Category Manager - Food

Category Manager - Foodservice

Greater Manchester - Hybrid Working

£45,000 - £60,000 plus benefits

Our client, a fun and friendly business who offer procurement solutions to a variety of industries, now have an exciting opportunity for a Category Manager to join their team in Greater Manchester.

The successful candidate must have experience with Brakes and / or Bidfood - as a supplier, customer, buyer, etc

Job Purpose:

• To be responsible for implementing the procurement strategies set by the Purchasing and other business Directors within the organisation to deliver tangible results for the organisation.
• Your primary responsibility will be to manage the supply base, negotiating competitive pricing, monitoring KPI’s and ensuring adherence to contractual terms.
• To work closely with the Purchasing Director, keeping them informed on all customer, supplier and team matters.

Key Tasks:

• Oversee the supply base monitoring ongoing contractual and KPI compliance.
• Identifying procurement opportunities to increase business effectiveness, efficiency, productivity and reduce cost.
• To leverage maximum benefit from the supply base through the application of negotiation and competitive tendering processes.
• To manage the product cost on behalf of the client stakeholders putting in place cost mitigation strategies where appropriate.
• To ensure the price lists are accurate and sent out in a timely manner resolving queries as they arise.
• Liaise with actively managed suppliers undertaking quarterly scorecards with key suppliers.
• Sourcing new products and services as required, putting in place contractual terms which can be used by the sales team to extend the current business base.
• Putting in place and managing promotional activity at an organisational and client level.
• Write and review contractual terms to ensure maximum commercial benefit to the organisational and its clients.
• Ensuring knowledge is up to date with marketplace information, (cost, innovations, supplier)
• Scoping and defining purchasing projects, then assuming end-to-end responsibility for their execution (including benefits realisation).
• Producing and maintaining formal activity plans and managing assigned resources (both internal and external) to ensure successful delivery to agreed budgets and timescales.
• Development of the ideology for social diversification and environmental awareness within the supply chain.
• Managing the production of management reports for both internal and external use ensuring they are fit for purpose, accurate and delivered in a timely way.
• Liaising cross functionally to ensure systems are maintained and accurate at all times.

Experience Required:

• CIPS qualified (full or part).
• Experience of catering and retail procurement is essential.
• Analytical, numerical and fact based.
• Influencing skills and commercial negotiation.
• Strategic sourcing knowledge.
• Good contract and supplier management skills.
• High-energy, enthusiastic self-starter capable of autonomous working.
• Business focused, process led, benefits driven, results orientated.
• Strong planning and organisational skills.
• Excellent communication and relationship/team building skills.
• Strong influencing, facilitation skills.
• Advanced Excel knowledge
• Astute and commercial awareness.
• Capability of taking on customer facing roles as well as suppliers.

Apply online or for further information contact one of our specialist consultants quoting reference number: NJR14781