Foodbuy is a leading food procurement organisation based in the UK. With over £1bn of managed spend, we bring together the widest range of foodservice and hospitality clients on the planet to buy food, and everything associated with it. We work closely with our clients to deliver expert procurement services saving them both time and money and enabling them to focus on what really matters to their businesses.

Foodbuy were awarded the contract to procure food for the NHS in 2018 and we now have a dedicated team in place to focus on public sector procurement and delivering the requirements and ultimately savings for the NHS.

The Category Lead – NHS role is to work collaboratively with the Head of Procurement to define, lead & deliver the overarching strategy and KPI’s for the NHS.  This role will direct procurement activity and supplier management strategies across a range of frameworks and agreements, while working with the other Category Leads, cross functional teams and Foodbuy counterparts to deliver on trust requirements and drive continuous improvement.

The overall team comprises of several direct reports and covers circa £80m worth of spend into trusts across a wide range of food (including ready meals (DRPM), fresh fruit & veg, meat and poultry, dairy & food to go) also vending.

The role will involve ensuring we deliver the best solutions for Trusts and also managing a complex and large supply base to ensure we are getting the best commercial value – the ideal candidate will also have a broad knowledge of the food category given the nature of the role, but not essential

Responsibilities:

• Lead a team of buyers to plan, develop and execute procurement activity that delivers year on year increased savings, savings retention and category growth.
• Accountable for process stewardship to effectively capture and influence business requirements across all categories of spend to help us improve compliance to the NHS Supply Chain and responsible for effective implementation of agreed ranges, services and supply chains post sourcing events from the Governance Team.
• Deliver best in class supplier management strategies to maximise the value of NHSSC: Food to NHS trusts and grow our market share.  Oversee and set strategy for supplier & contract management ensuring the business relationship is maximised through conducting periodic / quarterly business reviews in line with supplier positioning matrix and responsible for owning overall relationship matrix and hierarchy. 
• Work across the procurement function to develop best practice and drive continuous improvement.
• Build strong relationships with cross functional teams including account management, operations, finance and project management to deliver KPIs and support trusts needs.
• Responsible for developing industry leading propositions that enable Account Management team to compliance across NHS Trusts.
• Deliver on our client KPIs and build credibility with the client and promote Foodbuy value as a Category Tower Service Provider.
• Analyze problematic situations and occurrences and provide solutions to ensure trust spend retention and growth.
• Energise, inspire and develop the Team with pace, passion and resilience. 

Key skills, knowledge and experience required: 

• Experience of complex supplier, distributor and client management 
• Ideally experience of public sector procurement and legislation
• Experience in leading a high performing commercial team and delivering results
• Strong decision maker, with good commercial acumen who is comfortable working under pressure
• Solid analytical skills, with an ability to manage and interpret data to make effective decisions
• A collaborative team player that brings people together to deliver results.
• Strategic thinker who can demonstrate impact and influence across an organisation
• A “Can Do” attitude to resolve issues and take learnings to drive ongoing continuous improvement
• Evidence of an ability to provide strategic leadership to the function as well as contributing at the operational level.

We ensure you're rewarded for all your hard work, which is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes but is not limited to:

• Contributory pension scheme
• Grow your career with our Career Pathways and MyLearning programmes
• Quick access for you and your immediate family to a Digital GP, and wider healthcare benefits
• Exclusive travel discounts with TUI, Expedia, Booking.com and many more
• Save money on your food shop with discounts on Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and many more
• Up to 44% off cinema tickets to enjoy your favourite blockbuster
• Receive cash rewards every time you spend and use them on a wide range of brands
• Un-wind with us with free wellness, mindfulness and exercise classes
• You can share all discounts and offers with your friends and families