Director of Purchasing & Supply Chain

Sara’s Mediterranean Market is a high‑volume, family‑owned specialty grocery and food retailer preparing for its next phase of growth, including a second flagship location and future expansion. We are seeking an experienced Director of Purchasing & Supply Chain to lead all procurement, category management, and inventory strategy across the business. This role is responsible for owning margin, availability, and vendor strategy across grocery and related categories.

The ideal candidate brings deep grocery procurement experience, strong vendor negotiation skills, and the ability to build scalable systems and discipline as the company grows. This is a hands‑on leadership role with high visibility and direct impact on profitability and operational excellence.

Location: Richardson, TX (HQ)

Company: Sara’s Mediterranean Market

Reports to: COO / CEO

Department: Merchandising & Operations

Key Responsibilities Procurement & Category Management

• Own purchasing strategy across all grocery and related categories, including dry goods, specialty imports, frozen, dairy, beverage, and private label.
• Lead SKU rationalization, assortment planning, and category performance reviews.
• Develop and execute category‑level margin, pricing, and promotion strategies.

Vendor Management & Negotiation

• Lead all vendor negotiations, including cost reductions, payment terms, freight, rebates, and promotional funding.
• Build and maintain strong supplier relationships while continuously improving cost structure and service levels.
• Identify and onboard new vendors aligned with quality, authenticity, and margin objectives.

Inventory & Demand Planning

• Establish inventory discipline including open‑to‑buy, turns, min/max, and forecasting processes.
• Reduce out‑of‑stocks, overstocks, and dead inventory.
• Partner with operations and finance to align purchasing with sales forecasts and cash‑flow targets.

Supply Chain & Process Improvement

• Implement scalable purchasing systems, controls, and reporting.
• Improve PO accuracy, receiving compliance, and shrink reduction.
• Develop backup coverage and eliminate single‑point dependencies in purchasing processes.

Cross‑Functional Leadership

• Partner closely with COO, GM, Finance, Operations, and Merchandising teams.
• Provide clear reporting on margins, turns, vendor performance, and category health.
• Hire, train, and develop future buyers or category managers as the business scales.

Qualifications Required

• 7+ years of progressive experience in grocery procurement, category management, or supply chain leadership.
• Experience in a $50M+ grocery or specialty retail environment.
• Proven success managing multi‑category purchasing and vendor negotiations.
• Strong financial acumen with demonstrated impact on margin and inventory turns.
• Advanced Excel and ERP / inventory system proficiency.

Preferred

• Experience with retailers such as H‑E‑B, Central Market, Sprouts, Whole Foods, Costco, or similar.
• Private label or proprietary brand experience.
• Multi‑unit or expansion‑stage company experience.

Leadership Profile

• Highly organized and detail‑oriented
• Data‑driven decision maker
• Comfortable holding vendors and internal teams accountable
• Strong communicator with executive presence
• Able to operate independently and make decisive recommendations
• Comfortable working in a fast‑paced, entrepreneurial environment

Why Join Sara’s Mediterranean Market

• High‑impact leadership role with direct influence on profitability and growth
• Opportunity to build best‑in‑class procurement systems from the ground up
• Work with a passionate, quality‑driven leadership team
• Be part of a respected, family‑owned brand entering its next growth chapter

Compensation

Competitive base salary plus performance‑based incentive tied to margin improvement, inventory turns, and supply‑chain KPIs. Full benefits included.

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