Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Catering Procurement Manager

🎯 Role Definition

The Catering Procurement Manager is responsible for end-to-end sourcing and supplier management for all foodservice and catering needs. This role builds and manages supplier relationships, negotiates contracts and pricing, enforces food safety and quality standards, optimizes cost and inventory, and partners with culinary operations and events teams to ensure on-time delivery of high-quality food and beverage products. The ideal candidate combines procurement expertise, foodservice industry knowledge, strong negotiation skills, and operational focus to drive savings, service excellence, and compliance across catering programs.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Procurement Specialist / Buyer (Foodservice or CPG)
Catering Operations Manager or Events Manager
Foodservice Supply Chain Coordinator

Advancement To:

Senior Procurement Manager / Category Lead (Food & Beverage)
Director of Procurement / Head of Catering Supply Chain
VP of Foodservice Operations or Procurement

Lateral Moves:

Supplier Relationship Manager
Foodservice Category Manager
Inventory & Logistics Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead end-to-end procurement for catered events and ongoing foodservice programs, including sourcing, supplier selection, RFx management (RFI/RFP/RFQ), and contract award to ensure consistent quality, pricing, and delivery performance.
Negotiate and manage master supply agreements, seasonal contracts, and short-term purchase orders with national and local vendors to deliver optimal cost, service levels, and flexibility for fluctuating event volumes.
Develop and execute category strategies for proteins, produce, dairy, bakery, beverages, disposables, and specialty items that align with culinary needs, menu cycles, and sustainability goals.
Build and maintain strategic supplier relationships, conduct regular performance reviews (KPIs, scorecards), and implement continuous improvement plans to raise service, quality, and compliance.
Implement and manage supplier onboarding, compliance checks, food safety certifications (e.g., HACCP, ServSafe), insurance, and traceability requirements for all catering vendors.
Drive cost savings and margin improvement through strategic sourcing, volume consolidation, cost modeling, benchmarking, and total cost of ownership analysis while protecting quality and food safety.
Partner with culinary and events operations to translate menu requirements into procurement specifications, standardized product specs, recipes costing, and par levels to ensure consistent food quality and portion control.
Oversee inventory planning, cycle counts, shrink control, and replenishment strategies for central kitchens, satellite locations, and event staging areas to minimize waste and stockouts.
Coordinate logistics and inbound planning with 3PL partners and internal distribution to ensure timely deliveries, correct cold chain handling, and proper staging for high-volume events and peak seasons.
Create and maintain accurate procurement documentation, purchase orders, receipts, and audits; ensure ERP or procurement systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Coupa) are updated for spend visibility and compliance.
Manage supplier risk by conducting supplier audits, food safety verifications, supply continuity planning, and developing contingency sourcing frameworks for critical products.
Lead cross-functional sourcing projects (menu changes, new venue onboarding, sustainability initiatives) using project plans, timelines, budget oversight, and stakeholder communication.
Analyze spend data, procurement KPIs, and vendor performance metrics to provide actionable insights, monthly reports, and executive-level presentations that inform cost and supplier decisions.
Develop and manage annual procurement budgets, forecasted spend, and savings targets; track realized savings and reconcile against financial targets and P&L impact.
Create and enforce procurement policies and standard operating procedures for purchasing, receiving, returns, credits, and supplier performance to ensure consistency across locations.
Manage vendor negotiations that include pricing, SLAs, product specifications, lead times, packaging, disposal fees, and rebates to secure favorable commercial terms and protect margins.
Lead procurement-related contract renewals and RFP cycles, including timeline management, evaluation scoring, negotiation strategy, and successful transition of awarded suppliers.
Collaborate with sustainability and sourcing teams to increase local sourcing, reduce food waste, improve packaging sustainability, and incorporate supplier diversity initiatives.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives such as vendor-managed inventory pilots, alternate sourcing strategies, and digital procurement enhancements to improve efficiency and reduce manual processes.
Support culinary testing and product sampling workflows, including coordinating taste panels, quality assessments, and sample approvals before full-scale procurement.
Ensure regulatory compliance with food safety, labeling, allergen management, and local health codes across all procured items; coordinate corrective actions when non-compliance is identified.
Serve as the primary point of contact for supplier escalations, delivery issues, product recalls, and quality complaints; lead cross-functional remediation and root cause analysis.
Mentor and develop junior buyers and procurement coordinators, standardize best practices, and establish training programs to elevate procurement capabilities across the catering organization.

Secondary Functions

Provide procurement input for event budgeting and menu cost forecasting to support accurate event pricing and profitability.
Support ad-hoc analysis for culinary teams on ingredient cost fluctuations and alternative sourcing recommendations.
Maintain strong relationships with operations, finance, and legal teams to align procurement contracts, invoicing, and payment terms with company standards.
Participate in sustainability and corporate social responsibility programs that affect supplier selection and procurement spend.
Assist in the evaluation and rollout of procurement technology upgrades (e-procurement, supplier portals, inventory management tools).
Contribute to cross-functional emergency sourcing plans for disruptions like supply chain delays, seasonal shortages, or vendor failures.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Strategic sourcing and category management for foodservice and catering procurement.
Contract negotiation and commercial terms structuring (pricing, SLAs, rebates, exclusivity).
RFx development and vendor selection processes (RFI/RFP/RFQ) and bid evaluation.
Food safety and regulatory compliance knowledge (HACCP, FSMA awareness, allergen controls).
Cost modeling, menu engineering, recipe costing, and total cost of ownership analysis.
Inventory management, par level setting, and waste reduction strategies.
ERP and procurement systems experience (e.g., SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Coupa, Ariba).
Spend analysis and procurement analytics (Excel advanced, Power BI, Tableau).
Logistics coordination and cold chain management for perishable goods.
Supplier performance management and KPI scorecard development.
Contract drafting and review in coordination with legal teams.
Experience with supplier audits, traceability, and recall management.

Soft Skills

Strong negotiation, influencing, and persuasion capabilities.
Clear, concise stakeholder communication and cross-functional collaboration.
Problem-solving mindset with ability to lead root cause investigations.
Project management skills and disciplined timeline execution.
Attention to detail and accuracy in procurement documentation and costing.
Leadership and people development, ability to mentor junior staff.
Adaptability and calm under pressure during live events and supply disruptions.
Customer-focused approach aligned with culinary and events teams.
Ethical judgment and supplier relationship diplomacy.
Analytical mindset with a bias toward data-driven decision making.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Hospitality Management, Culinary Arts, or related field.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s in Supply Chain, Business, Hospitality, or Food Science; MBA or professional procurement certification (CPSM, CIPS) considered a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Supply Chain / Procurement / Logistics
Hospitality Management / Culinary Arts
Business Administration / Finance

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3–7 years of progressive procurement or buyer experience, with at least 2 years focused on catering, foodservice, or perishables.

Preferred:

5+ years in catering procurement, large-scale event sourcing, or multi-site foodservice procurement with demonstrated savings, supplier management, and contract negotiation successes.