Senior Buyer

Job Type Full-time Description

Who We Are:

At Starbird Chicken, we’re redefining what fast casual food can be — serving fresh, crave-worthy food in a welcoming, community-driven environment. We believe in bold flavors, genuine hospitality, innovation, and doing right by our people and guests. We are a united team, we are fast-thinking, fast-moving, and hard-working, and at the end of each day, we celebrate our wins together!

Your Role:

As the Senior Buyer, you are a key driver of Starbird’s growing supply chain function. You own the daily execution that keeps our restaurants running: ensuring product availability, managing supplier and distributor performance, controlling costs, and supporting operational continuity across the business.

You report directly to the CFO and work closely with Starbird’s Supply Chain Consultant, Operations, Culinary, Finance, Marketing, and supplier and distribution partners. You will drive execution against company priorities while supporting growth, new restaurant openings, and ongoing cost management.

This role is ideal for a supply chain professional who enjoys balancing supplier relationship management, purchasing, project coordination, analytics, and cross-functional communication in a fast-paced restaurant environment.

Who You Are:

• A highly organized, proactive, and analytical supply chain professional
• Naturally curious and eager to improve processes and outcomes
• Comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
• A strong relationship builder with suppliers, distributors, and internal partners
• Detail-oriented, with strong follow-through and ownership mentality
• An effective communicator who can clearly translate data and updates to stakeholders
• A problem solver who anticipates issues and drives timely resolution
• Collaborative and energized by working cross-functionally with Operations, Culinary, Finance, Marketing, and Development

What You’ll Do:

Purchasing & Supply Chain Execution

• Manage the daily purchasing and supply chain rhythm for Starbird
• Monitor product availability and proactively address potential supply disruptions
• Coordinate with suppliers and distributors to ensure consistent product flow
• Resolve supply chain issues impacting restaurant operations
• Support inventory planning and replenishment

Supplier & Distributor Management

• Manage supplier and distributor relationships
• Negotiate pricing and resolve service issues and quality concerns
• Monitor supplier and distributor KPIs, including fill rates, lead times, and service levels
• Escalate significant risks and opportunities to supply chain leadership
• Support supplier onboarding and qualification activities

Cost Management & Reporting

• Monitor purchasing trends and identify cost-saving opportunities
• Track and report key supply chain metrics
• Assist with budget planning and cost forecasting
• Support invoice, pricing, rebate, and contract verification as needed

Category & Product Support

• Assist with sourcing projects across food, beverage, packaging, smallwares, and indirect spend categories
• Support menu changes, LTOs, and product transitions
• Coordinate item setup and specification updates
• Maintain product and supplier documentation

New Restaurant Openings (NROs)

• Support supply chain execution for new restaurant openings
• Coordinate product setup, supplier readiness, distributor communication, and opening orders
• Track supply chain milestones and follow-up activities related to openings

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Collaborate closely with Operations, Culinary, Finance, Training, Marketing, and Development teams
• Communicate supply chain updates and issue resolution status to stakeholders
• Support implementation of process improvements across the supply chain function
• Participate in regular business reviews with suppliers and distributors

Requirements

What You’ll Need (Qualifications):

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Operations, Finance, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• 3–5+ years of procurement experience
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel
• Experience managing supplier and distributor relationships
• Exceptional organization and follow-through
• Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills

Preferred

• Experience in multi-unit restaurant, foodservice, hospitality, retail, or consumer goods
• Experience working with food manufacturers and broadline distributors
• Understanding of inventory management and demand planning principles
• Experience supporting new product launches or new restaurant openings

Salary Description $80,000 - $105,000