Sr. Manager, Supply Chain Management - The Americas

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Mexico – Co-op Partnership & Supplier Alignment

• Build and maintain a strong, collaborative working relationship with the Mexican co-op leadership and their supply chain teams, functioning as CKE’s primary SCM interface into the market.
• Support the co-op in supplier alignment activities — including supplier performance reviews, category benchmarking, contract governance, and identification of sourcing optimization opportunities.
• Drive alignment between co-op sourcing practices and CKE’s global supply chain standards, product specifications, and QA accreditation requirements.
• Partner with the co-op to strengthen SCM processes and procedures within the market — including demand planning, inventory management protocols, supplier communication frameworks, and KPI reporting.
• Monitor supply chain performance across the Mexican market and provide structured reporting and recommendations to the SCM Director on risks, gaps, and improvement priorities.
• Support new product introductions and LTO execution in Mexico by ensuring local supply chain readiness, supplier capability, and co-op alignment ahead of launch.

Canada – Full Supply Chain Ownership

• Own the end-to-end supply chain for Canada — operating as the accountable SCM lead with full responsibility for supply continuity, cost of goods, supplier performance, and distribution effectiveness.
• Design, manage, and continuously optimize the distribution model for Canada, including distributor selection and performance management, logistics cost oversight, and service level adherence.
• Lead demand forecasting and inventory planning for the Canadian market, working closely with franchisee operations and distributors to ensure accurate stock projections, minimize waste, and maintain appropriate safety stock levels.
• Manage all supplier relationships in Canada end-to-end — from identification and qualification through to contract negotiation, ongoing account management, performance reviews, and strategic partnership development.
• Set and execute the sourcing strategy for Canada, identifying opportunities to optimize cost, improve supply security, and develop competitive local and imported supply options across priority categories.
• Negotiate supplier contracts and pricing agreements for the Canadian market, securing terms that deliver on cost, quality, service levels, and volume commitments.
• Build strategic supplier partnerships in Canada that go beyond transactional management — aligning supplier growth plans, capacity development, and innovation pipelines with CKE’s Canadian business trajectory.
• Ensure all Canadian suppliers and products maintain active QA accreditation status, partnering with the QA team to manage the qualification pipeline and address compliance issues proactively.
• Engage franchisees in Canada as a strategic SCM partner — conducting regular business reviews, driving supply chain compliance, and providing guidance on cost management and supply continuity.

Caribbean & South America – Regional SCM Support & Development

• Provide SCM support and guidance to franchisees across the Caribbean and South American markets, ensuring CKE supply chain standards, QA requirements, and approved product lists are maintained consistently.
• Identify, prescreen, and develop regional suppliers across priority categories — working closely with QA to progress qualified candidates through the Approved Supplier process.
• Conduct periodic RFPs, support contract reviews, and assist franchisees in benchmarking local suppliers versus import alternatives to drive cost efficiency without compromising quality or supply security.
• Support new country entry activities across the region — including local supply base assessment, cost of goods development, distribution model evaluation, and franchise SCM onboarding.
• Manage relationships with regional and global manufacturers serving the Americas, ensuring CKE’s growth strategy is visible to key suppliers and that regional operators benefit from contracted pricing and service terms.
• Communicate fluently in Spanish with suppliers, franchisees, and co-op partners across Latin American and Caribbean markets, ensuring nothing is lost in translation at the operational and strategic level.

Supplier Strategy, Negotiation & Account Management

• Maintain a structured account management cadence with all key suppliers across the Americas — including regular business reviews, performance scorecards, issue escalation processes, and joint planning sessions.
• Develop multi-year sourcing strategies for priority categories within the region, balancing cost optimization, supply diversification, quality standards, and franchisee capability.
• Lead commercial negotiations with regional and local suppliers, building agreements that protect CKE’s interests on cost, volume, service, and quality while fostering long-term partnership value.
• Monitor commodity market trends relevant to the Americas region — including beef, chicken, produce, packaging, and key proteins — and proactively brief the SCM Director on pricing outlook and risk implications.
• Identify supply chain cost reduction opportunities across the region and build business cases for SCM Director review, translating market intelligence into actionable COGS improvement initiatives.

Quality Assurance Partnership & Compliance

• Serve as the primary SCM interface with the QA team for all Americas-related supplier qualification, audit coordination, and product approval activities.
• Maintain accurate and current records of approved suppliers and products for all markets within the region, ensuring franchisees operate exclusively with QA-accredited supply.
• Drive proactive QA compliance across the region — addressing non-compliant sourcing situations swiftly and working with franchisees and the co-op to implement corrective actions.
• Support QA in coordinating supplier facility visits and audits within the region, prescreening candidates for operational capability and product volume viability prior to formal audit.

Performance Management & Reporting

• Manage and maintain regional SCM KPI dashboards covering Mexico (co-op performance), Canada (full P&L visibility), and the broader Americas market portfolio.
• Present supply chain performance reporting to franchisee leadership and the SCM Director on a regular cadence — providing analysis, commentary, and recommended actions, not just data.
• Maintain a live and accurate regional database of approved suppliers and products, ensuring all records reflect current QA accreditation status and contract terms.
• Coordinate with the SCM Director and CKE domestic distribution on US export activities for the region, including order management, export documentation, projected volumes, and franchisee cost communication.
• Support Marketing and Culinary in executing LTO and new product calendars across the region, ensuring SCM readiness is confirmed well ahead of go-live dates.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS / CORE COMPETENCIES

Experience & Education

• Minimum 10 years of progressive supply chain experience, preferably within a QSR, FMCG, or multi-unit franchise environment.
• Direct experience managing supply chain activities in Latin America and/or the Caribbean is strongly preferred — market knowledge, supplier landscape familiarity, and cultural fluency are critical to success in this role.
• Proven experience in supplier sourcing, negotiation, and account management, with demonstrated ability to manage supplier relationships end-to-end.
• Experience with distribution management, demand forecasting, and inventory planning in a multi-market environment.
• New country entry or market launch experience is an advantage.
• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, or a related field required.

Language Requirements

• Full professional fluency in both English and Spanish is required — written and spoken. This is a non-negotiable requirement given the nature of the regional portfolio.
• Portuguese language skills are an advantage for South American market coverage.

Functional Competencies

• Solid knowledge of food and packaging commodity markets relevant to the Americas region, including key proteins, produce, and imported food categories.
• Strong analytical capability — advanced Excel required; exposure to ERP, procurement platforms, or BI/reporting tools preferred.
• Proficiency in supply chain financial metrics: cost of goods, landed cost modeling, working capital, inventory management, and margin impact.
• Understanding of import/export documentation, customs processes, and cross-border logistics within the Americas.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both English and Spanish, with the ability to engage credibly with co-op leadership, franchisee executives, and supplier partners.

Leadership & Behavioral Competencies

• Strategic and commercially driven — brings a business owner mindset to the region, balancing long-term strategy with strong execution and measurable business outcomes.
• Strong relationship builder who earns trust with co-op partners, franchisees, and suppliers through consistency, follow-through, and cultural intelligence.
• Organized and disciplined in managing a high-complexity, multi-market workload with competing priorities and deadlines.
• Comfortable operating with autonomy and owning the function where required, while also functioning as a strategic partner to franchisees and co-op leadership — able to shift between ownership, influence, and partnership modes depending on the market context.
• Proactive, decisive, and solutions-oriented — identifies risks and opportunities early, brings structured recommendations, and drives issues through to sustainable resolution.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Fast-paced, multicultural environment spanning multiple time zones, languages, and regulatory contexts across the Americas.
• High degree of ownership and autonomy, particularly for the Canadian market, with close collaborative engagement in Mexico through the co-op structure.
• Regular interaction with franchisee leadership, co-op management teams, supplier executives, and internal CKE cross-functional partners.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

• International travel required, approximately 30%, including market visits across Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, and South America, as well as supplier facility visits and franchisee business reviews.

THE COMPANY RETAINS THE RIGHT TO CHANGE OR ASSIGN OTHER DUTIES TO THIS POSITION AS DEEMED APPROPRIATE WITH OR WITHOUT NOTICE.