VP of Strategic Sourcing

Job Description

Job Description

VP of Strategic Sourcing

About the company

Founded in 1986, Thomas Cuisine is an award-winning, privately held contract food service company. We advocate for the healing power of whole foods and believe in preparing scratch-made cuisine fresh each day. Every Thomas Cuisine team member is an ambassador, carrying out our mission, reflecting our values, and building relationships while "doing the right thing".

At Thomas Cuisine, we know our success begins and ends with our people. It’s the reason we work hard to attract and retain the best and brightest talent. From day one, you will be an integral member of our high-caliber, collaborative team. When you join Thomas Cuisine, you won’t simply start a new job—you will build a meaningful and impactful career.

This role will be located in Meridian, Idaho.

Salary range: $150,000+ depending on experience and qualifications.

Position Summary

The Vice President of Strategic Sourcing will lead the design and execution of a forward-thinking sourcing strategy that drives operational excellence and brings Thomas Cuisine’s REAL Food mission to life. This individual will oversee all aspects of sourcing, purchasing, and distribution while forging deep partnerships with suppliers, distributors, and culinary leaders to ensure that every ingredient reflects our commitment to health, integrity, and stewardship.

This is not a traditional procurement role. The right leader will view sourcing as a differentiator - a way to shape food systems, influence supplier behavior, and strengthen our value to clients through transparency, sustainability, and innovation. Our ideal candidate is driven by results, but inspired by purpose, and sees sourcing as a lever for positive change.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute a company-wide sourcing strategy that ensures availability, quality, and value across all food and non-food categories.
• Build and lead a high-performing procurement team that supports operations with excellence, responsiveness, and service.
• Create a balanced sourcing model that integrates national partnerships with regional and local suppliers to strengthen our REAL Food story.
• Drive alignment between sourcing, culinary, and operational teams to ensure that procurement strategies directly support client experience and financial goals.

REAL Food Integration

• Partner closely with culinary and marketing leadership to champion Thomas Cuisine’s REAL Food standards across the supply chain.
• Work with suppliers and distributors to remove “Scrapped List” items and identify cleaner ingredient alternatives.
• Advance regional and local sourcing initiatives that highlight food origin, seasonality, and sustainability while maintaining cost stewardship.
• Contribute to the development of tools such as the REAL Food Index to measure and track ingredient integrity and sourcing progress.

Operational & Financial Stewardship

• Oversee relationships with broadline distributors and manufacturers, ensuring consistent service, competitive pricing, and aligned objectives.
• Negotiate and manage supplier contracts in collaboration with finance and operations teams.
• Utilize data analytics to enhance visibility, forecast demand, and identify opportunities for savings and innovation.
• Develop and deliver the annual rebate and cost savings budgets.
• Provide monthly variance analysis insights and forecast updates for rebates and cost savings.
• Lead the Central Montana Beef program from end to end, ensuring proper costing and supply management.

Innovation & Influence

• Cultivate partnerships that amplify Thomas Cuisine’s thought leadership around REAL Food and responsible sourcing.
• Collaborate with cross-functional leaders to tell the story of our sourcing impact.
• Partner with Accounting to ensure rebate accruals are accurate.
• Represent Thomas Cuisine in external industry and supplier forums to expand influence and advance positive change in the food system.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in supply chain, procurement, or strategic sourcing (multi-unit foodservice, hospitality, or food manufacturing preferred).
• Bachelor’s degree in business or supply chain management, MBA preferred.
• Passion for improving the food supply chain - from ingredient sourcing to distribution - with a commitment to advancing the REAL Food mission.
• Proven success in developing and executing sourcing strategies that balance cost, quality, and mission.
• Strong understanding of food and beverage categories, supply chain economics, and ingredient standards.
• Experience leading teams and driving organizational change in a values-based, growth-oriented company.
• Excellent negotiation, relationship management, and analytical capabilities.
• Ability to travel up to 20% or less.

Success Profile

• REAL Food is embedded throughout the supply chain.
  Product specifications, sourcing decisions, and distributor relationships consistently reflect Thomas Cuisine’s REAL Food standards.
• Regional and local sourcing strategies are operationalized.
  Local and regional partnerships are established and scaled, bringing freshness, community connection, and differentiation to client accounts across key geographies.
• Broadline distributors and manufacturers are active partners in change.
  Our suppliers are aligned with our mission, collaborating to eliminate “Scrapped List” ingredients and innovate cleaner, more transparent product offerings.
• The sourcing function is seen as a business accelerator.
  Strategic sourcing is viewed across the organization as a driver of growth, margin improvement, and brand distinction.
• Field teams feel supported and empowered.
  Operators and chefs experience a streamlined, responsive system that gives them what they need to deliver great food while maintaining financial and operational discipline.
• Financial stewardship and innovation coexist.
  The sourcing team consistently delivers measurable savings and cost predictability while advancing initiatives that enhance food quality and sustainability.
• Data and insights drive smarter decisions.
  Spend analytics, forecasting, and supplier performance metrics are used to proactively identify opportunities and manage risk.
• Thomas Cuisine becomes a recognized leader in ethical sourcing.
  Industry peers and partners look to us as a model for how a foodservice company can align business performance with food integrity and impact.

Our commitment to you

At Thomas Cuisine, we are dedicated to fostering a workplace that is diverse, equitable, inclusive, and where every individual feels a sense of belonging. We know that this commitment is an ongoing journey, and we will strive to improve and adapt as we grow. Our DEIB commitment is not just a statement but a living part of our company culture.

REAL Food | Genuine Service | Enduring Relationships