeline for sourced products

o Negotiate Contracts with Facilities and Operations for stand service providers

· SUPPLY CHAIN – INVENTORY CONTROL - DISTRIBUTION

o Develop and maintain supplier partnerships including assessing vendor capabilities, following up on product issues and composing/communicating fluctuations in product usage in accordance with the marketing plan

o Provide data management and analysis, work extensively with supplier reports, unit of measure conversions, and matrices and perform due diligence gathering data for contract negotiations

o Accountability of distribution negotiations, contracts and managing distributor relationships

o Ensures suppliers are compliant with all 3rd party audits

o Ensuring the supply of all product categories at all times

· COST CONTROLS

o Aggressively pursue product cost savings opportunities that align with the brand

o Negotiate sustainable pricing that contributes to profitability for our company

o Identify, monitor, report and track cost savings initiatives

o Report quarterly product cost impacts and/or savings

o Forecast applicable commodity prices and communicate with the executive team

WORK EXPERIENCE

· Min 8 years progressively responsible purchasing experience required

· Min 5 years’ experience within the restaurant or food and beverage industry required

· Purchasing and/or contracting Beef required

· Purchasing and/or contracting Bread and/or Hamburger Buns (preferably of proprietary recipes) required

· Purchasing and/or contracting Chicken, Potatoes and Produce highly preferred

· Food & beverage related facilities and equipment knowledge preferred

· Experience with commodity trading highly preferred

EDUCATION/TRAINING

· Bachelor’s degree in business or equivalent experience and education required

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS

· Dynamic self-starter with a positive attitude

· Assume new assignments, routinely show interest in improving knowledge, offer suggestions and solutions.

· Organized with attention to detail and follow up

· Ability to prioritize and complete multiple tasks while working under pressure in a fast-paced environment

· Ability to act in a professional, courteous and diplomatic fashion with vendors, managers and corporate team members at all levels of the organization

· Proficient Intermediate skills with MS Office Suite (including but not limited to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, & Outlook)

TRAVEL

· Requiring up to 20% travel