Torchora
Back to Home

Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Catering Procurement Coordinator

💰 $45,000 - $65,000

ProcurementCateringSupply ChainFoodservice

🎯 Role Definition

The Catering Procurement Coordinator is responsible for end-to-end procurement and supplier management for catering and foodservice operations. This role sources ingredients, disposables and services, negotiates supplier agreements, manages purchase orders and deliveries, monitors inventory and cost performance, and ensures compliance with food safety and contract requirements. The ideal candidate combines category sourcing expertise, strong vendor relationship skills, and operational focus to deliver quality food and service while optimizing cost and reducing risk.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Purchasing Assistant or Procurement Assistant (foodservice or hospitality)
  • Catering Coordinator or Catering Operations Assistant
  • Inventory Clerk or Foodservice Buyer

Advancement To:

  • Senior Procurement Coordinator / Senior Buyer (Catering & Foodservice)
  • Category Manager / Sourcing Manager (Food & Beverage)
  • Procurement Manager / Purchasing Manager (Hospitality or Events)

Lateral Moves:

  • Catering Operations Manager
  • Supplier Relationship Manager
  • Logistics or Inventory Manager (Foodservice)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead the end-to-end procurement process for catering supplies and ingredients, including requirements gathering, supplier selection, request-for-quotes (RFQs), purchase order issuance, and order tracking to ensure timely delivery for events.
  • Source and evaluate new suppliers and products for catering operations, conducting cost, quality and service capability comparisons to optimize total cost of ownership and menu performance.
  • Negotiate commercial terms, pricing, volume discounts, lead times and service-level agreements (SLAs) with vendors to secure best-in-class value while maintaining quality and food safety standards.
  • Administer master supply agreements and contract renewals, including contract drafting support, ensuring contract terms reflect agreed pricing, delivery windows, liability, and compliance requirements.
  • Maintain day‑to‑day supplier relationships; act as the primary point of contact for vendors regarding order changes, delivery issues, product substitutions and claims resolution to minimize event disruptions.
  • Generate, review and process purchase orders and change orders in the ERP or procurement system, ensuring correct GL coding, cost center allocations and approval workflows are followed.
  • Monitor and reconcile supplier invoices, work with Accounts Payable to resolve discrepancies, and ensure timely payment while preventing duplicate payments and ensuring accrual accuracy for event budgets.
  • Perform demand forecasting and short‑term consumption planning for recurring events and seasonal menus, collaborating with culinary teams to align procurement forecasts with menu changes and lead times.
  • Manage inventory control for key catering staples and consumables, performing cycle counts, minimum/maximum level reviews and reorder point adjustments to prevent stockouts or excess inventory.
  • Implement cost control initiatives and menu cost analysis by reviewing ingredient usage, variance reports and invoice trends, and recommending substitutions or renegotiations to protect margins.
  • Ensure all food suppliers and products meet food safety, regulatory and internal quality standards (e.g., HACCP, FSMA, local health codes), including supplier certifications, audits and approval processes.
  • Coordinate logistics and deliveries with warehouse, venue managers and third‑party carriers to confirm delivery windows, receiving procedures and cold‑chain integrity for perishable items.
  • Create and maintain a preferred supplier list and approved products catalog for catering teams to standardize purchasing, reduce maverick spend and leverage negotiated pricing.
  • Run supplier performance reviews and KPIs (on-time delivery, fill rate, quality incidents, lead time variability), prepare scorecards and lead corrective action plans with underperforming suppliers.
  • Collaborate with culinary leads, event planners and operations to translate menu requirements into procurement specifications (product specs, pack size, portion yield and shelf life).
  • Lead or participate in cross-functional sourcing projects such as sustainable sourcing initiatives, packaging optimization, waste reduction programs and bulk purchasing consolidations.
  • Prepare procurement reporting and cost analysis for monthly P&L reviews, event budgets and senior leadership updates, highlighting savings opportunities, risks and supplier dependency metrics.
  • Support auditing and traceability efforts by maintaining supplier documentation, lot tracking information, recall procedures and ingredient provenance records.
  • Manage small RFP/RFQ processes for event-specific services (linen, rental equipment, specialty rental items, staffing suppliers) including bid collection, evaluation and recommendation.
  • Implement and maintain procurement process improvements and system configuration in the ERP/Procure-to-Pay tool to reduce manual effort and improve data integrity.
  • Facilitate emergency procurement and rapid sourcing for last-minute event needs, coordinating expedited orders, alternative suppliers and contingency logistics to ensure event success.
  • Provide procurement training and onboarding for catering coordinators and event staff on purchasing policies, approved vendor lists and order placement best practices.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc cost modeling, menu engineering and supplier scenario analysis for new event programs and menu launches.
  • Contribute to sustainability and CSR sourcing initiatives (local sourcing programs, sustainable packaging, ethical supplier screening).
  • Participate in cross-functional meetings with marketing, culinary and operations to support promotional events and special menus from a procurement perspective.
  • Assist in data cleanup and master data management for supplier records, item codes and product specifications in the procurement system.
  • Coordinate supplier onboarding and compliance documentation collection, including insurance certificates, W-9s, food safety audits and supplier questionnaires.
  • Help manage relationships with third‑party logistics, cold storage providers and last‑mile delivery partners to optimize costs and service levels.
  • Support periodic inventory audits and cycle count programs, investigate variances and implement corrective inventory control measures.
  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge of market trends, commodity price movements and supply chain disruptions that may impact catering sourcing and pricing.
  • Support risk management activities including multi-sourcing strategies, alternate supplier identification and contingency planning for high-risk categories.
  • Assist procurement leadership with supplier diversity reporting, tracking spend with minority-owned, women-owned and local suppliers.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Supplier sourcing and negotiation — proven ability to conduct RFQs/RFPs, compare bids and negotiate pricing, payment terms and SLAs with foodservice vendors.
  • Purchase-to-pay (P2P) and ERP systems — hands-on experience issuing POs, receiving goods and reconciling invoices in systems like SAP, Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, or comparable platforms.
  • Inventory management and forecasting — experience with demand planning, reorder point calculation, safety stock management and inventory optimization for perishables.
  • Food safety and regulatory compliance — working knowledge of HACCP principles, local health code requirements and supplier food safety documentation standards.
  • Contract administration — ability to draft, review and manage supplier agreements, amendments and service level agreements.
  • Costing & menu engineering — skills in ingredient cost analysis, recipe costing, margin optimization and unit cost reconciliation.
  • Data analysis & reporting — proficiency with Excel (advanced functions, pivot tables), Google Sheets, and a basic ability to create procurement KPIs and dashboards.
  • Supplier performance management — experience developing KPIs, scorecards and corrective action plans to drive continuous improvement.
  • Logistics coordination & cold-chain management — familiarity with temperature-controlled shipping, delivery scheduling and last‑mile coordination.
  • E-procurement tools & catalog management — experience maintaining supplier catalogs, item master data and punchout catalogs.
  • Invoice reconciliation & AP collaboration — experience resolving billing issues, credits and accruals with accounting teams.
  • RFQ/RFP management and bid evaluation — ability to develop specifications, evaluate submissions and produce recommendation reports.
  • Basic contract law awareness — understanding of indemnities, liability clauses, termination terms and confidentiality relevant to supplier agreements.
  • Familiarity with sustainability sourcing — knowledge of local sourcing, eco-friendly packaging, and supplier environmental standards.
  • Knowledge of foodservice packaging and disposables — understanding of pack sizes, unit measures, and packaging specifications for efficient ordering.

Soft Skills

  • Strong negotiation and influencing skills to secure cost-effective terms without compromising quality.
  • Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written; able to interact with culinary teams, suppliers and senior leaders.
  • Attention to detail and high level of accuracy managing orders, invoices and records for perishable goods.
  • Customer-service orientation with the ability to respond quickly and effectively to last-minute event needs.
  • Analytical mindset with ability to turn procurement data into actionable insights and recommendations.
  • Project and time management skills to manage multiple concurrent events and supplier deadlines.
  • Problem-solving and escalation management skills to resolve delivery, quality or invoice disputes.
  • Collaboration and cross-functional teaming with culinary, operations, finance and logistics stakeholders.
  • Adaptability and resilience working in a fast-paced, seasonal and sometimes unpredictable event environment.
  • Ethical judgment and integrity in vendor selection and spend management.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Associate degree in Supply Chain, Business Administration, Hospitality Management, Culinary Arts, or related field; or equivalent work experience in procurement/catering.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Hospitality Management, Business Administration, or Food Science.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Supply Chain Management
  • Hospitality Management
  • Business Administration
  • Culinary Arts / Food Science
  • Logistics / Operations Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years in procurement, purchasing or sourcing, with at least 1–2 years focused on catering, foodservice or hospitality procurement.

Preferred:

  • 3+ years of direct catering or foodservice procurement experience, exposure to ERP/P2P systems, contract negotiation, supplier management and food safety compliance.
  • Experience managing perishable inventory, cold-chain logistics and event-driven purchasing.
Explore More Careers