Category Manager

**Compass Group is the global market leader in providing food and beverage to customers in a range of food service environments. We operate in over 50 countries, employ over 510,000 people, and are a recognised top 10 employer worldwide.**

We are currently recruiting an experienced professional **Category Manager **to join our Foodbuy business, on a permanent basis. As part of Compass Group Australia, Foodbuy offers an unmatched advantage through our economies of scale and dedicated procurement, contracting and supply management capability. Our expectation is that you are already an experienced & highly regarded professional of your craft who will be responsible for the strategic sourcing & execution of end-to-end procurement practices, working with both local and international suppliers.

Reporting to the Senior Procurement Manager, you will be responsible for the leadership and direction of the _National Beverages and Retail portfolio._ This includes developing and executing the portfolio and category management strategies, risk and governance management and source to contract activities to ensure right product, price, placement, and promotion are aligned to our Client Member’s business requirements and long-term strategies. The Category Manager will deliver value creation by identifying and executing opportunities across the portfolio by collaboration with key stakeholders, promoting innovation, leveraging best commercial outcomes, adopting trend insights, and developing promotional activity as well as optimising vendor performance management, pricing, marketing and inventory across our supplier base.

This role requires an autonomous self-starter who can maintain and develop successful relationships with numerous stakeholders who are geographically dispersed. This role will see you drive category management execution on focused spend areas and execution of strategic commodity plans with a high focus on integrating supply strategies with our Clients Members business requirements and long-term plans.

**Key Duties**
- Build and support a portfolio of categories
- Drive a national strategic focus via creating, implementing, and monitoring category management plans for defined categories. Including but not limited to spend analysis, opportunity identification, global/national/local supply market analysis, alliances/panel/partnerships relationships and sourcing strategies
- Drive national strategic sourcing events with the key focus on optimizing cost, quality, delivery & technology standards to the business.
- Conduct industry analysis supporting business stakeholders with a commercial understanding of the marketplace
- Execute best sourcing procurement process
- Drive risk management strategies across supplier base
- Provide leadership and innovation from a sourcing perspective towards environmental management and sustainability programs
- Establish key performance indicators and performance review programs for our supplier base
- Build and maintain productive internal and external relationships to facilitate the delivery of category strategy and objectives

**The Person**
- Tertiary education is highly desirable, with a Procurement & Supply Chain focus: CIPS, IFPSM or AAPCM qualification or equivalent is an added advantage
- Proven experience in a Category Management role having delivered strong strategic category. Contracting and SRM plans relevant to portfolio responsibilities.
- A strong negotiator and proven procurement professional who can manage supplier relationships at varying levels including supplier executives.
- Delivers against multiple project plans and can prioritise multiple demands effectively with guidance.
- Manages own time with autonomy and prioritises tasks in line with the business needs to deliver on time and in full.
- Communicates effectively on delivery of projects from areas of improvement to identifying challenges to timeline
- Intermediate to advanced level MS Office Suite including Excel, Word and PowerPoint
- Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with demonstrated ability to establish and maintain positive relationships with business stakeholders.
- Change management experience in a complex multi divisional and / or project-based organisation
- Ability to analyse situations and problem solve as required

**Why work at Foodbuy Australia?**

Our passion for procurement is led by our Supply Chain talent. We seek to establish true partnerships with our Clients and Supply Partners delivering growth and innovation for all. Our Values represent the cornerstone of how we achieve this together.

You will join us at an exciting time as we continue to invest in our people, our capability and in the core systems and processes that ensure we deliver great service to our Member Clients. As the sole sourcing partner for our parent company, Compass Group Australia, you will be offered an attractive benefits program including a competitive salary and incentive scheme, recogn