Buyer, Indirect Procurement

At Caribou Coffee we create day-making experiences that spark a chain reaction of GOOD ! This is our purpose. Our team brings this to life by focusing on what’s really important around here – TEAM, GUEST, BUSINESS ! It’s that simple. If you’re ready to work somewhere you can be yourself while making an impact on your community, creating life-long relationships, and serving the best coffee around, join our herd! Apply today and be part of the ‘Bou Crew!

Position Overview:

The Buyer, Indirect Procurement manages assigned indirect categories—including furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E), smallwares, store supplies, packaging, and services—to ensure reliable supply, competitive total cost, and effective supplier performance. The role executes category sourcing strategies; leads competitive bid, quote, and proposal processes; supports contract negotiations; and coordinates delivery for new store openings, remodels, replacement needs, and ongoing operations.

The Buyer owns day-to-day supplier and category execution for assigned indirect categories and partners with Product, Direct Sourcing, Support Operations, Supply Chain, Quality Assurance, Facilities, Real Estate and Construction, Finance, and Legal. The role provides category data and recommendations, coordinates stakeholder requirements, supports business cases and contract development, monitors supplier performance and risk, and drives approved sourcing initiatives through implementation.

Core Responsibilities:

Supplier, Contract, and Category Management

• •Develop and maintain category strategies and the Indirect Procurement supplier matrix by analyzing market trends, cost drivers (including resin, paper, and freight), supplier capacity, lead-time and continuity risks, regulatory changes, and innovation opportunities. Translate these insights into supplier segmentation, sourcing priorities, and negotiation plans.
• •Plan and execute competitive bid, quote, and proposal processes for assigned categories, including requirements gathering, supplier outreach, bid analysis, supplier evaluation, award recommendations, stakeholder approvals, and implementation planning.
• •Facilitate the contract management process and negotiate new and renewing contracts in partnership with Legal, Finance, and business stakeholders to ensure business continuity, value creation, and successful onboarding of new suppliers.
• •Manage category spend within operating-plan targets and deliver documented value through cost savings and avoidance, rebates, demand management, specification improvements, and total-cost-of-ownership initiatives; maintain accurate savings forecasts and results with Finance.
• •Manage supplier performance using scorecards and service-level measures for cost, quality, fill rate, lead time, responsiveness, and delivery. Lead periodic business reviews and track corrective actions to closure.
• •Contribute category data, supplier insights, cost models, savings opportunities, risk assessments, and ESG considerations to Caribou’s strategic sourcing roadmap and to annual operating and long-range planning.

FF&E, smallwares, store supplies, packaging, and services for store system requirements

• •Lead the Indirect Procurement workstream for new store openings (NSOs) across all business channels, ensuring required products, equipment, and services are sourced, delivered, installed, and ready for operation on schedule and within budget.
• •Represent Indirect Procurement on Caribou’s NSO cross-functional team, from requirements and supplier selection through purchasing, installation, startup, and post-opening issue resolution.
• •Onboard new store operator partners to Caribou’s Indirect Procurement model, including establishing new operator-vendor relationships.
• •Proactively prevent or resolve supply, service, capacity, or installation issues to minimize disruption to operators and guests.

• •Support ongoing store and Facilities Team needs, including replenishment of packaging and store supplies, replacement of FF&E and smallwares, and supplier service and warranty management.
• •Manage vendor relationships, multi-channel forecasts, demand signals, and stock levels to ensure consistent availability at acceptable costs and service levels.
• •Manage the packaging category—including cups, lids, sleeves, carriers, bags, and other guest-facing packaging—coordinating specifications, supplier qualification, artwork changes, and material or supplier transitions with Marketing, Quality Assurance, and Operations.
• •Monitor packaging regulations and sustainability requirements—including extended producer responsibility, PFAS restrictions, compostability, and recycled-content rules—and partner with Legal and cross-functional teams to evaluate and implement compliant alternatives.

Product and Operations Innovation

• •Partner with Product Innovation, Support Operations, Production, and Quality Assurance to source new equipment and smallwares for new product and operations platforms, managing them from discovery through prototyping, in-store testing, and final procurement.
• •Evaluate new equipment and smallwares for total cost of ownership, operational efficiency, guest and team experience, reliability, food safety, serviceability, supplier capacity, and scalability; develop sourcing recommendations and support approval, contracting, and rollout.

Success in this role is demonstrated through measurable savings and cost avoidance, reliable product and service availability, improved supplier performance, timely execution of new store openings and remodels, effective risk mitigation, accurate stakeholder communication, and compliant implementation of category and packaging changes.

Skills and Requirements:

• •Build trusted relationships with and influence leaders, peers, suppliers, and cross-functional partners to align on requirements, sourcing decisions, timelines, and issue resolution.
• •Communicate clearly at all levels—listening to stakeholder needs, explaining tradeoffs among cost, service, quality, risk, and timing, and transparently sharing decisions, risks, and outcomes.
• •Develop and present data-driven recommendations supported by spend analysis, supplier performance, demand forecasts, total cost of ownership, and financial impact.
• •Apply working knowledge of strategic sourcing, supplier relationship management, competitive bidding, contract terms, negotiation (pricing, lead times, rebates, warranties, and commercial terms), risk management, and project management.
• •Use procurement, contract-management, spreadsheet, and reporting tools to analyze spend and demand, track savings and supplier performance, and produce clear dashboards.
• •Proactively identify supply risks, cost pressures, and improvement opportunities, with a results-oriented focus on continuous improvement.
• •Prioritize the guest, team, and operator experience when establishing plans and making decisions.

Qualifications:

• •Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• •A minimum of five years of progressive experience in sourcing, procurement, supply chain, or category management within retail, restaurant, foodservice, hospitality, or another multi-unit environment. Experience supporting supplier negotiations and managing indirect categories is required; experience with new store openings, remodels, or introducing new products or equipment is strongly preferred.
• •Experience with FF&E, smallwares, restaurant equipment, facilities services, vendor-managed inventory, distribution partners, or store development procurement preferred
• •CPSM, CSCP, Lean, Six Sigma, or project management certification preferred, but not required

Physical Requirements:

The physical requirements for this position include sitting, standing, bending, lifting, and moving intermittently during working hours. These physical requirements must be accomplished with or without reasonable acc