Director of Strategic Sourcing

Job Description:

POSITION SUMMARY: 

The Director of Strategic Sourcing serves as a key strategic leader shaping the long‑term direction of Portillo’s supply chain. This role owns the sourcing strategy, supplier ecosystem, and category leadership that ensures every product we serve reflects our uncompromising standards for quality and value. This position will lead a sourcing team responsible for direct spending, strengthen strategic supplier partnerships, mitigate risk, and unlock innovation across our food, packaging, and operational supply categories. As a trusted advisor to senior leadership, this role drives value creation, innovation, and cross‑functional alignment that enables sustainable growth. This is a role for a leader who thrives in a fast‑growing, high‑energy environment and who wants to shape the future of one of America’s most beloved brands. 

This is a player/coach leadership role responsible for setting sourcing strategy while remaining directly involved in key categories, supplier negotiations, and cross-functional initiatives. 

This is a hybrid position based at the Portillo’s Restaurant Support Center in Oakbrook, Illinois with on-site presence required Monday through Thursday.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES:

Enable our Purpose to create lifelong memories by igniting the senses with unrivaled food and experiences:

Family: Work together to make everyone feel at home, and we step up when someone needs help

Greatness: We’re obsessed with being the best and work hard to continuously improve.  Our greatness is rooted in Quality, Service, Attitude and Cleanliness

Energy: We move with urgency and passion, while maintaining attention to detail

Fun: We entertain our guests, we connect authentically, and we make each other smile

Strategic Leadership 

• Lead and manage the Strategic Sourcing team to ensure successful execution of sourcing priorities aligned with organizational objectives
• Own the sourcing strategy across key food, packaging, and ops categories to support long‑term growth and deliver against financial targets
• Serve as a strategic supply chain advisor to executive leadership by providing thought leadership on market dynamics, commodity trends, risk, and sourcing opportunities
• Build, develop, and inspire a Strategic Sourcing team focused on accountability, continuous improvement, collaboration, and execution

Supplier Relationship Management

• Lead the supplier relationship management strategy, ensuring the sustained supply of high-quality products and services that meet or exceed company standards
• Build long-term, strategic partnerships with key suppliers focused on value creation, innovation, quality, and shared success
• Directly own select strategic food and/or beverage categories, acting as the supplier relationship owner and driving alignment with long-term business objectives
• Lead the evaluation and performance validation of supplier partners, driving continuous improvement and alignment with company standards

Category Management

• Provide strategic oversight of category strategies aligned with long-term organizational goals while driving continuous optimization across all categories
• Develop and implement commodity risk management frameworks, balancing market trends, supplier capabilities, and cost predictability to achieve competitive advantages and provide input to future spend forecasts
• Develop and lead quarterly commodity and market trend reviews for executive leadership in collaboration with Finance
• Establish and maintain strategic contract management processes, managing pricing agreements and contract terms on a periodic basis, ensuring alignment with financial objectives and market conditions
• Establish comprehensive category costing documents, managing updates and ensuring accuracy to support financial planning and analysis
• Assess and mitigate risks associated with the supply chain, including compliance issues and financial instability of suppliers
• Ensure supply continuity and risk mitigation strategies through proactive risk assessment, contingency planning, and supplier performance monitoring while ensuring readiness in case of supplier disruptions or emerging market challenges
• Partner cross‑functionally to support product commercialization and accelerate speed‑to‑market for new products and product changes

Supplier Quality Management & Brand Protection

• Oversee management of supplier’s quality performance, ensuring that Portillo's products and services consistently meet the highest quality standards across all categories
• Serve as the escalation partner for all product quality-related matters with Supplier Partners, including recalls and quality assessments, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to ensure swift and effective resolution
• Ensure the accuracy and alignment of all product specifications and regulatory compliance
• Champion quality and safety standards that protect the guest experience and reinforce Portillo’s industry‑leading reputation

Sourcing

• Develop and implement strategic sourcing initiatives, leveraging deep expertise in market trends, category management, and industry best practices to drive innovation and achieve competitive advantage
• Executes strategic oversight of the RFP process, from initial supplier vetting through negotiation, award, and implementation to ensure strong supplier partnerships that drive value, efficiency, and long-term alignment with Portillo’s growth
• Lead or support the team in negotiations on pricing with accountability for achieving financial objectives and managing supplier relationships
• Identify and develop new supplier opportunities to support Portillo’s growth strategy, ensuring alignment with innovation, sustainability, and cost-efficiency goals
• Lead technology transformation initiatives in Sourcing, including digital tools, data insights, and process modernization that drive competitive differentiation
• Identify and develop new supplier capabilities that support menu innovation, operational efficiency, high product quality, and emerging consumer expectations

ORGANIZATION RELATIONSHIPS:

This position reports to the Vice President of Supply Chain and manages the work of the Strategic Sourcing team.  The Director, Strategic Sourcing interacts with executive and senior leadership internally as well as externally with supplier partners.  In addition, this position collaborates with internal cross functional teams such as Legal, Operations, Marketing, Finance as well as the Restaurant and Field teams.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Educational Level/Certifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business or related field preferred
• Industry affiliations are a benefit; ISM, CPSM

Work Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• 10–15+ years of experience in strategic sourcing or procurement with demonstrated success leading high‑performing teams and large‑scale category portfolios
• Strong background in foodservice, restaurant, retail, or CPG environments with comfortability navigating complex food supply chains
• Adept at aligning sourcing strategies to enterprise goals and engaging senior leaders with clear insights and recommendations
• Experience managing complex supplier negotiations, supplier governance, contract strategy, and cost‑management frameworks
• Proven ability to build trust across functions including Operations, Marketing, Culinary, Finance, Legal, and Executive Leadership
• Deep commitment to safety, product integrity, and protecting the guest experience
• Experience balancing strategic leadership with hands-on execution in a fast-paced environment
• Strong analytical and financial acumen, including commodity and cost modeling experience

Travel Requirement

• Occasional travel may be required around 15%

DISCLAIMER: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by incumbents assigned to this job.  This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all the responsibilities, duties and skills required.  The incumbent may be expected to perform other duties as assigned. This job may be reviewed as duties and responsibilities change with business necessity.