Director – Procurement – FIFA World Cup 26™

Director – Procurement – FIFA World Cup 26™

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Hospitality or Event Management, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in procurement leadership, preferably in large-scale events, hospitality, sports, or entertainment.
• Proven track record of managing complex procurement projects across international markets.
• Deep knowledge of event-related hospitality goods and services and their operational requirements.
• Expertise in supplier negotiations, budget oversight, and contract lifecycle management.
• Strong command of procurement and related platforms (e.g., Jaggaer, Airtable, Smartsheet) and full suite of Microsoft Office tools.
• Willingness to travel across North America.
• Fluency in English required; Spanish and/or French preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead the procurement strategy in alignment with the broader goals of the hospitality program, On Location and FIFA’s organizational and event objectives.
• Oversee sourcing and acquisition of goods and services across all hospitality categories (e.g., F&B, décor, temporary structures, AV, waste management, marketing).
• Build and manage strong relationships with key suppliers, vendors, and strategic partners to ensure long-term value and reliability.
• Partner with internal departments—Delivery/Operations, Finance, Legal, and Sustainability—to ensure alignment of procurement activities with functional business and event needs and requirements.
• Serve as a key member of cross-functional planning and execution teams, ensuring seamless delivery of hospitality services and vendors across all venues.
• Lead high-value, complex negotiations with suppliers to secure optimal pricing, contract terms, and service levels.
• Working with Legal, ensure all contracts are legally sound, risk-mitigated, and include key requirements to ensure vendor obligations are met.
• Work with functional areas to include SLAs and KPIs to ensure performance accountability and reflect the organization’s strategic and operational priorities.
• Manage multi-million-dollar vendor budgets across multiple markets (USA, Canada, Mexico), identifying cost-saving opportunities while maintaining the highest quality standards for the guest experience.
• Collaborate with Finance and the Operations teams to ensure vendors are selected with and maintain strict adherence to the budget and manage costs and changes through planning and event execution and closeout.
• Champion FIFA’s commitment to sustainable, ethical, and socially responsible procurement practices.
• Embed standards into supplier evaluations and contracting processes to promote environmental stewardship and human rights across the supply chain.
• Proactively identify and mitigate supply chain risks, vendor performance issues, and market fluctuations.
• Develop contingency plans for supply disruptions, vendor challenges and critical path delays, always ensuring event readiness.
• Ensure strict compliance with FIFA and On Location procurement policies, local laws, and international procurement regulations.
• Manage vendors from early procurement and contracting through event build and operations, to include dashboards and KPIs for transparency and audit-readiness.
• Deliver regular updates and insights to senior leadership regarding procurement process and vendor performance, supplier evaluations, and financial impact.
• Leverage data and procurement analytics to identify areas for continuous improvement and operational efficiencies.
• Lead the implementation of procurement technologies and systems that improve automation, reporting accuracy, and stakeholder collaboration.

Preferred Qualifications

• Spanish and/or French preferred.