Manager of Indirect Procurement

Director of Indirect Procurement

Company Background

Flynn Restaurant Group (FRG) was started in 1999 as the owner and operator of eight Applebee’s in Washington State.

Since then the company has grown at over 30% a year, added five additional leading brands in Taco Bell, Panera, Arby’s, Pizza Hut, and Wendy’s, and has become the largest restaurant franchise and one of top 20 largest foodservice companies in the United States.

Today, through its six wholly owned subsidiaries, Apple American Group, Bell American, Pan American, RB American, Hut American and Wend American Group, FRG owns and operates over 440 Applebee's, 280 Taco Bells, 130 Panera cafes, 360 Arby’s, 930 Pizza Huts, and 190 Wendy’s representing $3.5 Billion in Sales and directly employing almost 73,000 people in 44 states.

Going forward the company plans to continue its aggressive growth by building and acquiring additional restaurants as well as opportunistically expanding into other brands and businesses.

Flynn Restaurant Group Support Center

Our mission at the Support Center is clear - we provide ever improving support to enable our operators to focus on running premier restaurants.

We value our 200+ team members and are committed to setting clear expectations, rewarding, and appreciating their contributions and helping them reach their full potential.

We look for people to join our team who think beyond themselves and consider the overall business, that want to "Own it" and take a "Whatever it Takes" attitude in all they do.

Position Description

The Director of Indirect Procurement is responsible for sourcing, category management and tactical purchasing activities across multiple areas of spend in collaboration with Operations and cross-functional team members. This is a hands-on role requiring a detail-oriented and highly driven individual looking to make a lasting impact with a growing organization. To be

successful, the individual will be a seasoned Procurement professional with extensive experience managing Indirect categories and proven at delivering results. They will also be naturally inquisitive; they will love a good puzzle and will have a deep desire to build strong partnerships.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities (Additional tasks may be assigned outside of the normal scope of work)

1. Identify & Realize Cost-improvement Opportunities

• Conduct opportunity assessments to develop cost and service improvement recommendations
• Develop and implement sourcing strategies to meet growth and financial objectives through effective integration with forecasting, demand/supply planning, inventory management, and distribution & logistics
• Strategically source goods and services in support of organizational needs
• Conduct RFx process(es) as needed (includes bid analysis and review, contract negotiations and execution)
• Conduct spend analysis, baselining and forecasting
• Implement solutions in collaboration with Operations and other cross-functional team members
• Develop, direct, and manage overall indirect purchasing roadmaps and oversee the execution of initiatives - accountable for reporting of procurement savings and compliance
• Understand industry cost/pricing trends and primary input variables for areas of responsibilities; effectively utilize industry intelligence in pricing negotiations and communicate accordingly
• Vendor selection and management, pricing negotiations, buying, receiving and material specification controls
• Managing the standardization of the indirect purchasing policies and approach on an enterprise scale by establishing a clear framework for cost savings, spend analysis, contract reviews, pricing, supplier management and purchasing

2. Build & Manage Relationships

• Understand the needs of the organization and the individual Brands to build vendor relationships to meet those needs
• Lead supplier identification, approval, contract/pricing negotiations and vendor relations
• Manage vendor relationships to maximize value and mitigate risk to the business
• Build collaborative relationships with Operational and Support Center team members

3. Elevate Team & Organizational Effectiveness

• Provide contract management expertise to the business
• Act as a business partner in support of strengthening Market-level & Support Center Operations
• Provide leadership to help deliver against long-term goals
• Manage and revise policies, procedures and programs to promote organizational value and efficiency of the procurement function; meet regularly with respective departments regarding procurement initiatives to gain understanding and develop joint recommendations for continuous improvement
• Ability to operate as a team player who can effectively manage staff and work with business clients cooperatively and efficiently, both in person and remotely
• Partner with key stakeholders in seeking out, initiating and leading cost savings opportunities

Desired Skills

• Expert level understanding in spend management, procurement best practices and business systems
• Solid analytical and computer skills
• Excellent communication skills with ability to build relationships
• Creative critical thinker with advanced problem-solving and sound decision-making abilities
• Results-oriented, "hands-on" individual with a high attention to detail
• Can influence and persuade others, even without direct authority 
• Strong relationship management capabilities (vendor, key stakeholders, peers)
• Outstanding communication skills and experience partnering with various levels of the organization to provide advice 
• Personal and professional accountability
• Demonstrable openness to change, resilience and comfort with ambiguity
• Personal characteristics reflective of a fast-paced industry: high energy, self-motivated, positive "can do" attitude, service oriented, high degree of integrity

Experience & Education

• 7-10 years general Procurement experience with 3-5 years directly managing Indirect/Service Categories
• 3-5 years Contract Management experience
• Restaurant and/or Foodservice experience preferred
• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or Supply Chain preferred
• Professional certification(s) preferred (ie. CPSM, APICS)
• Solid project management skills highly desired
• Advanced computer software skills, including Excel, SAP, and other accounting packages

Why Work for Flynn?

Flynn Restaurant Group offers a variety of benefits and perks to encourage and empower our employees. We are committed to helping each employee work and live to his or her fullest potential. We offer a variety of benefits and perks while working for us:

• Medical / Dental / Vision
• Retirement and Savings Plan
• Short- and Long-Term Disability
• Basic Life Insurance
• Voluntary Life Insurance
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Paid Time Off
• Flexible Work Schedules
• Company Outings
• Dining Discounts
• PC/Laptop Assistances
• On-Site Fitness Center
• On-Site Daycare
• On site Café 
• FUN Work Environment!

The Flynn Restaurant Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer