PROCUREMENT LEAD

Industry: QSR / Restaurant Chain

Function: Procurement & Strategic Sourcing

Reports to: CFO

Role Purpose:

Lead the end-to-end Procurement & Strategic Sourcing function for a large QSR / restaurant chain. Drive cost optimisation, supply assurance, supplier development, quality, innovation and procurement transformation. Partner with Warehouse, Finance, Operations, R&D, QA and marketing to improve margins and support business growth.

Key Responsibilities:

- Develop and execute procurement strategy and annual category plans.

- Lead strategic sourcing and category management for poultry, mutton, rice, flour, grocery, ingredients, edible oil, dairy, fruits, vegetables, frozen foods, packaging, consumables, LPG, fuel, Capex and indirect procurement.

- Drive COGS improvement, PPV, savings, cost avoidance and inflation mitigation.

- Lead commodity / market intelligence and develop appropriate price-indexing and contracting strategies.

- Identify, evaluate and develop strategic suppliers; ensure dual sourcing and supply continuity for critical categories.

- Lead commercial negotiations, annual contracts, rate agreements, rebates and payment-term optimisation.

- Partner with R&D / Culinary / QA on NPD, product development, value engineering and alternate materials.

- Ensure supplier compliance with quality, food safety, regulatory and sustainability standards.

- Drive supplier performance through OTIF, fill rate, quality, cost and service KPIs.

- Lead procurement digitalisation including e-RFQ, e-auction, SRM, P2P, spend analytics and procurement dashboards.

- Drive working-capital improvement through inventory, MOQ, lead-time and payment-term optimisation.

- Build and lead a high-performing procurement / category management team.

- Establish procurement governance, processes, policies and performance dashboards.

Team Management & Leadership:

- Lead, mentor and develop a high-performing procurement team across Category Management, Strategic Sourcing, Direct & Indirect Procurement and Procurement Operations.

- Set clear KRAs, targets and performance metrics for the procurement team and drive accountability.

- Build category expertise, succession planning and capability development within the team.

- Create a collaborative, performance-driven procurement culture aligned with business objectives.

Key KPIs:

- Procurement Savings / Cost Optimisation

- Food Cost / COGS / PPV

- Inflation Mitigation

- Supplier OTIF & Fill Rate

- Quality & Supplier Performance

- Supply Continuity / Stock-out Reduction

- Contract Coverage

- Working Capital

- Supplier Risk & Alternate Sourcing

- Procurement Digitalisation

Candidate Profile:

- 15 - 20+ years of experience in Procurement / Strategic Sourcing.

- Strong experience in QSR, Restaurant, FMCG, Food Service, Food Manufacturing or Retail.

- Proven experience managing large direct-material and indirect procurement spend.

- Strong exposure to category management, commodity sourcing, negotiations and supplier development.

- Experience in managing multi-location / multi-supplier procurement operations.

- Strong commercial, analytical and stakeholder-management skills.

- MBA / PGDM in Supply Chain, Procurement, Operations or related discipline preferred.