Director of Procurement

Director, Procurement

Location: Shelton, Connecticut, United States

Industry: Restuarants

Work Setting: Hybrid

Are you passionate about driving strategic sourcing initiatives, optimizing enterprise spend, and creating measurable business value through procurement excellence?

We are seeking a senior procurement leader to shape and advance a growing procurement function. This high-impact role is responsible for developing sourcing strategies, leading complex supplier negotiations, delivering significant cost savings, and building strong partnerships across business functions. The successful candidate will combine strategic thinking with hands-on execution, helping establish procurement as a key driver of organizational performance and financial outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Sourcing & Category Management

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies across a diverse portfolio of indirect spend categories, including professional services, workforce solutions, employee-related programs, corporate services, and other enterprise-wide expenditures.
• Lead competitive sourcing events, supplier evaluations, negotiations, and contract award processes to achieve value-driven outcomes.
• Identify cost optimization opportunities through spend analysis, market intelligence, supplier benchmarking, and demand management initiatives.
• Create and maintain multi-year category strategies aligned with business priorities and financial objectives.
• Drive specification optimization, standardization, and spend rationalization efforts to improve efficiency and reduce waste.

Financial Performance & Savings Delivery

• Build and manage a robust savings pipeline from opportunity identification through implementation and benefit realization.
• Deliver sustainable cost reductions and measurable financial improvements that support organizational goals.
• Establish reporting frameworks to track sourcing initiatives, savings performance, risk mitigation, and pipeline health.
• Partner closely with finance teams to validate and report realized savings using consistent methodologies and governance standards.

Stakeholder & Supplier Engagement

• Develop trusted partnerships with senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders to align sourcing strategies with business needs.
• Influence decision-making through data-driven recommendations and strong commercial insights.
• Manage strategic supplier relationships with a focus on cost, quality, service, innovation, and risk management.
• Lead supplier performance reviews and drive continuous improvement initiatives.

Procurement Transformation & Capability Building

• Support the development of procurement processes, governance frameworks, policies, and best practices.
• Contribute to the evaluation and implementation of procurement technologies, including sourcing, spend analytics, contract lifecycle management, and project tracking solutions.
• Help build organizational procurement capabilities through talent development, mentoring, and team leadership.
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.

What We're Looking For

Technical Expertise

• Deep experience in strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations, and category management across multiple indirect spend areas.
• Strong understanding of total cost of ownership (TCO), business case development, and financial impact analysis.
• Expertise in spend analytics, market intelligence, supplier performance management, and contract negotiations.
• Experience using procurement technologies such as eSourcing platforms, spend analytics tools, and contract lifecycle management solutions.
• Proven ability to manage large-scale sourcing programs and deliver measurable savings.

Leadership Capabilities

• Strong executive presence with the ability to communicate effectively with senior stakeholders.
• Skilled at influencing without direct authority and building alignment across diverse teams.
• Effective change leader capable of transforming procurement from an operational function into a strategic business partner.
• Builder mindset with the ability to thrive in fast-paced, evolving environments.
• Demonstrated success in coaching, developing, and leading high-performing teams.

Preferred Experience

• Significant experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, supply management, or category leadership roles.
• Demonstrated track record of delivering substantial realized cost savings across complex indirect spend portfolios.
• Experience supporting procurement transformation, capability development, or function build-outs.
• Ability to operate effectively in highly visible leadership roles and influence executive-level decisions.
• Bachelor's degree required; advanced business or related qualifications preferred.
• Professional procurement certifications such as CPSM, CPM, CIPS, or equivalent are advantageous.