Supply Chain Director

Cleveland Kitchen is a fast-growing better-for-you food brand focused on fresh, fermented foods with a mission to deliver bold, clean-label products. The Director of Supply Chain will lead procurement, supplier management, and material planning to ensure reliable ingredient and packaging supply while optimizing cost and scalability. This role supports national growth by owning MRP tools and driving strategic sourcing initiatives.

• Lead sourcing and procurement of ingredients, packaging, and production materials.
• Manage and develop relationships with key suppliers and co-manufacturing partners.
• Run RFP processes and competitive bidding to improve cost and supply reliability.
• Negotiate supplier agreements, pricing structures, and long-term contracts.
• Identify, qualify, and onboard new suppliers for growth and risk mitigation.
• Create and maintain supplier performance scorecards (quality, service, cost, reliability).
• Own and optimize the Material Requirements Planning (MRP) system, processes, and utilization.
• Translate demand forecasts and production plans into purchasing plans.
• Ensure accurate inventory planning for ingredients and packaging materials; improve data accuracy and planning processes.
• Develop scalable supply planning frameworks to support operational efficiency.
• Drive cost reduction through sourcing strategy, supplier consolidation, and negotiations; perform should-cost analysis and cost breakdowns.
• Monitor commodity markets and supply trends; partner with Finance and Operations to improve cost of goods.
• Manage and develop the procurement and supply planning team; establish processes, KPIs, and accountability.
• Build scalable procurement infrastructure and documentation; collaborate cross-functionally with Operations, Finance, Quality, and R&D.
• Develop contingency sourcing strategies; ensure supplier compliance with quality, food safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain visibility into supplier capacity, lead times, and risk exposure.

• 8–12+ years of experience in supply chain, procurement, or supply planning within food manufacturing or CPG.
• Proven leadership experience managing procurement or supply chain teams.
• Strong experience with MRP/ERP systems and material planning processes.
• Demonstrated success leading RFPs, supplier negotiations, and cost reduction initiatives.
• Experience developing supplier scorecards and performance management frameworks.
• Strong analytical, negotiation, and financial acumen.
• Excellent communication skills and cross-functional leadership capability.

Preferred:

• Experience in fresh food, refrigerated products, fermentation, or perishable supply chains.
• Experience scaling supply chain processes in a high-growth CPG environment.
• Background in ingredient sourcing and packaging procurement.

• Location: Cleveland, Ohio.
• Focus area: procurement, supplier management, and MRP/material planning (does not oversee inbound or outbound logistics).
• Benefits/perks and schedule are not specified in the posting.