Overview
We’re hiring a proven commercial leader to take full accountability of our Non Food Category, one of our most strategic and commercially significant catering categories. This role demands someone who can set a clear direction, lead a high‑performing team, and deliver ambitious results across a complex and fast‑moving business. You will own the Non Food category end-to-end — shaping strategy, driving performance, influencing senior stakeholders, and representing the category at the highest levels. If you’re an experienced category expert with a strong leadership track record and the confidence to operate at scale, this is a major opportunity to make a business-wide impact.
Responsibilities
* Set the strategic direction for the category, defining the long‑term vision, commercial priorities and investment focus, and ensuring execution delivers meaningful business impact.
* Lead a senior, high‑performing team, setting standards for performance, capability, pace and decision‑making, while developing future leaders and shaping the overall culture of the function.
* Define and evolve the category proposition across all channels, ensuring it delivers competitive advantage, meets diverse customer needs, and positions the business for future growth.
* Own senior supplier relationships at a strategic level, negotiating complex commercial agreements, shaping joint business plans, and ensuring the business secures a market‑leading position.
* Drive transformation and innovation, challenging current ways of working, unlocking efficiencies, and ensuring the category stays ahead of market trends, customer behaviour and commercial risk.
* Act as a key senior leader within the commercial organisation, influencing cross‑functional decision‑making, shaping enterprise‑wide priorities, and driving alignment across multiple business units.
Qualifications
* Significant senior experience leading a Non Food category within catering.
* A proven track record of delivering commercial results and leading teams to high performance.
* Strong negotiation and supplier management experience, with the ability to build long-term, strategic partnerships.
* Exceptional communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with influence at all levels.
* Strategic thinking, sound judgement, and the ability to simplify complexity and deliver at pace.
* Collaborative leadership style, with a commitment to developing people and building inclusive, high‑performing teams.
* Flexibility, resilience and a solutions‑focused mindset in a fast‑moving environment.
About Booker
Booker is the UK's leading food & drink wholesaler. We serve independent retailers, caterers and small businesses, with locations across the country. We operate over 190 cash and carry branches, eight distribution centres, five Best Food Logistics sites, and six support centre locations across the UK.
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at Booker means we want everyone to feel represented and able to be themselves at work. We’re a place where Everyone’s Welcome.
We welcome conversations about flexible working. Some people are at the start of their careers, some want flexibility for life events. Please talk to us during your application about how we may be able to support you.
We’re proud that Booker is a Disability Confident Committed employer and we’re committed to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. For information on accessibility support, please contact recruitment@bookergroup.com.
Practical
Please note: We can only accept candidates over the age of 18 if the role requires working before 6:15 am or after 9:45 pm or involves work in areas such as the warehouse, beers, wines & spirits, and driving roles. On high volumes of applicants, some roles may close earlier than the advertised end date. We will only offer individual feedback to candidates who attend an interview.
*Booker Group is part of Tesco plc, but operated separately with different benefits.*
For more information about us please visit www.bookergroupjobs.co.uk
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