Head of Buying

Quest Search & Selection are currently looking for a Head of Buying, leading team of Category Managers for this Food/FMCG retailer.

The business is a leading retail eCommerce platform, specialised in consumer goods and food delivery. Offering an extensive range of products including household essentials, medication, pet care, office supplies, beauty, groceries, and even fresh prepared food! This global business is going through growth and is keen to look for an individual who has established leadership & category management experience with an analytical mindset they can deliver via their team in a hands-on, scales-up tech environment.

Key responsibilities of this Head of Buying – Food/FMCG

• Ultimately this is a leadership & you will be leaving a team of established Category Managers. Your role will to formulate, structure, implement process & lead a team for the on-going strategy of the buying team.
• You will lead projects regarding new transformation systems & automated process to increase overall productivity.
• Monitor competitive price indices and implement pricing policies accordingly.
• Manage relationships with strategic key accounts, ensuring adherence to cost prices, promotional activities, and service standards (whether this is with suppliers or wholesalers directly).
• High-level negotiate deals when required, with key accounts and regional exclusives..
• Provide customer insights into algorithmic buying decisions and testing to optimise availability
• Deal with internal stakeholder & SLT on in-app merchandising to consistently showcase the product range & alignment with the value proposition.
• Identifying deviations from expectations and proposing hypotheses for further validation.

Key requirements of this Head of Buying – Food/FMCG –

• Ideally having 7+ years within a Category/Buying background
• You must hve a bckground in Supermakets, Convenience, FMCG, or eCommerce food
• That you have led teams but still hands on with in driving the strategy and being involved in reactive and strategic decision making.
• That you led transformation projects within a similar environment would be highly desirable
• The business is open those who have worked in an early-stage start-up /scale up coupled with a blue-chip eCommerce or retail supermarket, household or FMCG background.
• You must be a data-savvy, analytical individual that provides the foundations of your decision making.
• You must consider yourself a builder rather than just an executor.
• Ideally that you have managed P&L responsibility of 40– 80 million turnover.
• High level Excel and Microsoft Office experience

Benefits included for Director of Buying & Supply Chain:

• Salary £85,000 – £110,000
• Central London head office!
• There is no set policy but would expect an individual to be based in head office circa 3-4 days a week – visibility and being close to the team and business is important as part of their scale up.
• 15% discretionary bonus
• Lucrative share options
• Pat of a wide global business that is going form strength to strength.

This is a great opportunity if you have the right skill sets to lead an entrepreneurial team and business. If this role is of interest, please do apply with your CV today!