Senior Procurement Manager

About us Gate Gourmet, a gategroup company, is the world's largest independent provider of catering and provisioning services for the airline industry. For the past 70 years, we have served over 250 carriers in more than 30 countries. Gate Gourmet combines culinary expertise with the highest standards of food safety and production to deliver delicious, healthy, and affordable meals to over 270 million travelers around the globe. Job Summary Leads all strategic sourcing, supplier management, and procurement activities for Uqonic Lounges across North America. Develops category and supplier strategies that deliver high-quality food, beverages, operating supplies, equipment, and lounge services at optimal total costs. Collaborates with Operations, Culinary, Finance, Quality, and other gategroup partners to ensure all sourcing decisions support the Uqonic Lounge operating model, brand standards, commercial objectives, and commitment to delivering a best-in-class guest proposition. Travel requirement: 25%-50% Annual Hiring Range/Hourly Rate: $130,000 - $135,000 Per Year This position is eligible for incentive pay of 10% of the annual base salary, dependent upon successful attainment of company, team, and individual goals. Benefits Paid time off 401k, with company match Company sponsored life insurance Medical, dental, vision plans Voluntary short-term/long-term disability insurance Voluntary life, accident, and hospital plans Employee Assistance Program Employee Discounts Main Duties and Responsibilities: Ensures the consistent delivery of high-quality goods and services, including food & beverage, operating supplies, equipment, and services, while also optimizing cost, ensuring compliance, and supporting the Uqonic mission of providing exceptional guest experiences. Leads RFP development, supplier evaluations, commercial negotiations, contract execution and supplier onboarding to achieve best-in-class quality, service, and cost. Builds category strategies that align with lounge service models, culinary programs, beverage initiatives, brand standards, sustainability goals, and commercial objectives. Works cross-functionally with Operations, Culinary, Finance, Quality, and gategroup Procurement teams to drive procurement strategies that align with operational lounge models, standardize sourcing practices, and deliver transparent, value-driven commercial outcomes across all locations. Establish and manage a preferred supplier network across North America for uqonic lounges, leveraging gategroup agreements where possible. Develop supplier scorecards and KPI’s focused on quality service levels, pricing consistency, reliability, and other features. Maintains scorecard feedback, consolidates data, reports on outcomes, and takes appropriate actions when data indicates. Conducts regular business reviews with key vendors and drives continuous improvement initiatives. Mitigates supply chain risks through diversification, contingency planning, and demand forecasting while also ensuring collaboration and communication with lounge operations. Aligns sourcing decisions with staffing models, service delivery approaches, and local market requirements. Actively supports new lounge openings, transitions, and mobilizations with timely sourcing and vendor onboarding. Monitors market trends, commodity pricing, and inflation impacts to proactively manage cost pressures. Supports new business development opportunities and responses to RFPs with supplier identification, product ideas, and cost information. Ensures all suppliers continue to meet regulatory requirements, food safety standards, and gategroup policies regarding vendors, addressing issues as they are identified. Collaborates with gategroup partners to leverage suppliers, contacts, information and process, while positioning uqonic within the group. Qualifications Education: Degree in Business or Economics with a focus on production planning preferred Bachelor’s degree in business administration, hospitality management or closely related field is desirable. Six (6) years of equivalent work experience in hotel or restaurant management, procurement and supply chain logistics or a similar field may be substituted for a degree Work Experience: At least six (6) years of progressively responsible professional experience in procurement, supply chain development and maintenance, and vendor/supplier contract negotiations in airline catering, five-star hospitality, premium restaurant, or international hotel environment is required, in addition to education equivalency. Proven leadership experience in high-end guest services and hospitality operations. Experience in premium customer experience delivery and service excellence standards. Technical Skills: Strong financial acumen including budgeting, cost control, and resource planning Strong business acumen, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities Excellent proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) Knowledge of HACCP and food safety compliance requirements. Knowledge of luxury food & beverage operations, hygiene regulations, and international safety standards. Familiarity with lounge management systems and operational reporting tools is an advantage Fluent in English and local language; additional international languages are considered an asset Exceptional verbal and written communication skills Core Competencies Required Highly developed interpersonal skills with the ability to engage confidently across all levels of seniority and diverse cultural backgrounds Ability to lead effectively under pressure within a complex, high-profile operational environment Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to build trust, influence decision-making, and foster collaboration An understanding of the fundamentals required to deliver world-class luxury guest experiences with exceptional attention to detail Operationally focused with a proactive and hands-on leadership approach Ability to maintain the highest standards of discretion, professionalism, and brand representation Excellent organizational and time-management skills with the ability to prioritize competing demands Language / Communication Skills: Fluent in written and verbal English language knowledge of a second language is a plus. Job Dimensions Geographic Responsibility: US Type of Employment: Full-time Exemption Classification: Exempt Travel %: 25-50 Work Environment / Requirements of the Job: Front Office, also required to be on the Ops Floor Gategroup Competencies Required to be Successful in the Job: Excellence We put the customer at the forefront of everything we do, taking time to understand their needs, wishes and desires. We constantly learn by giving and receiving feedback, improving from our mistakes and bettering ourselves. Passion Hospitality, in its purest form, comes down to a single, core principle: care. We do everything with thoughtfulness, attention, and care. We have a growth mindset, a resilience that makes us determined to bounce back from failures and setbacks. Responsibility We care about what we do, and we understand the impact we have on others and the planet. We always look out for each other –creating a safe workplace environment is everyone’s responsibility. Respect Every job matters. We each do our part to ensure our colleagues and our customers succeed in their goals. We respect each other’s voices and foster a workplace that supports inclusion and belonging. We are all one gategroup. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the individual(s) assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required. Management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties and to assign other duties as necessary. In addition, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position. gategroup is an equal opportunity employer committed to workforce diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status or other category under applicable law. For further information regarding Equal Employment Opportunity, copy and paste the following URL into your web browser: Please click here to view our North America Applicant Privacy Notice