Restaurant Supply Chain Solutions, LLC, a Yum! Brands Co-op, is currently seeking a Director to join the Food and Packaging Procurement team in Louisville, KY.

Position Overview:

This position is accountable for providing leadership of establishing and on-going management of the purchase of select items through our distribution partners to drive breakthrough results in cost, service, and risk reduction across a variety of food, packaging and operational items supporting Yum! Brands (Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, Habit Burger & Grill) and A&W in support of our broader distribution strategy. This will require developing and execution of critical processes for the alignment & selection of target items, solicitation of costs, financial and feasibility assessment which will lead to a recommendation for execution. As the program is executed, this role will be responsible for the on-going monitoring of pricing to ensure the expected value is preserved and/or enhanced which will include directly working with distributors to improve pricing when not in line with benchmarks and/or expectations. This role will lead the on-going evaluation of the program to identify opportunities for further optimization to improve program performance (service, quality, and cost). Position is hybrid - 3 days in the office, 2 days remote. 

Excellent benefits: medical, dental, vision, retirement, vacation, floating holidays, holidays, wellness, and much more. 

Essential Functions

Lead, Develop, Align, and Execute the Non-Custom Buy (NCB) Strategy           

o   Facilitate the process to build alignment with Brands/Quality, Procurement, and Distribution on items to be considered for purchase by distribution partners (Non-Custom Buy). Work with Supply Planning, Procurement, Brand resources to determine the relevant volume and requirements for these items.

o   Lead the NCB workstream in support of new Distribution Partners, and ensure close communication and collaboration with the Transformation team and other internal stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition with high levels of customer service to restaurants and limited obsolescence whenever there is a transition from a custom item to a non-custom item.

o   Work with Distribution to secure pricing and specifications on NCB items from distributors to support evaluation and financial analysis.

o   Coordinate the process of evaluating NCB items as a replacement for existing items with Brand resources culminating in the Brand approval.

o   Lead the process of the financial evaluation of NCB items, in collaboration with Finance, providing a comprehensive view that encompasses store delivered cost (including all associated costs) by distributor and expected financial impact on the business for ELT alignment on the overall NCB portfolio prior to implementation.

o   Work with Procurement, Supply Planning and Operations to assess risks and/or broader strategies that could impact NCB decision-making on individual items.

o   Lead the development of the final recommendation on the basket of NCB items that incorporates Brand item approval, financial evaluation, and risk assessment/other considerations. Present the recommendation to RSCS executive leadership for alignment and approval.

o   Communicate the final basket of NCB items to impacted Brands, distributors, and RSCS personnel.

On-going Non-Custom Buy Management

o   Review price changes for NCB items to assess reasonableness against internal “should cost” models and competitive benchmarks. For items with changes outside of benchmarks (higher than justified), provides feedback to distributor and negotiates to bring in line with expectations. Engages category sourcing managers and commodity risk management through the process as needed to support positions and share distributor insights (including where distributors may have a lower cost).

o   For key items (high volume and/or business impact), develops understanding of distributor purchasing practices and pricing models to support competitive cost assessment.

o   Proactively engages Distribution and Procurement leadership when there is material misalignment in pricing expectations or other aspects of managing the NCB program.

o   Responsible for the timely development of forecasts and reconciliation for COGS related NCB items and all cost improvement reporting as required by Finance. Actively investigates deviations from plans and promptly takes corrective action as required.

o   Create tracking and monitoring tools to assess if RSCS is meeting its contractual commitments on NCB purchases and identify potential strategies to close any gaps that may exist.

o   Develop and implement an assessment platform that incorporates key performance indicators (KPI’s) to evaluate distributor compliance to stated expectations and engage Distribution to support the improvement in performance with distributors where necessary.

o   Facilitates an annual process to review NCB items with all other items sourced to identify items that should be either removed or added to continue to optimize value and/or service of the business. When new items are recommended to be added to the program, this role will lead the process of evaluating NCB items as a replacement for existing items with Brand resources culminating in the Brand approval. For any changes to the NCB basket of items, the role will work with Finance to assess the financial impact of the recommended changes. Leads the development of a recommendation of changes from this annual review to Procurement and Distribution leadership which will include the brand approval(s), financial impact and risk assessment/other considerations.

o   Identify Restaurant Margin Improvement opportunities on NCB items that drive down the lowest landed cost of items into restaurants and take needed actions to support implementation. Leverages knowledge of RSCS category strategies and approaches to improve NCB item cost where it will not adversely impact our competitive advantage or will require sharing of confidential information.

o   As required by the Brand, facilitates the innovation process between brand resources and the distributor leveraging Procurement category resources. In collaboration with brand resources will assess distributor capability to support desired innovation and responsibility for negotiating cost with support of RSCS Distribution resources.

o   Responsible for engaging brand resources to review and approve the requested specification and/or supply source changes. Communicates brand decisions to all relevant parties.

o   Partner with distribution team to ensure the most logistically advantageous freight network is in place to optimize cost and assured restaurant supply.

Education, Experience and Skills

·       Bachelor’s degree in business, Supply Chain, or related field required, Master’s or MBA preferred.

·       Minimum of +4 years of procurement or at least 5 years of broader supply chain experience

·       Prefer experience in food/packaging manufacturing or restaurant/QSR industry.

·       Must have strong analytical, planning, and problem-solving skills and be able to manage multiple tasks simultaneously in a fast-paced environment. Attention to detail is critical.

·       Superior organizational skills.

·       Candidate must be solutions oriented, proactive and results driven.

·       Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with the ability to shift gears quickly when needed.

·       Ability to collaborate with, influence and build strong cross-functional stakeholder relationships.

·       Ability to anticipate potential issues and proactively build strategies to mitigate.

·       Experience in establishing, building, and maintaining relationships ranging across all levels of the organization.

·       Must be an effective facilitator, influencer, and team builder.

·       Ability to effectively present work across various levels within the organization.

·       Ability to analyze large data sets, interpret results and develop actionable recommendations.

·       Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

·       Proficient with Microsoft Office Programs (i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).

·       Travel expected to be less than 5%.