Head of Supply Chain in Hayes

ROLE PURPOSE The Head of Supply Chain owns end-to-end supply chain strategy for Graze, bringing together Procurement and Planning as a single, integrated function. This role is accountable for the flow of materials from supplier through to product on shelf: sourcing & contracting according to business needs, and planning capacity, production, inventory and logistics to deliver them cost-effectively, reliably and sustainably. As a member of the Leadership Team, the role sets the supply chain strategy that underpins Graze's growth, cost, cash and service ambitions, and represents supply chain in cross-functional decision-making at the highest level of the business.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Strategy & Leadership
• Set and own the overarching supply chain strategy, integrating procurement and planning into a single, coherent roadmap aligned to commercial and operational goals.
• Represent supply chain on the Leadership Team, shaping and influencing company-wide strategy, investment decisions and trade-offs.
• Build, lead and develop a high-performing supply chain team, including succession planning and capability building across procurement and planning disciplines.
• Own the supply chain P&L levers — cost of goods, working capital, service level and waste — and report performance to the Leadership Team and Board as required.
• Lead supply chain input into business planning cycles: budgeting, long-range planning and new product development gates.
• Procurement (End-to-End Cycle)
• Own the end-to-end procurement cycle: category strategy, supplier sourcing and selection, negotiation, contracting, onboarding, performance management and exit.
• Develop and maintain supplier segmentation and risk frameworks to prioritise commercial focus and mitigate supply risk.
• Own cost-saving pipelines and portfolio programmes across Raw material and pack spend.
• Ensure robust supplier relationship management, including performance tracking, business reviews and escalation routes for underperformance.
• Lead ethical, sustainable and resilient sourcing practices, including dual/alternate sourcing for critical materials.
• Planning
• Own development of the planning system(s) and ways of working, ensuring the right tools, data and processes are in place to support accurate, scalable planning.
• Oversee inbound materials and packaging planning to ensure the right materials are available at the right time to support the production plan.
• Own capacity planning across manufacturing, balancing demand, service and cost.
• Oversee production scheduling to optimise throughput, changeovers and adherence to plan.
• Own inventory management strategy across raw materials, packaging and finished goods, balancing service level, cost and obsolescence risk.
• Oversee warehouse utilisation and network planning.
• Own outbound logistics and stock transfer planning between warehouses.
• Lead phase-in/phase-out planning for new and discontinued products, minimising write-offs and stock-outs.
• Cross-Functional Leadership
• Act as the senior supply chain partner to Sales, Marketing, Finance, Manufacturing, Product Development and Tech, aligning supply chain plans with commercial, NPD and technology roadmaps.
• Partner with Finance on cost, cash and inventory targets, and on scenario planning for risks and opportunities.
• Partner with Manufacturing on production performance, capacity investment and continuous improvement.
• Partner with Product Development and Marketing on NPD supply readiness, packaging and format changes, and go-to-market timing.
• Partner with Tech on systems roadmaps supporting planning, procurement and inventory processes.

EXPERIENCE & SKILLS

• Significant senior leadership experience across both procurement and supply/demand planning, ideally within FMCG, food or a comparable fast-moving, multi-SKU environment.
• Proven track record of setting and delivering supply chain strategy at a leadership team level.
• Understanding of end-to-end procurement, from category strategy through to contract and supplier performance management.
• Strong grounding in planning disciplines: capacity, production scheduling, inventory and logistics, ideally including planning system implementation or development.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, with experience operating at Leadership Team level.
• Strong analytical and commercial acumen, comfortable working with complex data to drive decisions.
• Experience leading and developing teams through organizational change or growth.