Senior Category Manager

Brand:

Bagel Brands is the parent company for your favorite breakfast brands, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Bruegger's Bagels, Noah's NY Bagels, and Manhattan Bagel. We believe in the bagel and how it has the unique ability to bring people together. Our team has a standard set of values and behaviors that allow us to spread a little more joy and happiness in the world. They let us laugh, smile, and enjoy each other's company a little more. These are the behaviors that guide how we work, how we treat each other, and how we treat our guests. We believe that there is no better way to make someone's day than with a warm, fresh-baked bagel and a heart-felt good morning.

The Senior Category Manager is responsible for leading category strategy and strategic sourcing for assigned direct spend categories across Bagel Brands. This role ensures the right products are sourced at the right cost, quality, and service levels to support business performance across all brands and channels.

Partnering cross-functionally, the Senior Category Manager drives cost optimization, manages supplier performance and risk, supports innovation and new product initiatives, and provides data-driven insights to inform decision-making. This role plays a critical part in protecting margins, ensuring supply continuity, and supporting the guest experience in alignment with Bagel Brands' Mission, Vision, and Values.

Department: Supply Chain

Annual Base Salary: $124,000 to $130,000

Bonus: 15%

Long Term Incentive Eligible

Compensation is based on experience, and qualifications

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

Category Strategy & Ownership

• Own end-to-end category strategy for assigned direct spend categories, including supplier strategy, risk management, cost optimization, and long-term planning.
• Manage approximately $80M in annual spend across a portfolio of 120+ SKUs, with a strong focus on critical categories such as bagels and proteins.
• Develop and maintain category roadmaps aligned to business priorities, innovation pipelines, and financial targets.
• Recommend sourcing strategies that balance cost, quality, reliability, scalability, and risk.

Strategic Sourcing & Supplier Management

• Lead strategic sourcing initiatives, including RFPs/RFQs, supplier evaluations, negotiations, and contract execution.
• Negotiate complex agreements, including pricing structures, intellectual property safeguards, co-development arrangements, and ensuring robust contractual risk protections for the company.
• Conduct regular supplier business reviews, monitoring performance against quality, service, cost, and risk metrics.
• Develop and maintain supplier performance scorecards and drive corrective actions as needed.
• Establish contingency plans to mitigate supply risk, including sole-source exposure.

Financial & Commodity Management

• Manage commodity risk through ongoing market monitoring, benchmarking, and proactive mitigation strategies, including hedging where appropriate.
• Maintain and oversee the internal Cost of Goods model, ensuring accuracy and transparency.
• Partner closely with Finance to forecast inflation, model scenarios, and communicate cost impacts to leadership.
• Identify and execute year-over-year cost savings initiatives while maintaining quality and service standards.

Cross-Functional Partnership & Innovation

• Partner with R&D, Marketing, Operations, and Quality to source products for LTOs, new concepts, and menu innovation.
• Support new product development and commercialization by identifying supply options, assessing risk, and recommending sourcing approaches.
• Communicate leading indicators, market trends, and external factors that may impact cost, supply, or risk to internal stakeholders.
• Ensure supplier compliance with Bagel Brands' quality, regulatory, and certification requirements.

Data, Insights & Continuous Improvement

• Analyze spend, market data, and supplier performance to generate insights that inform strategy and leadership decisions.
• Provide concise, accurate, and actionable reporting to Supply Chain leadership and cross-functional partners.
• Identify opportunities to improve sourcing processes, tools, and ways of working to increase efficiency and effectiveness.

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES (SENIOR MANAGER)

• Effective Communication: Communicates clearly and concisely with cross-functional partners and leaders, translating complex data and market dynamics into actionable insights.
• Accountability & Ownership: Takes full ownership of category results, supplier performance, and commitments. Delivers on goals and proactively addresses gaps.
• Adaptability & Perseverance: Responds effectively to market volatility, changing priorities, and ambiguity. Maintains focus and momentum despite challenges.
• Empowerment: Works collaboratively, shares knowledge, and supports teammates and partners in achieving shared outcomes.
• Curiosity: Continuously seeks to understand market trends, supplier innovations, and new sourcing approaches to improve performance.
• Self-Awareness: Seeks feedback, reflects on impact, and adjusts approach to strengthen partnerships and effectiveness.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in strategic sourcing or category management within a food, beverage, packaging, or restaurant environment.
• Strong experience with sourcing strategy development, supplier negotiations, and contract management.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects, timelines, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and financial acumen, with the ability to model cost impacts and interpret market data.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational and communication skills.
• Ability to operate independently while collaborating effectively within a matrixed organization.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

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

The duties of this position may change from time to time. The Company reserves the right to add or delete duties and responsibilities at the discretion of the Company or its managers. This job description is intended to describe the general level of work being performed and is not intended to be all-inclusive.

Bagel Brands is committed to providing equal employment opportunity and fair treatment in employment for all individuals. We do not discriminate on the basis of any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Employment decisions are based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs.

Bagel Brands is committed to providing equal employment opportunity and fair treatment in employment for all individuals. We do not discriminate on the basis of any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Employment decisions are based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs

**Ranges reflect what employer reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for such position.

The physical demands for this position are sits, stands, bends, lifts, and moves intermittently during working hours. These physical requirements may be accomplished with or without reasonable accommodations.

The duties of this position may change from time to time. Bagel Brands reserves the right to add or delete duties and responsibilities at the discretion of the company or its managers. This job description is intended to describe the general level of work being performed. It is not intended to be all-inclusive.

Bagel Brands is committed to providing equal employment opportunity, and fair treatment in employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender/gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, military status or any other basis in protected by applicable federal, state and local law. Bagel Brands makes employment decisions based solely on qualifications for the position.