Category Development Manager
Compass UK & Ireland · Ottershaw, Chertsey
Our estimate of how close this role sits to decisions about what gets sourced, specified, bought and served. How we score
Why this role matters
Where the work sits relative to real sourcing and menu decisions.
This role owns the protein category - meat, poultry, fish and seafood - across an organisation managing over £2.5bn of food spend for foodservice and hospitality clients. Supplier strategy, contract negotiation and tender evaluation all sit with this seat, and the advert explicitly names animal welfare initiatives as part of the sustainability remit worked on alongside category strategy. That means the person here has a genuine say in which suppliers keep contracts and on what welfare terms - decisions that ripple through the volumes served across Compass's entire UK & Ireland foodservice estate. It's also a strong platform for later moves into more senior category or sourcing leadership roles where that influence compounds further.
About the role
This is a Protein Category Manager role at Foodbuy, the food procurement arm of Compass Group UK & Ireland, managing over £2.5bn of spend across foodservice and hospitality clients. The postholder takes ownership of the protein category, including meat, poultry, fish and seafood, and is responsible for shaping and delivering long-term category strategy to drive growth, value and innovation. Key responsibilities include developing and delivering a long-term category strategy across protein covering cost, quality, service and innovation; leading supplier relationships and identifying new strategic partners; delivering commercial targets including inflation mitigation, value generation and volume growth; leading negotiations and contract renewals; building pricing and cost models across the supply base; ensuring compliance with food safety, sustainability and quality standards; collaborating with chefs and culinary teams on menu and product development; working with sustainability teams to drive carbon reduction and animal welfare initiatives; evaluating tenders; monitoring supplier performance; supporting internal sales, bids and account teams; and representing Foodbuy at industry events. The role works closely with culinary teams, sustainability experts and stakeholders across the business. Candidates should currently be operating as a Category Manager or Senior Category Buyer ready to step into a more strategic role, with a strong commercial mindset, experience delivering against stretching targets, proven ability to negotiate and influence suppliers at a senior level, strong analytical skills, a stated passion for sustainability, responsible sourcing and animal welfare, strong stakeholder engagement skills, and a collaborative, resilient working style suited to a fast-paced environment.
This is an extract. Read the full advert on the employer's site.
How to position yourself
The language that lands with hiring managers in this kind of role.
Position your interest in responsible sourcing and animal welfare as central to protecting supply resilience, managing reputational and inflation risk, and meeting client sustainability commitments - the advert itself signals this is welcomed, not something to downplay. Emphasise commercial negotiation experience, supplier relationship management and comfort with pricing/cost modelling, and be ready to speak to any exposure to ethical sourcing standards or supplier audits you have, even informally.
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