Category Buyer - Compass Group UK & Ireland Ltd : Job Details

Foodbuy Group is a leading food procurement organisation based in the UK. With over £1.5B of managed spend, we bring together a wide range of foodservice and hospitality clients to buy food, and everything associated with it. We work closely with our clients to deliver expert procurement services saving them both time and money and enabling them to focus on what really matters to their businesses.

Proudly part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, who are our parent company and largest client, we purchase directly from manufacturers and growers and our suppliers range from the most recognised brands in the industry to regional and local providers. With a team of 200 procurement professionals driving us forward, our combination of unrivalled scale and outstanding data analysis sets us apart in our markets.

We are looking to hire a Category Buyer to support and develop the end to end procurement process for our Savoury category. You will be responsible for planning, negotiating, and executing contract renewals as well as managing supplier relationships. Commercially you will be expected to support our overarching Foodbuy strategy to drive volume growth, negotiate sustainable terms & provide value and benefit to our Compass and External clients.

Responsibilities:

• You will support the Category Manager to develop and execute a long-term category strategy to deliver sustainable improvements in terms of cost, quality, service, and innovation, in collaboration with the Foodbuy procurement team & other relevant business stakeholders.
• Work collaboratively with our finance team to meet and exceed operating cash flow KPIs. 
• Identifying potential suppliers, visiting, and meeting existing suppliers, building, and maintaining relationships
• You will understand key cost drivers, industry trends and standard methodologies to design/implement the category strategy for all subcategories in the Savoury category.
• Develop and maintain long term pricing mechanisms across various commodities to drive sustainable competitive advantage, taking into consideration cost of delivery rates across wholesale or direct RTMs. 
• You will support our supply chain team to ensure on -time direct supply and supply via distributor aligned to SLA’s.
• Work with our vendor assurance and nutritional team to ensure your product range is compliant to food safety regulations & CSR requirements, assuring high quality standards always.
• You will be accountable for your category spend. 
• Evaluating bids with the Foodbuy sourcing team and making recommendations based on commercial, technical, supply and quality requirements, using your category expertise and knowledge
• You will communicate industry trends across the business.
• Regularly review supplier performance to support category growth.
• Manage category related queries from internal and external stakeholders.
• Support our sales and bid teams with content. 

Experience/Skills required:

• Results Oriented – comfortable delivering against bold and stretching targets
• Experience in food procurement/sourcing
• Has the technical skill combined with enough gravitas to become recognised as a subject matter expert
• Competent with procurement systems, ideally having used these in current/previous employment
• Demonstrated ability to develop credible business relationships 
• Passion for food

We ensure you're rewarded for all your hard work, which is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes but is not limited to:

• Contributory pension scheme
• Grow your career with our Career Pathways and MyLearning programmes
• Quick access for you and your immediate family to a Digital GP, and wider healthcare benefits
• Exclusive travel discounts with TUI, Expedia, Booking.com and many more
• Save money on your food shop with discounts on Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and many more
• Up to 44% off cinema tickets to enjoy your favourite blockbuster
• Receive Wow Points every time you spend and use them on a wide range of brands
• Un-wind with us with free wellness, mindfulness and exercise classes
• You can share all discounts and offers with your friends and families

#REED