Procurement Manager

Job Description: Procurement Manager – Catering \& Contract Food Services1\. Position Details * **Job title:** Procurement Manager – Catering \& Contract Food Services * **Department:** Procurement and Supply Chain * **Reports to:** General Manager, Supply Chain Director, or Finance Director * **Direct reports:** Procurement Officers, Buyers, Expeditors, and other procurement staff, as defined by the organizational structure * **Work location:** Head office, warehouses, production facilities, and supplier sites as required * **Business scope:** Food and beverage, packaging, kitchen equipment, cleaning supplies, and other goods and services required for catering and contract food operations 2\. Role Purpose Lead the procurement function to ensure the timely, cost\-effective, and compliant sourcing of goods and services that meet the company’s operational, quality, food safety, and contractual requirements. Develop reliable supplier relationships, control procurement costs and risks, and maintain continuity of supply across all catering and contract food\-service operations. 3\. Scope of Responsibility Manage the procurement lifecycle from demand planning and sourcing through supplier selection, negotiation, purchase order control, delivery follow\-up, invoice resolution, and supplier performance review. The role covers direct food ingredients and beverages, packaging, consumables, equipment, maintenance, logistics, and other approved categories. 4\. Key ResponsibilitiesA. Procurement Strategy and Planning * Develop an annual procurement strategy and operating plan aligned with business forecasts, approved budgets, contract requirements, and operational capacity. * Establish category plans for key spend areas, including food ingredients, beverages, packaging, equipment, and services. * Consolidate demand across sites where practical to improve purchasing terms, supply reliability, and standardization. * Work with Operations, Finance, and Sales to understand new contract requirements, expected volumes, mobilization timelines, and seasonal demand. * Identify cost\-reduction, supply\-continuity, and process\-improvement opportunities and present business cases for approval. * Maintain a procurement risk register covering price volatility, supplier concentration, availability, lead times, quality, food safety, and logistics. B. Sourcing and Supplier Selection * Lead sourcing events, requests for quotation, and tenders in accordance with the company’s procurement policy and delegation of authority. * Evaluate suppliers using documented criteria covering price, quality, specification compliance, capacity, delivery performance, food safety, financial stability, traceability, and sustainability where applicable. * Obtain and compare competitive quotations for purchases in line with policy thresholds, documenting the rationale for supplier selection or single\-source procurement. * Negotiate prices, payment terms, service levels, delivery schedules, minimum order quantities, rebates, and other commercial conditions. * Ensure that supplier onboarding is completed before transactions begin, including required legal, tax, banking, quality, food safety, and compliance documentation. * Maintain an approved supplier list and ensure its periodic review and authorization. C. Food Safety, Quality, and Regulatory Compliance * Ensure food suppliers meet the company’s approved specifications, food safety requirements, and applicable legal and regulatory standards. * Coordinate with Quality and Food Safety to assess suppliers, review certifications, conduct audits where required, and manage corrective actions. * Confirm that procurement specifications include relevant product descriptions, grade, origin where required, pack size, shelf life, temperature requirements, labeling, allergens, and traceability information. * Ensure products with required certificates, test results, or supporting documentation are not accepted for use until reviewed and approved by the appropriate function. * Coordinate supplier incident response for non\-conforming, damaged, contaminated, recalled, or temperature\-abused goods, following company procedures. * Support traceability and product recall exercises by maintaining accurate supplier, product, batch, and delivery records. D. Purchasing and Purchase Order Control * Ensure purchases are supported by approved requisitions, budgets, specifications, and purchase orders before suppliers are instructed to deliver, except where an authorized exception applies. * Review purchase requisitions for completeness, correct coding, business need, budget availability, specification, and required approvals. * Maintain clear separation of duties between requisitioning, approval, purchasing, receipt, and invoice approval, in accordance with company controls. * Monitor open purchase orders, delivery dates, outstanding quantities, and order changes; ensure amendments are approved and documented. * Prevent unauthorized commitments, duplicate orders, off\-contract purchases, and purchases from unapproved suppliers. * Coordinate with Accounts Payable and receiving teams to resolve discrepancies between purchase orders, goods received, and supplier invoices. E. Inventory and Supply Continuity * Work with Operations and Warehouse teams to align purchasing with approved forecasts, stock levels, minimum and maximum quantities, and replenishment plans. * Establish reorder parameters for critical items using demand, lead time, shelf life, storage capacity, and supply risk. * Monitor shortages, excess stock, expiries, slow\-moving items, and obsolescence, and coordinate corrective action. * Maintain contingency plans for critical ingredients and services, including alternate approved suppliers where feasible. * Escalate actual or anticipated supply interruptions promptly and coordinate mitigation with Operations and relevant stakeholders. * Support accurate inventory records through regular reconciliation and investigation of material variances. F. Contract and Supplier Performance Management * Negotiate and manage supplier contracts and framework agreements within delegated authority. * Ensure contracts clearly define specifications, pricing, delivery terms, service levels, quality and food safety requirements, corrective actions, confidentiality, liability, and termination rights. * Maintain a contract and renewal calendar and begin sourcing or renewal activity early enough to prevent supply gaps. * Conduct supplier performance reviews using measurable data, including quality, delivery, responsiveness, pricing, and documentation compliance. * Issue and track supplier corrective action requests and verify closure by agreed deadlines. * Identify supplier concentration and dependency risks and propose practical mitigation plans. G. Cost Management and Reporting * Monitor spend against approved budgets, contracts, and category plans, and investigate material variances. * Track purchase price movements for key ingredients and report the commercial impact to Finance and Operations. * Analyze realized savings and cost avoidance using an approved baseline and validation method; distinguish negotiated savings from market\-driven price changes. * Prepare monthly procurement reports covering spend, purchase order compliance, supplier performance, savings, stock risk, and open issues. * Provide timely and accurate data to Finance for budgeting, forecasting, accruals, and cost analysis. * Maintain complete procurement records, including quotations, evaluations, approvals, contracts, purchase orders, supplier communications, and performance reviews. H. Team Leadership and Governance * Set objectives and performance measures for procurement team members in line with the procurement plan. * Allocate categories and responsibilities clearly and review workload, performance, and key sourcing activity regularly. * Coach the team in sourcing, negotiation, supplier management, policy compliance, and procurement system use. * Promote ethical conduct, confidentiality, conflict\-of\-interest declarations, and compliance with anti\-bribery requirements. * Ensure staff disclose actual or potential conflicts of interest and do not accept inappropriate gifts, benefits, or inducements. * Recommend process and system improvements that strengthen control, transparency, and service to internal stakeholders. 5\. Key Performance Indicators Targets should be set annually based on the company’s scale, spend profile, operating model, and supply\-market conditions. Management should approve each KPI’s baseline, target, calculation method, data source, and validation owner. KPIMeasurementReview frequencyPurchase order complianceSpend supported by an approved purchase order before commitment ÷ total addressable spend × 100MonthlyCompetitive sourcing complianceEligible sourcing events with the required number of compliant bids ÷ total eligible sourcing events × 100Monthly and quarterlyProcurement savings realizedValidated savings against an approved baseline, net of implementation costsMonthly and quarterlyBudget variance(Actual spend − approved budget) ÷ approved budget × 100, with material variances explainedMonthlySupplier on\-time deliveryDeliveries received by the agreed date and time ÷ total deliveries × 100MonthlySupplier quality acceptanceQuantity accepted without quality or specification rejection ÷ total quantity received × 100MonthlySupplier corrective action closureCorrective actions closed by the agreed deadline ÷ corrective actions due × 100MonthlyCritical\-item availabilityRequired critical items available when needed ÷ total critical\-item requirements × 100MonthlyStock expiry and obsolescenceValue of stock written off or expired during the period, measured against an approved target or baselineMonthly and quarterlyContract coverageAddressable spend covered by an approved contract or framework agreement ÷ addressable spend × 100QuarterlyRequisition\-to\-order cycle timeAverage working days from approved requisition to purchase order issuanceMonthlySupplier documentation complianceActive suppliers with current required approvals and documents ÷ active suppliers requiring them × 100QuarterlyInvoice discrepancy rateSupplier invoices requiring correction due to purchase order, receipt, price, or quantity mismatch ÷ total invoices × 100MonthlyProcurement plan deliveryApproved sourcing and improvement milestones completed on time ÷ milestones due × 100Quarterly **Measurement controls:** The company should define the scope of addressable spend, distinguish food and non\-food categories where useful, set an approved savings baseline, and agree how emergency, single\-source, and market\-indexed purchases are treated. KPI results should use reconciled data from procurement, finance, inventory, and receiving systems. 6\. Authority The Procurement Manager exercises authority in accordance with the company’s procurement policy and delegation of authority, which may include: * Approving sourcing plans and supplier evaluations within delegated limits. * Negotiating commercial terms and recommending supplier awards. * Issuing or approving purchase orders within delegated financial limits and after required approvals. * Recommending new supplier onboarding, suspension, or removal. * Escalating non\-compliant, high\-risk, or single\-source procurement for approval. * Recommending contract awards, renewals, and amendments. * Placing purchases on hold or escalating supplier issues when quality, food safety, compliance, or continuity risks are identified, in coordination with the responsible functions. 7\. Qualifications and Experience * Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field. * A recognized procurement or supply chain qualification is preferred. * At least **7 years of relevant procurement or supply chain experience**, including at least **3 years in a managerial or team leadership role**. * Demonstrated procurement experience in catering, food services, hospitality, food manufacturing, or another high\-volume, time\-sensitive operating environment. * Experience managing food and non\-food categories, tenders, supplier contracts, cost analysis, and inventory\-related purchasing. * Practical understanding of food specifications, shelf life, cold\-chain requirements, traceability, and food safety supplier controls. * Experience with procurement, enterprise resource planning, inventory, and reporting systems. * Strong written and spoken English; Arabic proficiency is preferred or required according to business needs. 8\. Required Competencies * Strategic sourcing and category management. * Commercial negotiation and cost analysis. * Supplier qualification and performance management. * Food safety, quality, and supply\-chain risk awareness. * Demand planning and inventory coordination. * Contract administration and procurement controls. * Data analysis, reporting, and attention to detail. * Cross\-functional communication and stakeholder management. * Team leadership and staff development. * Integrity, impartiality, confidentiality, and sound judgment. 9\. Working Relationships * **Internal:** Senior Management, Operations, Kitchens and Production, Warehouse, Finance, Accounts Payable, Quality and Food Safety, Sales, Human Resources, and Legal. * **External:** Food and non\-food suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, logistics providers, auditors, and other approved service providers. 10\. Accountability Boundaries The Procurement Manager is accountable for sourcing, purchasing controls, supplier management, commercial value, and continuity of supply within approved policies and authority. Product acceptance, food safety release, and operational use remain subject to the approval of the designated Quality, Food Safety, receiving, and Operations functions. Procurement must not approve a product or supplier for use outside those functions’ established controls. 11\. Approval * **Prepared by:** \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ * **Reviewed by Human Resources:** \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ * **Reviewed by Finance / Supply Chain:** \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ * **Approved by Authorized Executive:** \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ * **Approval date:** \_\_\_\_ / \_\_\_\_ / \_\_\_\_\_\_ * **Next review date:** \_\_\_\_ / \_\_\_\_ / \_\_\_\_\_\_ **Implementation note:** Before approval, align the reporting line, spend categories, approval thresholds, supplier qualification requirements, KPI targets, and delegated purchasing limits with the company’s organizational structure and procurement policy. Pay: RO300\.000 \- RO500\.000 per month Work Location: In person