Director of Supply Chain

Rook Coffee•Tinton Falls, NJ

About The Position

When childhood friends Holly and Shawn stepped away from their corporate careers and started Rook Coffee in 2010, they wanted to make people feel special. Since the beginning, in a 300-square-foot shack, Rook has focused on offering specialty coffees that inspire genuine, human connections. Rook Coffee is currently seeking energetic and hard-working individuals to continue to make those connections. If you’re nice, likable, approachable, a team player, proactive, patient, sociable, positive, reliable, and honest, we’d love to hear from you. Overview The Director of Supply Chain is a highly experienced, analytically driven supply chain leader responsible for building and managing the end-to-end sourcing, procurement, and inventory infrastructure at Rook Coffee. This is a critical and highly visible role that will bring discipline, strategy, and expertise to a function that is essential to Rook's ability to scale. The Director of Supply Chain is someone who thrives in complexity, has deep category knowledge in specialty food and beverage or consumer goods, and can build systems from the ground up while managing the day-to-day with precision. The Director of Supply Chain will report directly to the President and COO and will serve as the primary owner of all supply chain functions at Rook, working in close partnership with the VP of Finance, the VP of Marketing and Growth, and store leadership including the Senior Area Manager and Area Managers. This person will take on work that has historically been distributed across multiple departments and consolidate it into a single, expertly managed function. As Rook scales toward 25 or more locations and continues to grow its production operation, this role becomes increasingly foundational to the business. The Director of Supply Chain will be responsible for the following areas: Green Coffee Sourcing and Procurement Vendor and Supplier Management Inventory Management and Forecasting Purchase Order Management Flavor and Product Sourcing Logistics and Inbound Freight Risk Management and Business Continuity Cost Management and Negotiation Supply Chain Systems and Technology Cross-functional Supply Chain Partnership Key Responsibilities The Director of Supply Chain's responsibilities and job functions include but are not limited to: Green Coffee Sourcing and Procurement Owning the green coffee sourcing strategy, including origin relationships, price fixing, futures contracts, and coffee reservation planning Working in close partnership with the VP of Finance to ensure green coffee procurement aligns with financial forecasts, budget parameters, and cost of goods targets Monitoring global commodity markets and making informed procurement decisions that balance quality, availability, and cost Building and maintaining direct and broker relationships with green coffee suppliers that reflect the quality standards and sourcing values of the Rook brand Vendor and Supplier Management Building and managing relationships with all vendors and suppliers across stores, production, and the broader supply chain Establishing and maintaining vendor scorecards, service level agreements, and performance standards Negotiating contracts, pricing, and terms to ensure the company receives best-in-class value without compromising quality Continuously evaluating the vendor landscape for better alternatives, emerging partners, and risk mitigation opportunities Inventory Management and Forecasting Building and owning an inventory management system that ensures product availability across all store locations at all times Developing forecasting models that account for seasonal demand, promotional activity, new product launches, and production capacity Managing inventory balancing across locations to eliminate stockouts and reduce waste Ensuring inventory data is accurate, real-time, and accessible to the operational teams who depend on it Working with operations and production to build a backend inventory infrastructure that scales with the business Purchase Order Management Owning the purchase order process from creation through receipt, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and proper approvals Partnering with the VP of Finance on PO approval workflows and financial controls Maintaining accurate records of all procurement activity and ensuring alignment between POs and actual inventory receipts Flavor and Product Sourcing Managing relationships with flavor houses and ingredient suppliers to support new product development and limited launch initiatives Working closely with the VP of Marketing and Growth and operations leadership on new flavor introductions, ensuring sourcing is aligned with launch timelines and brand strategy Evaluating new ingredients and suppliers against quality, cost, and supply chain viability criteria before introduction Maintaining a current and organized product and ingredient catalog that supports production planning and forecasting Logistics and Inbound Freight Managing inbound freight, carrier relationships, and delivery scheduling to ensure consistent and cost-effective product flow into the production facility and store locations Identifying and resolving logistics bottlenecks that impact production timelines or store product availability Partnering with operations on distribution planning to ensure the right products reach the right locations at the right time Risk Management and Business Continuity Identifying and monitoring supply chain risks including supplier concentration, geopolitical disruptions, commodity price volatility, and weather or logistics events that could impact product availability Developing contingency plans and secondary sourcing strategies to ensure business continuity across all critical supply categories Maintaining a risk register and communicating proactively to the President and COO and Co-CEOs on any emerging threats to the supply chain Building redundancy into the supplier base to reduce single-source dependency across key ingredients and materials Cost Management and Negotiation Owning the cost management strategy across the supply chain, identifying opportunities to reduce spend without compromising quality or reliability Conducting regular market analysis and competitive benchmarking to ensure Rook is buying smart Partnering with the VP of Finance on supply chain budget planning, cost reporting, and variance analysis Supply Chain Systems and Technology Evaluating, implementing, and owning the supply chain systems and tools that drive efficiency, visibility, and accuracy across the function Embracing AI and data-driven tools to improve forecasting, procurement, and inventory management Ensuring supply chain data integrates cleanly with the financial and operational systems used across the business Cross-functional Partnership Serving as the single point of ownership for supply chain across the organization, reporting to and working in close partnership with the President and COO to eliminate the fragmentation that has historically spread this work across finance, marketing, and operations Partnering with the President and COO on production planning, facility needs, and operational supply requirements Partnering with the VP of Finance on green coffee financials, PO approvals, inventory reconciliation, and cost of goods reporting Partnering with the VP of Marketing and Growth on product launches, limited offerings, and flavor sourcing timelines

Requirements

5 to 10 years of progressive supply chain experience, with demonstrated expertise in procurement, inventory management, vendor relations, and logistics
A bachelor's degree in supply chain management, business, operations, or a related field required.
Deep experience in specialty food and beverage, consumer goods, or multi-location retail.
Proven ability to build and manage supply chain systems, processes, and vendor relationships in a scaling business environment
Strong analytical and financial acumen, with the ability to model costs, forecast demand, and translate supply chain data into actionable business insights
Experience with supply chain management systems, ERP platforms, and inventory tools.
Exceptional negotiation skills and a track record of delivering meaningful cost savings without compromising quality or supplier relationships
A highly organized, detail-oriented approach to managing multiple priorities, vendors, and timelines simultaneously
Strong cross-functional communication skills and the ability to work seamlessly with finance, operations, and marketing leadership
A proactive, solutions-first mindset with low tolerance for ambiguity and a bias toward decisive action
A genuine passion for the craft, quality, and culture that defines the Rook brand

Nice To Haves

An MBA, CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional), CPIM (Certified in Planning and Inventory Management), or equivalent advanced credential is strongly preferred.
Coffee industry knowledge or commodity procurement experience is a significant advantage.
Comfort with AI-driven forecasting and procurement technology is a strong plus.