Food and Beverage Category Manager

Position Title: Food and Beverage Category Manager

Reports To: Purchasing Director

Department: Concepts & Standards

Status: Exempt

Date: November 2025

Broad Functions: The F&B and Supplies Category Manager is responsible for developing and executing sourcing strategies that optimize cost, quality, and service performance across assigned Food & Beverage and Supplies-related categories. This might include distribution, food, beverages, disposables/packaging, and chemicals. This role supports Director of Supply Chain with supplier negotiations, manages national programs, supports new openings, and ensures product availability across all airports and plazas. The Category Manager partners closely with Supply Chain, Operations, Culinary, Finance, IT, and vendors to drive compliance, efficiency, and innovation while ensuring continuity of supply.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Develop and execute category strategies for assigned F&B and Supplies categories, ensuring alignment with company goals, budget targets, and operational requirements.

2. Develop and maintain category strategies based on market analysis, business needs, and spend data.

3. Conduct comprehensive category reviews to identify opportunities for cost savings, process improvements, and supplier/SKU consolidation.

4. Lead end-to-end strategic sourcing initiatives, including RFI/RFQ/RFP process for assigned categories.

5. Evaluate supplier proposals, negotiate pricing, rebates, service fees, and contract terms.

6. Draft, review, and manage supplier contracts in collaboration with Legal.

7. Monitor market trends, cost drivers, inflation, and category innovation.

8. Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned national and regional suppliers across your categories.

9. Conduct regular business reviews, track performance (fill rate, quality, compliance), and resolve escalations.

10. Partner with Supply Chain to ensure vendors adhere to lead times, substitutions policies, service expectations, and delivery schedules.

11. Work with suppliers and Finance to validate allowances, rebates, credits, and program compliance.

12. Collaborate with Supply Chain, Culinary and Operations to approve new items, cost changes, substitutions, and menu impacts.

13. Identify annual savings opportunities through strategic partnerships, contract negotiation, and SKU/category optimization.

14. Develop and maintain strong supplier partnerships to drive innovation and performance.

15. Conduct regular business reviews and monitor supplier KPIs

16. Identify and address supplier risks, capacity constraints, and quality issues.

17. Track and analyze unit costs, freight charges, service fees, and cost change impacts.

18. Support budgeting and forecasting for categories including cost inflation models.

19. Maintain documentation, workflows, and audit readiness for all categories.

Skills and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Finance, Hospitality Management, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in Procurement, Sourcing, Category Management, Supply Chain, or F&B Operations (multi-unit preferred).
• Strong understanding of foodservice distribution, service contracts, and procurement lifecycle.
• Experience working with Crunch Time or similar ERP systems.
• Advanced negotiation, financial analysis, and vendor management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple categories and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent communication and experience leading cross-functional projects in a matrix organization.
• Strong analytical skills and proficiency with Excel, Power BI or similar tools

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee operates in an office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines. This is largely a sedentary role and requires color determination vision (no color blindness) and to sit for extended periods of time in front of the computer. This position would require the ability to lift files, open filing cabinets and bend or stand on a stool as necessary. This position requires the ability to occasionally lift office products and supplies, up to 20 pounds. Some bending and/or lifting of supplies and mail in/out materials from time to time may be required.