Arby’s Supply Chain Cooperative
Job Description
THE COOPERATIVE: ARCOP Inc. (arcop.net) is Arby’s (arbys.com) independent, membership-based supply chain cooperative responsible for securing, supplying and distributing a wide range of goods/services for Arby's restaurants. ARCOP has governance oversight from an elected Board of Trustees, representing Arby’s franchise & Inspire corporate locations. ARCOP utilizes combined purchasing power of nearly 3,400 Arby's U.S. restaurants (annual spend over $1.5 billion) for goods/services including distribution management, 3PL program, sourcing and procurement of perishable (food, beverage) products & disposable items. ARCOP also secures competitive contracts for indirect products (FF&E) and services.
POSITION TITLE: Director, Procurement
DEPARTMENT: Procurement
REPORTS TO: SVP, Supply Chain
LOCATION: Atlanta, GA (Hybrid)
STATUS: Full-Time
POSITION SUMMARY:
The Director of Procurement is a key strategic leader within the ARCOP organization, responsible for developing and executing holistic procurement strategies across a $1B+ commodity portfolio. This role drives enterprise value by optimizing sourcing strategies, managing commodity risk, strengthening supplier partnerships, and delivering sustainable cost improvements that enhance restaurant-level profitability.
The Director will lead strategic supply categories while providing forward-looking market intelligence, pricing strategies, and risk mitigation plans. This position plays a critical role in aligning procurement activities with brand objectives, supporting innovation, and ensuring supply continuity in a dynamic commodity environment.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Strategic Leadership & Execution
- Partner with the SVP, Supply Chain to develop and execute enterprise-wide procurement strategies and long-term category plans
- Translate business objectives into actionable sourcing strategies that balance cost, quality, supply continuity, and innovation
- Lead strategic initiatives that enhance procurement capabilities, processes, and organizational effectiveness
Category & Supplier Management
- Oversee strategic sourcing activities for key supply categories, ensuring optimal supplier selection and network design
- Evaluate suppliers across raw material costs, conversion economics, service performance, and profitability to deliver lowest total system cost
- Establish and maintain strong supplier partnerships, including development of primary and secondary sources to mitigate risk
- Lead contract strategy, negotiations, and supplier performance management
Commodity & Risk Management
- Monitor, analyze, and communicate key market drivers including supply/demand dynamics, pricing trends, geopolitical risks, and environmental factors
- Develop and execute risk mitigation strategies, including forward-buying, hedging alignment, and alternative sourcing approaches
- Build forward-looking market outlooks, particularly within protein and other high-impact categories, to guide sourcing decisions and protect margins
- Provide actionable insights to leadership on commodity volatility and financial implications
Cost Optimization & Profitability
- Deliver measurable cost savings and cost avoidance through strategic sourcing, value engineering, and supplier negotiations
- Identify opportunities to optimize specifications, materials, and supply chain design to improve overall system economics
- Support Limited Time Offers (LTOs) and menu innovation through cost modeling and sourcing strategies that balance profitability and brand standards
Market Intelligence & Analytics
- Lead the collection, analysis, and reporting of commodity market data, including fundamentals and technical indicators
- Analyze seasonal and cyclical price movements and proactively communicate insights across procurement, marketing, and leadership teams
- Develop unique, data-driven insights into raw material markets to support operational excellence and long-term growth strategies
People Leadership & Development
- Lead, mentor, and develop two Category Managers responsible for assigned categories
- Foster a high-performance culture focused on accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement
- Provide overall business leadership and coaching to enhance team capability and bench strength
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner closely with Finance, Culinary, Marketing, QA, and Operations to align procurement strategies with business objectives
- Ensure early procurement involvement in product development and commercialization efforts
- Support franchisee alignment by ensuring transparency and consistency in sourcing strategies and cost impacts
CORE COMPETENCIES:
- Customer Focus & Responsiveness: Demonstrates urgency and a strong service mindset with internal and external stakeholders
- Results Orientation: Performance-driven with a proven ability to deliver measurable outcomes
- Analytical & Strategic Thinking: Highly intuitive with strong financial and market analysis capabilities
- Relationship Management: Builds credibility and trust; effectively influences stakeholders and leads cross-functional discussions
- Operational Excellence: Highly organized with strong prioritization, time management, and execution discipline
- Leadership & Integrity: Leads with professionalism, ethics, accountability, and a team-first mindset
- Communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
- Quality Focus: Consistently delivers high-quality, accurate, and insightful work.
- Industry Expertise: Prior successful team leadership and procurement/supplier experience required
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor’s degree (Finance, Economics, Business, Supply Chain or related field)
- 10+ years of experience in procurement, sourcing, our supply chain, preferably in foodservice, QSR, or CPG industry
- Experience managing commodities and navigating market volatility required
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- MBA or advanced degree
- Achieved Certified Restaurant Supply Chain Professional certification
- Experience with Palantir – Foundry, SQL, Python, or similar tools preferred
- Proven experience working within a franchise system with indirect control/influence-based leadership
KEY RELATIONSHIPS:
- Internal: Finance, Culinary, Marketing, QA, Operations, and Supply Chain teams
- External: Strategic suppliers, commodity brokers/consultants, and industry partners
- Stakeholders: Franchisees and Brand leadership
TRAVEL: As needed; approximately 1-5 overnight trips per month