Director of Procurement

Position Summary: Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream is seeking a strategic and results-oriented Director of Procurement to lead our procurement strategy, handle the daily procurement tasks, and manage supplier relationships as the company continues to grow. This role will be responsible for developing and executing sourcing strategies that optimize cost, quality, supply continuity, and supplier performance across the organization. The Director will partner closely with Supply Chain, Product Development, Finance, Operations, and Marketing to ensure Handel’s has the right products, from the right suppliers, at the right cost, and with the reliability needed to support continued growth. This role requires an experienced, hands-on procurement leader who can seamlessly balance day-to-day tactical responsibilities with strategic, executive-level leadership as the brand scales.

Key Responsibilities: CostDevelop and execute strategies to reduce COGS and improve overall procurement economics. Lead negotiations for pricing, contracts, freight, and other commercial agreements. Identify and execute sourcing, consolidation, and specification opportunities that create sustainable savings.

Supply: Develop sourcing strategies that protect Handel’s from supply disruptions and support continued system growth. Identify critical single-source items and develop appropriate supplier redundancy and contingency plans. Evaluate supplier capacity, lead times, seasonality, and other supply risks. Monitor commodity, transportation, regulatory, and market conditions that may impact cost or availability.

Suppliers: Develop and maintain strong strategic relationships with key suppliers. Establish supplier performance expectations and scorecards across cost, quality, service, and delivery. Lead regular supplier business reviews and hold suppliers accountable for performance. Evaluate, negotiate with, and onboard new suppliers when appropriate.

Innovation: Partner closely with Product Development to identify and source ingredients, products, and packaging for new flavors and LTOs. Ensure new products are commercially viable, scalable, cost-effective, and supported by reliable supply. Identify new products, suppliers, and market opportunities that can enhance Handel’s product offering.

Strategy: Develop category strategies based on spend, market conditions, supplier landscape, and business priorities. Utilize procurement data and market intelligence to identify opportunities and make informed recommendations to leadership. Identify opportunities to leverage Handel’s growing purchasing scale and supplier relationships to create additional value. Partner with Finance to establish accurate procurement savings and COGS impact. Qualifications & Experience7–12 years of progressive procurement, sourcing, or strategic purchasing experience, preferably within food, restaurant, consumer products, or a similarly complex industry. Demonstrated success negotiating with strategic suppliers and delivering measurable cost savings. Strong understanding of supplier management, sourcing strategy, contracts, commodities, and supply risk. Experience managing complex categories and multiple suppliers. Strong analytical and financial acumen with the ability to translate data into business decisions. Excellent negotiation, communication, and relationship-building skills. Ability to operate strategically while maintaining a strong understanding of day-to-day business needs. Experience working cross-functionally with Supply Chain, Finance, Operations, and Product Development. Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, with strong Excel capabilities in data analysis, formula application, and spreadsheet reporting.

What Success Looks Like: The successful candidate will build a procurement function that is strategic, proactive, data-driven, and accountable—creating measurable cost savings while strengthening Handel’s supplier network and protecting the business from supply risk. Success will be measured through sustainable COGS improvement, supplier performance, supply continuity, procurement savings, strategic sourcing initiatives, and the ability to leverage Handel’s growing scale to create new sources of value.

Compensation & Benefits: Competitive base salary, and a potential annual bonus plus 401(k) Medical, Dental and Vision benefit plans3 weeks of paid time off (PTO) + paid holidays