Buyer, Indirect Procurement

Bagel Brands•Brooklyn Center, MN

About The Position

The Buyer, Indirect Procurement manages assigned indirect categories, including furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E), smallwares, store supplies, packaging, and services. The role ensures reliable supply, competitive total cost, and effective supplier performance by executing category sourcing strategies, leading competitive bid and proposal processes, supporting contract negotiations, and coordinating delivery for new store openings, remodels, replacement needs, and ongoing operations. The Buyer owns day-to-day supplier and category execution and collaborates with Product, Direct Sourcing, Support Operations, Supply Chain, Quality Assurance, Facilities, Real Estate and Construction, Finance, and Legal. The role provides category data and recommendations, coordinates stakeholder requirements, supports business cases and contract development, monitors supplier performance and risk, and drives approved sourcing initiatives through implementation. The Buyer leads indirect procurement for new store openings across business channels, ensuring products, equipment, and services are sourced, delivered, installed, and ready on schedule and within budget. The role also supports store and Facilities needs, manages packaging specifications and supplier transitions, and monitors packaging regulations and sustainability requirements. In partnership with product and operations teams, the Buyer sources and evaluates equipment and smallwares from discovery and testing through approval, contracting, and rollout. Success is measured through savings and cost avoidance, reliable availability, improved supplier performance, timely new store openings and remodels, effective risk mitigation, clear stakeholder communication, and compliant implementation of category and packaging changes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
At least five years of progressive experience in sourcing, procurement, supply chain, or category management within retail, restaurant, foodservice, hospitality, or another multi-unit environment.
Experience supporting supplier negotiations and managing indirect categories.
Build trusted relationships and influence leaders, peers, suppliers, and cross-functional partners to align on requirements, sourcing decisions, timelines, and issue resolution.
Communicate clearly at all levels, explain tradeoffs among cost, service, quality, risk, and timing, and share decisions, risks, and outcomes transparently.
Develop and present data-driven recommendations using spend analysis, supplier performance, demand forecasts, total cost of ownership, and financial impact.
Apply working knowledge of strategic sourcing, supplier relationship management, competitive bidding, contract terms, negotiation, risk management, and project management.
Use procurement, contract-management, spreadsheet, and reporting tools to analyze spend and demand, track savings and supplier performance, and produce dashboards.
Proactively identify supply risks, cost pressures, and improvement opportunities, with a continuous-improvement focus.
Prioritize the guest, team, and operator experience when establishing plans and making decisions.

Nice To Haves

Experience with new store openings, remodels, or introducing new products or equipment.
Experience with FF&E, smallwares, restaurant equipment, facilities services, vendor-managed inventory, distribution partners, or store development procurement.
CPSM, CSCP, Lean, Six Sigma, or project management certification.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain category strategies and the Indirect Procurement supplier matrix using market trends, cost drivers, supplier capacity, lead-time and continuity risks, regulatory changes, and innovation opportunities.
Translate category insights into supplier segmentation, sourcing priorities, and negotiation plans.
Plan and execute competitive bids, quotes, and proposals, including requirements gathering, supplier outreach, bid analysis, supplier evaluation, award recommendations, stakeholder approvals, and implementation planning.
Facilitate contract management and negotiate new and renewing contracts with Legal, Finance, and business stakeholders.
Manage category spend within operating-plan targets and deliver documented value through savings, cost avoidance, rebates, demand management, specification improvements, and total-cost-of-ownership initiatives.
Maintain savings forecasts and results in coordination with Finance.
Manage supplier performance using scorecards and measures for cost, quality, fill rate, lead time, responsiveness, and delivery; lead business reviews and track corrective actions.
Contribute category data, supplier insights, cost models, savings opportunities, risk assessments, and ESG considerations to strategic sourcing and annual and long-range planning.
Lead the Indirect Procurement workstream for new store openings, ensuring required products, equipment, and services are sourced, delivered, installed, and ready on schedule and within budget.
Represent Indirect Procurement on the new-store cross-functional team from requirements and supplier selection through purchasing, installation, startup, and post-opening issue resolution.
Onboard new store operator partners to the Indirect Procurement model, including establishing operator-vendor relationships.
Prevent or resolve supply, service, capacity, or installation issues to minimize disruption to operators and guests.
Support ongoing store and Facilities needs, including replenishment of packaging and supplies, replacement of FF&E and smallwares, and supplier service and warranty management.
Manage vendor relationships, multi-channel forecasts, demand signals, and stock levels to support availability, cost, and service targets.
Manage packaging specifications, supplier qualification, artwork changes, and material or supplier transitions with Marketing, Quality Assurance, and Operations.
Monitor packaging regulations and sustainability requirements, including extended producer responsibility, PFAS restrictions, compostability, and recycled-content rules; work with Legal and cross-functional teams on compliant alternatives.
Partner with Product Innovation, Support Operations, Production, and Quality Assurance to source equipment and smallwares for new product and operations platforms, from discovery through prototyping, in-store testing, and final procurement.
Evaluate equipment and smallwares for total cost of ownership, operational efficiency, guest and team experience, reliability, food safety, serviceability, supplier capacity, and scalability; develop recommendations and support approval, contracting, and rollout.