Director of Purchasing and Supply Chain

Senior Director, Purchasing & Supply Chain

Category Director

Location: Plano, TX (Dallas Metro)

Note - no relocation. No 3rd party agencies will be used for this search.

Candidates must reside within a reasonable commute to Plano, TX and work a hybrid office schedule. 2-3 days in office.

Comp Range: $150,000 to $170,000 + bonus

About the Opportunity

We're looking for a strategic, operationally minded leader to elevate and modernize a rapidly growing food, beverage, and convenience retail business operating across a national multi-location footprint.

This role will lead the evolution of a high-volume Marketplace category with a focus on fresh food, beverage innovation, assortment strategy, supply chain optimization, inventory management, and operational scalability.

The business is actively transforming its go-to-market model, including expansion of grab-and-go and frictionless retail concepts, creating a unique opportunity for a leader who can blend category strategy, operational discipline, and modern supply chain thinking to drive the next phase of growth.

This is not a traditional procurement role. We are looking for an operator who understands how to connect:

• customer behavior
• merchandising
• supply chain
• inventory flow
• and profitability

…into a seamless retail experience.

What You’ll Own

Category & Supply Chain Leadership

• Lead strategic sourcing, purchasing, and inventory management across food, beverage, candy, OTC, and convenience categories
• Drive the evolution of fresh food and grab-and-go offerings to improve assortment, quality, and customer experience
• Optimize direct-to-store supply chain processes, vendor partnerships, and inventory flow across a national retail footprint
• Develop scalable forecasting, replenishment, and inventory planning capabilities utilizing evolving systems and data tools

Vendor & Financial Management

• Own key vendor relationships and negotiations with national and regional suppliers
• Drive margin improvement, assortment optimization, and promotional strategies through data-driven decision making
• Manage category financial performance including purchasing budgets, inventory turns, spoilage reduction, and shrink mitigation
• Partner closely with Finance and Operations to improve forecasting accuracy and operational efficiency

Operational Transformation

• Help modernize legacy purchasing and ordering processes through automation, forecasting, EDI integration, and system enhancements
• Partner cross-functionally to improve communication, execution, and field adoption of new processes and programs
• Build operational discipline around inventory controls, open PO management, and category reporting
• Support implementation of new retail concepts and evolving customer journeys

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Collaborate closely with Merchandising, Operations, Store Leadership, Finance, and Executive Leadership
• Serve as a strategic thought partner in identifying category growth opportunities and operational efficiencies
• Translate customer and transactional data into actionable assortment and merchandising strategies

What Success Looks Like

• Improved assortment strategy and category performance across food and beverage
• Enhanced inventory accuracy, forecasting, and replenishment capabilities
• Reduced spoilage, shrink, and operational inefficiencies
• Stronger vendor partnerships and improved margin performance
• Scalable systems and processes that support continued business growth and evolving retail formats

Ideal Candidate Profile

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in purchasing, procurement, category management, or supply chain leadership
• Strong background in:
• Convenience retail
• Food & beverage
• Grocery
• C-store
• Consumer packaged goods (CPG)
• Multi-unit retail distribution

• Experience managing high-volume consumable categories with complex supply chain and inventory demands
• Strong understanding of forecasting, replenishment, inventory flow, and vendor management
• Experience modernizing operational processes and leveraging systems/technology to improve efficiency
• Analytical and financially driven with strong business acumen
• Comfortable operating in fast-paced, evolving environments with a high sense of urgency
• Excellent communicator with the ability to influence across field operations and executive leadership
• Lives/resides within a reasonable commute to our Corporate Headquarters in Plano, TX

About Lori’s Gifts

Lori’s Gifts is the nation’s leading hospital gift shop retailer, operating more than 250 locations across hospitals and healthcare systems nationwide. Focused on delivering comfort, convenience, and moments of joy during meaningful life moments, Lori’s combines retail, hospitality, and service to create an elevated guest experience for patients, families, visitors, and healthcare staff.

The company operates a growing multi-category retail platform spanning gifts, fashion, and marketplace/convenience offerings, with an evolving focus on grab-and-go and frictionless retail concepts. Backed by Atlantic Street Capital, Lori’s Gifts is actively investing in operational excellence, innovation, and scalable growth initiatives as it continues to modernize and expand its national footprint.