Overview
The Director of Supply Chain is a highly experienced, analytically driven supply chain leader responsible for building and managing the end-to-end sourcing, procurement, and inventory infrastructure at Rook Coffee. This is a critical and highly visible role that will bring discipline, strategy, and expertise to a function that is essential to Rook's ability to scale. The Director of Supply Chain is someone who thrives in complexity, has deep category knowledge in specialty food and beverage or consumer goods, and can build systems from the ground up while managing the day-to-day with precision.
The Director of Supply Chain will report directly to the President and COO and will serve as the primary owner of all supply chain functions at Rook, working in close partnership with the VP of Finance, the VP of Marketing and Growth, and store leadership including the Senior Area Manager and Area Managers. This person will take on work that has historically been distributed across multiple departments and consolidate it into a single, expertly managed function. As Rook scales toward 25 or more locations and continues to grow its production operation, this role becomes increasingly foundational to the business.
The Director of Supply Chain will be responsible for the following areas:
Green Coffee Sourcing and Procurement
Vendor and Supplier Management
Inventory Management and Forecasting
Purchase Order Management
Flavor and Product Sourcing
Logistics and Inbound Freight
Risk Management and Business Continuity
Cost Management and Negotiation
Supply Chain Systems and Technology
Cross-functional Supply Chain Partnership
Key Responsibilities
Owning the green coffee sourcing strategy, including origin relationships, price fixing, futures contracts, and coffee reservation planning
Working in close partnership with the VP of Finance to ensure green coffee procurement aligns with financial forecasts, budget parameters, and cost of goods targets
Monitoring global commodity markets and making informed procurement decisions that balance quality, availability, and cost
Building and maintaining direct and broker relationships with green coffee suppliers that reflect the quality standards and sourcing values of the Rook brand
Building and managing relationships with all vendors and suppliers across stores, production, and the broader supply chain
Establishing and maintaining vendor scorecards, service level agreements, and performance standards
Negotiating contracts, pricing, and terms to ensure the company receives best-in-class value without compromising quality
Continuously evaluating the vendor landscape for better alternatives, emerging partners, and risk mitigation opportunities
Building and owning an inventory management system that ensures product availability across all store locations at all times
Developing forecasting models that account for seasonal demand, promotional activity, new product launches, and production capacity
Managing inventory balancing across locations to eliminate stockouts and reduce waste
Ensuring inventory data is accurate, real-time, and accessible to the operational teams who depend on it
Working with operations and production to build a backend inventory infrastructure that scales with the business
Owning the purchase order process from creation through receipt, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and proper approvals
Partnering with the VP of Finance on PO approval workflows and financial controls
Maintaining accurate records of all procurement activity and ensuring alignment between POs and actual inventory receipts
Managing relationships with flavor houses and ingredient suppliers to support new product development and limited launch initiatives
Working closely with the VP of Marketing and Growth and operations leadership on new flavor introductions, ensuring sourcing is aligned with launch timelines and brand strategy
Evaluating new ingredients and suppliers against quality, cost, and supply chain viability criteria before introduction
Maintaining a current and organized product and ingredient catalog that supports production planning and forecasting
Managing inbound freight, carrier relationships, and delivery scheduling to ensure consistent and cost-effective product flow into the production facility and store locations
Identifying and resolving logistics bottlenecks that impact production timelines or store product availability
Partnering with operations on distribution planning to ensure the right products reach the right locations at the right time
Identifying and monitoring supply chain risks including supplier concentration, geopolitical disruptions, commodity price volatility, and weather or logistics events that could impact product availability
Developing contingency plans and secondary sourcing strategies to ensure business continuity across all critical supply categories
Maintaining a risk register and communicating proactively to the President and COO and Co-CEOs on any emerging threats to the supply chain
Building redundancy into the supplier base to reduce single-source dependency across key ingredients and materials
Owning the cost management strategy across the supply chain, identifying opportunities to reduce spend without compromising quality or reliability
Conducting regular market analysis and competitive benchmarking to ensure Rook is buying smart
Partnering with the VP of Finance on supply chain budget planning, cost reporting, and variance analysis
Evaluating, implementing, and owning the supply chain systems and tools that drive efficiency, visibility, and accuracy across the function
Embracing AI and data-driven tools to improve forecasting, procurement, and inventory management
Ensuring supply chain data integrates cleanly with the financial and operational systems used across the business
Serving as the single point of ownership for supply chain across the organization, reporting to and working in close partnership with the President and COO to eliminate the fragmentation that has historically spread this work across finance, marketing, and operations
Partnering with the President and COO on production planning, facility needs, and operational supply requirements
Partnering with the VP of Finance on green coffee financials, PO approvals, inventory reconciliation, and cost of goods reporting
Partnering with the VP of Marketing and Growth on product launches, limited offerings, and flavor sourcing timelines
The Director of Supply Chain's responsibilities and job functions include but are not limited to:
Green Coffee Sourcing and Procurement
Vendor and Supplier Management
Inventory Management and Forecasting
Purchase Order Management
Flavor and Product Sourcing
Logistics and Inbound Freight
Risk Management and Business Continuity
Cost Management and Negotiation
Supply Chain Systems and Technology
Cross-functional Partnership
Job Qualifications
5 to 10 years of progressive supply chain experience, with demonstrated expertise in procurement, inventory management, vendor relations, and logistics
A bachelor's degree in supply chain management, business, operations, or a related field required. An MBA, CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional), CPIM (Certified in Planning and Inventory Management), or equivalent advanced credential is strongly preferred.
Deep experience in specialty food and beverage, consumer goods, or multi-location retail. Coffee industry knowledge or commodity procurement experience is a significant advantage.
Proven ability to build and manage supply chain systems, processes, and vendor relationships in a scaling business environment
Strong analytical and financial acumen, with the ability to model costs, forecast demand, and translate supply chain data into actionable business insights
Experience with supply chain management systems, ERP platforms, and inventory tools. Comfort with AI-driven forecasting and procurement technology is a strong plus.
Exceptional negotiation skills and a track record of delivering meaningful cost savings without compromising quality or supplier relationships
A highly organized, detail-oriented approach to managing multiple priorities, vendors, and timelines simultaneously
Strong cross-functional communication skills and the ability to work seamlessly with finance, operations, and marketing leadership
A proactive, solutions-first mindset with low tolerance for ambiguity and a bias toward decisive action
A genuine passion for the craft, quality, and culture that defines the Rook brand
Job Qualifications
The Director of Supply Chain is a highly credentialed, deeply experienced supply chain professional who brings both strategic vision and operational precision to the role. This person is as comfortable building systems from scratch as they are navigating a commodity market or negotiating a vendor contract. The Director of Supply Chain will have:
Skills Required
- 5 to 10 years of progressive supply chain experience in procurement, inventory management, vendor relations, and logistics
- Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, business, operations, or related field
- MBA, CSCP, CPIM, or equivalent advanced credential
- Deep experience in specialty food and beverage, consumer goods, or multi-location retail
- Coffee industry knowledge or commodity procurement experience
- Proven ability to build and manage supply chain systems, processes, and vendor relationships in a scaling business
- Strong analytical and financial acumen, ability to model costs and forecast demand
- Experience with supply chain management systems, ERP platforms, and inventory tools
- Comfort with AI-driven forecasting and procurement technology
- Exceptional negotiation skills and track record delivering cost savings
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, able to manage multiple priorities and timelines
- Strong cross-functional communication skills and ability to work with finance, operations, and marketing
- Proactive, solutions-first mindset with a bias toward decisive action
What We Do
Founded in 2010 by childhood friends Holly and Shawn, Rook Coffee is a New Jersey-based specialty coffee company. It operates multiple coffee bars, a roastery, and an online store, focusing on creating genuine human connections through high-quality specialty coffees. The company is guided by three pillars of excellence: Quality, Simplicity, and Experience.
