Director of Sourcing & Supply Chain - Food, Beverage & Hotel

WHO WE ARE

Lindblad Expeditions is a true pioneer in Expedition Travel. From taking the first citizen explorers to Antarctica in 1966, opening the Galapagos and Easter Island to tourism in 1967, leading the first tourist expedition through the Northwest Passage in 1984, and launching our innovative partnership with National Geographic in 2004, we're now taking almost 30,000 guests a year to some of the world’s most remote and pristine locations on our fleet of 20 ships, and are committed to ensuring our guests experience the “Exhilaration of Discovery”.

Job Summary:

This newly created leadership role will transform Lindblad Expeditions’ supply chain capabilities, advancing the organization toward a more strategic, integrated, and data-driven function. The Director will lead end-to-end supply chain operations for the Cruise Division, including demand and supply planning, strategic sourcing, category management, procurement operations, inventory strategy, supplier performance, and collaboration with Logistics to ensure the reliable and timely delivery of products to the fleet. Categories within the Director’s scope include food, beverage, hotel supplies, gallery and merchandising products, and medical supplies.

With responsibility for more than $20 million in annual spend, the Director will develop and execute category and sourcing strategies that improve cost, quality, availability, and supply continuity. Working closely with Hotel Operations, vessel-based Hotel Directors, Logistics, Finance, and other cross-functional partners, this leader will translate strategy into measurable improvements in forecasting, inventory management, supplier performance, and shipboard fulfillment.

Success in this role requires a strategic and analytical leader who remains closely connected to day-to-day operations and can build a resilient, scalable supply chain that supports exceptional onboard service and the overall guest experience.

Hybrid Schedule: This position follows a hybrid work model working Tuesday-Thursday in the Seattle office and 2 days per week working remotely.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Essential Duties

Planning & Inventory Management

Strengthen planning processes, including influencing demand forecasting, warehouse vs. cross-dock vs. ship-to-port, calendar of activities per season, and resource planning.

Warehouse inventory management, including safety stocks, reorder points, MOQs, lead times, and par levels.

Optimize inventory across the network, balancing service and working capital.

Influence future onboard replenishment.

Strategic Sourcing & Category Management

Strategy for global vs. regional/local sourcing.

Define sourcing seasons and strategies across food (dry, frozen, and produce), beverage, and hotel categories.

Execute seasonal sourcing, TCO analysis, and negotiations.

Partner with MXP to improve quote analysis, particularly on dry goods.

Develop category strategies for commodities such as beef, fish, and wine.

Develop agreements, contracts, and long-term supplier relationships.

Operational Procurement Leadership

Oversee purchase-order execution, fulfillment, delivery, and issue resolution.

Standardize and streamline procurement processes.

Partner with Logistics to ensure timely, cost-effective global distribution.

Team Leadership

Lead and mentor team members.

Manage performance through goals, reviews, and development.

Drive a strong team culture and engagement.

Organizational Design

Create a vision for the team and a roadmap to achieve it.

Continuously assess workloads and adjust the organization.

Performance Management & Continuous Improvement

Establish and track KPIs across service, inventory, cost, and lead times.

Drive process improvements across planning, sourcing, and procurement.

Collaborate on the systems and digital roadmap.

Stakeholder & Relationship Management

Build strong partnerships with Hotel Operations and shipboard personnel.

Proactively manage communications.

Cultivate supplier and partner relationships.

QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Hospitality, or related field; Master’s preferred

10+ years of experience in supply chain, sourcing, or procurement with F&B or hospitality exposure

Experience leading end-to-end supply chain including planning, sourcing, inventory, and operations

Strong expertise in strategic sourcing, category management, and contract negotiations

Experience with demand planning, inventory optimization, and supply chain analytics

Proven leadership of high-performing teams including coaching and performance management

Strong analytical and financial acumen

Experience with ERP and procurement/inventory systems. MXP experience a plus

Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills

Ability to work in fast-paced environment

Experience in cruise or hospitality preferred

Travel expected at less than 25%