Head of Procurement Produce & Ambient
Check below to see if you have what is needed for this opportunity, and if so, make an application asap.
Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire
Salary: Competitive
Were recruiting aHead of Procurement (Produce & Ambient)to lead sourcing, supplier strategy, and commercial performance across one of the most business-critical areas of our operation.
This is ahigh-impact, senior commercial rolewith ownership of fresh produce at its core, alongside dairy, bakery, chilled, frozen, and ambient food categories. Youll play a pivotal part in securing supply, protecting margins, and building an industry-leading procurement function.
The Role
As Head of Procurement, you will:
* Own theend-to-end sourcing strategyacross fresh produce, dairy, bakery, chilled, frozen, and ambient categories
* Lead and develop ahigh-performing procurement team, with clear succession planning
* Managedomestic and global suppliers, growers, processors, and import partners
* Negotiateshort, medium, and long-term contracts, driving value, resilience, and continuity of supply
* Balance commercial performance withfood safety, ethical, and sustainability standards
* Work cross-functionally with Supply Chain, Technical, Quality, Logistics, Operations, and Sales
* Mitigate risk linked toseasonality, weather, market volatility, and global supply disruption
* Drivemargin performance, cost savings, forecast accuracy, waste reduction, and supplier KPIs
What Were Looking For
Youll be a proven procurement leader with:
* Significant senior-level procurement experiencewithin food, with a strong bias tofresh produce
* Multi-category exposure acrossfresh, chilled, frozen, bakery, dairy, and ambient
* Deep understanding ofproduce seasonality, global sourcing, and pricing dynamics
* Strong commercial acumen and negotiation capability within FMCG
* Experiencemodernising or transformingprocurement functions
* Previous people leadership experience within food or fresh produce
* CIPS or equivalent qualification (desirable)
Youll also bring gravitas, resilience, and the ability to operate calmly in fast-moving, commercially intense environments. xsngvjr
Whats on Offer
* Competitive annual salary
* Bonus Scheme
* Car allowance
* 25 days holiday + bank holidays
* Private health insurance, pension, life assurance
* Retail discounts and additional long-service benefits
Working Pattern
* Monday to Friday, 40 hours per week
* Early starts required to align with operational changeovers
* Flexibility during seasonal peaks and international supplier travel (UK & overseas)
?? If youre a senior procurement professional with deep fresh-produce expertise and ambition to shape strategy at scale, wed love to hear from you.
Reynolds Food Group is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.