Job Introduction
Food Category Development Director
Location: London/Chertsey/Hybrid
Salary: Competitive
Contract: Permanent
Reporting to: Chief Commercial Officer
About Foodbuy
Foodbuy Group is the UK’s leading food procurement organisation, managing over £2bn of spend across foodservice and hospitality. Part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, a FTSE 100 business, Foodbuy partners with clients and suppliers to deliver resilient supply chains, commercial value and sustainable outcomes at scale.
The Role
We are looking for an experienced Food Category Development Director to lead Foodbuy’s food strategy across core and specialist food categories during a period of ongoing market volatility and growth.
This is a senior leadership role focused on shaping strategy, strengthening supply resilience and creating long‑term commercial advantage. It goes beyond traditional category management, combining deep food expertise with strategic procurement leadership, innovation and risk management.
You will operate with significant autonomy and executive‑level influence, playing a pivotal role in Foodbuy’s credibility, performance and growth agenda.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead Foodbuy’s food commercial strategy across all food categories
- Translate scale, insight and supplier capability into strong client outcomes
- Manage inflation, supply risk and continuity across complex food supply chains
- Shape and deliver a market‑leading food procurement proposition
- Strengthen strategic supplier partnerships and develop new relationships
- Collaborate across sourcing, category, account management and operations
- Represent Foodbuy at senior client, supplier and executive levels
- Build and develop a high‑performing food commercial team
About You
- Senior commercial leader with strong experience in food procurement or foodservice supply chains
- Proven track record managing inflation, supply disruption and complex negotiations
- Deep understanding of food markets, quality, specification and logistics
- Strong strategic judgement with high commercial and analytical capability
- Experienced people leader with a collaborative, delivery‑focused style
Desirable:
- Experience within GPOs, buying groups or multi‑client environments
- Exposure to hospitality or contract catering
- Strong understanding of sustainability and responsible sourcing
Why Join Foodbuy?
This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of food procurement within a market‑leading organisation. You’ll lead critical categories, influence senior stakeholders and deliver tangible value for clients — all within the scale and stability of a FTSE 100 group.
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