Materials Manager (Food Production)

About us

LSG Sky Chefs is one of the world’s largest airline catering and hospitality providers, known for its outstanding reputation and dynamic approach in the industry. Voted “Airline Caterer of the Year in North America” for 2023 and 2024, we are committed to excellence and innovation, driven by the dedication and expertise of our talented employees. Our team members are the heart and soul of our success, consistently delivering exceptional culinary experiences and outstanding service to our clients and their passengers across North and Latin America.

Position Overview

As the Materials Manager - Food Production, you will own the end‑to‑end flow of all food, beverage, and equipment supplies for our Customer Service Center (CSC)/Kitchen. From forecasting demand and placing timely orders to overseeing receiving, storage, and on‑site distribution, Leveraging data‑driven inventory controls and close collaboration with Procurement, Culinary, and Operations, you’ll safeguard product quality, optimize stock levels, and drive cost efficiencies—keeping our kitchen facility running smoothly

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  Work location: onsite @ our kitchen facility at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, TX
• Work schedule: mostly Monday-Friday AM/day hours, however must be willing to work nights, weekends, holidays as needed, based on business operational demands

What You'll Do

Material Management

• Oversee all aspects of inventory management to ensure financial and customer requirements are met
• Handle all company and customer owned merchandise received until it is issued to production
• Control food cost variances and continually compare actual to billed costs
• Determine par levels and order quantities based on airline specifications, menus and vendor lead time
• Manage personnel to maintain proper inventory, ordering, receiving, storage and requisition processes
• Track product usage and yields in relation to ordering requirements
• Coordinate and participate in inventory and reporting processes
• Maintain regulatory compliance standards (examples: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), etc.)

Leadership

• Ensure area of responsibility is properly organized, staffed and directed
• Guide, motivate, coach, counsel and develop staff
• Foster a departmental culture that consistently reflects and upholds the company’s values and leadership principles.
• Develop, implement, and manage the cost budget within your area of responsibility; proactively initiate and drive corrective actions in the event of variances.
• Participate and support company sponsored initiatives such as Global Quality Standards (GQS), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), Lean Manufacturing, Employee Safety

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required
• 3+ years experience in purchasing, inventory and warehouse management required
• 1+ year supervisory/management experience required
• Bilingual (English / Spanish) preferred but not required
• Basic knowledge of Demand Planning and Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI)
• Basic knowledge of lean manufacturing and supply chain management
• Demonstrated success in optimizing work processes, leading organizational change, and serving as a positive role model with strong change agent capabilities in a complex, fast-paced environment, deadline driven operations food production environment
• Strong ability to effectively engage and communicate with employees, customers, and vendors across all organizational levels.
• Proficient in MS Office Suite, including Excel
• Experience in SAP MM a plus
• Excellent analytical and conceptual skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills