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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Manage procurement processes and supplier relationships for NHS food services.
- Company: Foodbuy UK is a leading food procurement organisation, serving over 150 NHS Trusts.
- Benefits: Enjoy structured learning, career progression, and the chance to make a real impact.
- Why this job: Join a passionate team dedicated to enhancing procurement efficiency and driving innovation.
- Qualifications: Experience in public sector procurement, especially in food, and knowledge of relevant regulations required.
- Other info: Hands-on experience with Jaggaer eProcurement systems is a plus.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
Reports to: Proteins Category Manager
About Foodbuy
Foodbuy is a leading procurement organisation with a powerful purpose: to deliver exceptional value, quality, and sustainability across the food supply chain.
What You\’ll Be Doing
As the Fish & Seafood Buyer, you\’ll take responsibility for the end-to-end buying process across this category.
Your role will include
- Category & Supplier Management: Developing and executing a long term category strategy with the Proteins Category Manager.
- Identifying, meeting, and nurturing relationships with new and existing suppliers.
- Tracking industry trends, cost drivers, and best practices to inform category decisions.
- Leading contract planning, negotiation, execution, and supplier performance reviews.
- Commercial Delivery: Managing category spend and ensuring strong commercial outcomes.
- Creating sustainable long term pricing mechanisms to support competitive advantage.
- Evaluating bids with the sourcing team to secure the best commercial and quality results.
- Sharing category insights, performance updates and market movements across the business.
- Operational & Cross Functional Support: Ensuring all products meet Foodbuy\’s food safety and CSR standards.
- Working closely with supply chain teams to secure reliable on time supply.
- Partnering with culinary development teams to support client menu needs.
- Providing expert content and insights to support sales and bid teams.
- Managing category related queries from internal and external stakeholders.
Who We\’re Looking For
- Passionate, commercially driven, and comfortable owning a strategically important category.
- Experience in food procurement or sourcing, ideally with fish & seafood knowledge.
- Strong commercial acumen and excellent negotiation and influencing skills.
- Skilled in procurement systems with advanced Excel capability.
- Able to build trusted business relationships and work effectively across teams.
- Resilient, results orientated, and motivated by challenging targets.
Ideal Attributes
- Recognised subject matter expertise in fish & seafood.
- A confident communicator and presenter able to steer conversations and decisions.
- Strong analytical and problem solving skills, with the ability to work independently.
- Highly organised with strong attention to detail and deadline awareness.
- Experience delivering cost reductions in challenging markets.
- Enthusiastic, ambitious, and proactive.
Why Join Us?
You\’ll join a dynamic, supportive and highly collaborative procurement team where you\’ll have the chance to shape a key category, drive innovation, and contribute to industry leading sourcing standards. This is an opportunity to make a real impact across the supply chain while growing your career in a purpose driven organisation.
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Contact Detail:
Foodbuy Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Category Buyer - Chertsey
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with the Jaggaer eProcurement portal, as it's a key tool for this role. Consider taking online tutorials or webinars to enhance your understanding of how to run tenders and manage procurement processes effectively.
✨Tip Number 2
Brush up on your knowledge of the Procurement Act 2023 and Public Contract Regulations 2015. Being well-versed in these regulations will not only help you in interviews but also demonstrate your commitment to compliance and governance in procurement.
✨Tip Number 3
Network with professionals in the public sector procurement space, especially those with experience in the food industry. Engaging with others can provide insights into best practices and may even lead to valuable connections within NHS procurement.
✨Tip Number 4
Prepare to discuss your stakeholder management skills in detail. Think of examples where you've successfully engaged and influenced stakeholders, as this is crucial for the Category Buyer role at Foodbuy.
We think you need these skills to ace Category Buyer - Chertsey
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights relevant experience in procurement, especially within the public sector and food industry. Emphasise your familiarity with the Procurement Act 2023 and Public Contract Regulations 2015.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Write a cover letter that showcases your passion for procurement governance and compliance. Mention specific examples of how you've improved processes or driven efficiencies in previous roles.
Highlight Relevant Skills: In your application, clearly outline your skills in stakeholder management, communication, and analytical problem-solving. Provide examples of how you've successfully engaged with stakeholders at various levels.
Showcase Training Experience: If you have experience developing and delivering training programmes, make sure to include this in your application. Highlight any successful initiatives that align with the role's responsibilities.
How to prepare for a job interview at Foodbuy
✨Know Your Procurement Regulations
Familiarise yourself with the Procurement Act 2023 and Public Contract Regulations 2015. Being able to discuss these regulations confidently will demonstrate your understanding of the legal framework governing procurement, which is crucial for a Category Buyer role.
✨Showcase Your Experience with Jaggaer
If you have hands-on experience using the Jaggaer eProcurement system or similar platforms, be prepared to discuss specific examples. Highlight how you've utilised these tools in past roles to improve procurement processes and drive efficiencies.
✨Prepare for Stakeholder Engagement Questions
Expect questions about how you manage relationships with stakeholders. Prepare examples that showcase your communication skills and ability to influence at various levels, as this is key to achieving strategic procurement goals.
✨Demonstrate Your Analytical Skills
Be ready to discuss how you've used analytical skills to solve problems or improve processes in previous roles. Providing concrete examples of cost-saving initiatives or process improvements will help illustrate your capabilities.
