SR DIRECTOR OF CATEGORY DEVELOPMENT - CENTER OF PLATE AND PROTEIN

 

Who is Foodbuy?

We are the industry leader in procurement and supply chain solutions. We are the subsidiary to the 6th largest company in the world (Compass Group PLC), yet Foodbuy has the feel of a small entrepreneurial Company. We pride ourselves on our ability to source and provide a variety of products and services that help our customers more easily, and cost effectively, run their businesses. We work with clients in the Hospitality, Restaurant, Healthcare, Education, Entertainment, and Gaming industries, and of course we support Compass Group-- which is the world’s largest contract food and support services provider.

 

Why Foodbuy?

We care about our associates, our clients, and our community. We think big, encourage innovation and debate, and seek out game changers. Our benefits and PTO offerings are strong. Our compensation packages are competitive. And we are constantly growing, and we want our associates’ careers to grow along with us. We have an open and modern work environment, believe in flexibility, and promote a collaborative open door environment.

 

Additionally, we follow a value system called People FIRST, which stands for Flexibility, Inclusion, Results, Sustainability and Transparency.  People FIRST is the foundation for everything we do at Foodbuy. It is how we connect and interact with our clients, business partners and fellow associates.

Job Summary

The primary duty of this position is a leadership position to drive development and 
implementation of the day-to-day execution of assigned categories (Center of Plate and Protein) and business plans to 
provide flexibility, responsive, and innovative strategies for growth. Responsible to lead a team 
for development of category strategy or category member strategy in partnership with some 
of the largest suppliers in the industry to deliver financial results across a broad range of 
channels and clients by applying procurement expertise including negotiation, budgeting, and 
forecasting, aligning customer needs with program opportunities, fostering supplier 
relationships, and engaging in cross-functional resources to deliver strategies for growth.

Responsibilities:

• Achieve annual financial targets and take ownership for budget setting, ongoing 
  management, and monthly re-forecasting of income at a detailed supplier level for 
  team.
• Develops an end-to-end category strategy, mapping out the current landscape and 
  defining an improvement plan for the near, mid, and long-term to stimulate interest from 
  and engagement with stakeholders.
• Define and execute the strategy for assigned categories, balancing time and focus 
  between growing existing high margin, mature, foodservice focused categories with 
  launching exciting new portfolio offerings to compete in underpenetrated business 
  channels.
• Deliver procurement activities, including enabling the business to self-serve Post 
  Contract Management (PCM), KPI & SLA development and tracking, stakeholder 
  engagement, communications, risk, and Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) 
  including business reviews and scorecards.
• Develop and maintain senior stakeholder business relationship to build and win internal 
  and external support for the benefit of the business.
• Work with senior leadership to refine and properly implement and track category 
  utilization and growth initiatives to help drive key business strategies.
• Maintain a robust understanding of markets and commodity dynamics and present 
  opportunities to derive new commercial advantage and mitigate risks.
• Collaborate with Distribution to maximize availability of products and propose the most 
  effective route to market.
• Leverage market insights and data to ensure competitive market 
  pricing/cost/value/innovation.
• Create, prioritize, and plan a pipeline of opportunities to deliver the saving objectives.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required; MBA preferred.
• Minimum of 8 years’ experience in procurement or category development & 6 years’ 
  experience leading a team of direct reports.
• Superior presentation and influencing skills with an ability to liaise at all levels.
• Exceptional customer service and client relationship management.
• A leader in cross-functional collaboration; leveraging category management, sourcing, 
  distribution, and consumer insights to build unrivalled client value.
• Proven record in developing strategic business plans and managing cross-functional 
  projects.
• Strong busi