Job Description
Category Manager – Food Procurement
Hybrid – 2 days a week in Surrey, Cheshire or Yorkshire
£50,000 + 10-15% bonus
We’re supporting a leading UK Food Service Brand, currently looking for a Category Manager to join their established procurement function. This is a fantastic opportunity to lead a small team, shape category strategy, and drive improvements across two high-profile transacted frameworks.
You’ll report into the Head of Procurement and work closely with cross-functional teams to deliver value, develop supplier strategies, and support nationwide stakeholders. This role plays a key part in building long-term capability and enhancing the service delivered to end customers.
Key Responsibilities
* Lead and develop a team of Buyers and a Junior Buyer, supporting them to deliver savings, retention and category growth.
* Own and deliver procurement and supplier management strategies across two transacted frameworks.
* Work collaboratively with category leads, operations, finance, governance, data and account management teams to achieve KPIs.
* Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to understand requirements and drive continuous improvement.
* Ensure compliance with relevant procurement regulations and deliver best-in-class supplier management.
* Promote the value of the procurement function and support the wider organisational objectives.
* Inspire, energise and develop your team to work with pace, passion and resilience.
Candidate Profile:
Commercial & Results Driven
* Strong negotiator with the ability to identify opportunities for category development.
* Analytical and comfortable drawing insights from complex datasets.
* Takes accountability for team outputs and strives for high commercial performance.
Relationship Building & Influence
* Operates with honesty, transparency and professionalism.
* Builds rapport easily across diverse stakeholder groups.
* Able to influence at all levels and collaborate across functions.
* Ensures full compliance with procurement regulations.
Leadership & Coaching
* Experience providing both strategic direction and hands-on operational support.
* Able to build, motivate and develop effective teams.
* Strong change-management skills and the ability to navigate challenges positively.
Essential Skills
* Excellent time management and organisational ability.
* Strong communication skills, both written and verbal.
* Confident engaging with multi-level stakeholders.
* Intermediate–advanced MS Office skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
* Team-focused, proactive, and adaptable.
* Able to work cross-functionally and manage multiple workloads.
Key Stakeholder Groups
* Procurement & Category Management
* External suppliers
* Internal stakeholders across finance, operations, account management, project teams, marketing and nutrition experts
Additional Information
* Hybrid working: 2 days per week on site in either Surrey, Cheshire, or Leeds, depending on home location.
* Occasional UK travel.
* Laptop and mobile provided.
If of interest please contact: beth@talentdrive.co.uk