Procurement Manager

Job Title: Procurement Manager

Location: Cypress, CA (Hybrid – 50% Remote / 50% Onsite)

Reports To: Vice President, Finance

Status: Full-Time, Exempt

Position Summary

WKS Restaurant Company is seeking a results-driven Procurement Manager to lead enterprise-wide cost control and cost containment by overseeing the sourcing, purchasing strategy, and vendor performance. This role will build and run a standardized procurement discipline across both restaurant operations and the support center—ensuring spend is intentional, competitively sourced, contractually controlled, and continuously optimized.

This position is responsible for connecting analysis → discovery → remediation: using financial and operational data to identify cost drivers and leakage, uncover root causes (process, specification, usage, vendor performance), and implement durable solutions (contracting, standardization, compliance, and field enablement). The Procurement Manager will partner closely with Finance, Operations, Facilities, IT, HR, and Legal/Risk stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

Procurement Strategy, Cost Control & Category Leadership (Primary Focus – 60%)

• Own procurement governance and strategy for company-wide spend that is not franchisor-mandated, spanning all applicable categories across restaurants and the support center.
• Build and execute category strategies and sourcing roadmaps to deliver measurable cost reductions, improved service levels, and reduced risk.
• Lead competitive sourcing activities (RFP/RFQ), bid comparisons, should-cost modeling, and negotiation planning to ensure disciplined vendor selection.
• Develop and maintain contract-aligned standards (specifications, approved vendor lists, buying guides) to minimize “maverick spend” and price variability.
• Drive cost containment initiatives across key spend drivers including:
• Energy and utility management (rates, usage, audits)
• Vehicle maintenance/fleet-related services and programs
• Facilities/repairs & maintenance vendor programs (service quality, response times)
• Operating supplies, services, and support-center needs (office services, managed services, equipment/service contracts)
• Establish supplier performance expectations and accountability mechanisms (KPIs, scorecards, QBRs, issue escalation, corrective action plans).

Financial Analysis, Insights & Savings Realization (30%)

• Build a standardized approach to savings identification, validation, and tracking.
• Create recurring executive-ready reporting dashboards and summaries that clearly communicate:
• Spend by category/vendor/location/brand concept
• Price variance, consumption variance, compliance rates, and contract leakage
• Savings pipeline (identified, in-flight, realized) with timing and risk to capture
• Lead deep-dive analyses that connect data to action—translating findings into specific remediation plans (vendor changes, process controls, spec changes, training).
• Partner with Finance to align procurement outcomes to budgets, forecasts, and month-end variance explanations where procurement levers are drivers.
• Support total cost of ownership (TCO) modeling for major purchases/services, ensuring decisions incorporate lifecycle costs and operational impacts.

Procurement Operations, Tools & Process Build-Out (10%)

• Lead the evaluation and selection of procurement systems and tools (e.g., vendor onboarding, contract repository, P2P workflow, spend analytics), in partnership with Finance and IT.
• Establish scalable supplier onboarding and documentation processes (W-9, insurance/COI, compliance requirements, service scopes, pricing exhibits).
• Implement policies and training to drive adoption in the field and support center (how to buy, when to bid, how to request new vendors, compliance expectations).

Qualifications & Experience

• 5 years of progressive experience in procurement or finance related functions.
• Experience in restaurant or hospitality sector strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated track record of delivering measurable, validated cost savings and cost avoidance through competitive sourcing, negotiation, standardization, and compliance.
• Strong financial and analytical skillset (budgeting/forecasting literacy; variance analysis; TCO; ability to build business cases that connect analysis, discovery, and remediation).
• Proven ability to build or scale procurement processes and governance in environments without mature systems; experience selecting/implementing procurement tools is a strong plus.
• Strong vendor management capabilities (service-level expectations, performance scorecards, escalation, and corrective actions).
• Excellent stakeholder leadership: ability to influence without authority, drive alignment across Finance/Operations/Facilities/IT, and communicate clearly to executives and field leaders.
• Strong contract fluency (commercial terms, pricing structures, renewals, risk considerations) and comfort partnering with Legal/Risk for finalization.
• Bachelor’s degree (Finance, Supply Chain, Business, or related). Relevant certifications (e.g., CPSM/ISM, CIPS, CPM, Lean/Six Sigma) are a plus.

Compensation & Performance Incentives

• Compensation: TBD
• Performance Incentives: TBD, aligned to measurable cost savings capture, compliance adoption, service outcomes, and enterprise financial performance.

Work Environment & Travel Expectations

• Hybrid Schedule: 50% remote, 50% in-person at WKS headquarters in Cypress, CA.
• Travel: Occasional travel (up to 10%) for restaurant visits, vendor meetings, and program rollouts as needed.